Mutharika meets donors on hunger response
President Peter Mutharika on Thursday hosted a high-level meeting with the country’s development partners where they discussed implementation of the country’s food insecurity response plan.
The meeting held at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe followed a request by the development partners for the two sides to create a unified working relationship for the response plan.
During the meeting, the President said the gathering was necessary as it paved the way for a coordinated implementation plan for the various efforts aimed at assisting people affected by hunger in the country.
He said: “I decided to bring every ministry, department and agency that plays a key role in our response to the hunger crisis. The citizens and the world out there have entrusted us to provide solutions to their food and development challenges.”
The meeting resolved to open up each side’s communication channels and always share information on the quantities of food aid to be brought into the country.
They also agreed to share information on the logistical arrangements involved in the distribution of food aid to people affected by hunger nationwide.
In the recent farming season, Malawi registered an estimated 30 percent drop in food harvest which has rendered about 8.5 million of the 17.8 million people food insecure after losing their crops due to adverse impacts of drought.
Mutharika led the Malawi Government team comprising Vice-President Saulos Chilima, four Cabinet ministers and chief executive officers of Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) and National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA).
The donors delegation included World Bank Malawi country representative Laura Kullenberg, Irish Ambassador Aine Hearns, Norwegian Ambassador Kikkan Haugen, British High Commissioner Michael Nevin, European Union (EU) Ambassador Marchel Germann, United State of America Ambassador Virginia Palmer and African Development Bank (AfDB) resident representative Andrew Mwaba.
