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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000034 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY //CORRECTED SUMMARY// 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR AF WATCHER PETER LORD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EINV AU MI
SUBJECT: MALAWI HIGHLIGHTS - JANUARY 14 
 
REF: 09 TRIPOLI 1036 
 
LILONGWE 00000034  001.6 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  The following is a compilation of recent 
highlights from the "Warm Heart of Africa." 
 
-- SADC Members Urged to Support Mutharika for AU Chair 
-- Minister for the Disabled Says Devices Needed 
-- Vice President Banda Unhappy with TV Coverage 
-- Energy Regulator Recommends Increasing Biofuel Usage 
-- Government Steps in to Bail Out Air Malawi 
-- Maize Exports Continue at a Reduced Level 
-- President's Pet Project Gets Support for Study 
 
End summary. 
 
SADC MEMBERS URGED TO SUPPORT MUTHARIKA FOR AU CHAIR 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Local media reports that Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Etta Banda attended the SADC Inter-State Politics and 
Diplomacy Committee (ISPDC) of the Ministerial Committee of 
the Organ meeting held January 7 in Maputo.  According to the 
reports, the committee members present were urged to "remain 
steadfast in their support for the SADC candidate (Malawi 
President Bingu wa Mutharika) for the AU Chairmanship."  The 
admonishment apparently comes in reaction to rumored efforts 
by Libya to have Muammar al-Quadhafi elected to an 
unprecedented second term (reftel).  The meeting reiterated 
SADC's 2009 Kinshasa Summit endorsement of Mutharika for the 
post and called on members to "individually and collectively 
commit to support Malawi in the process." 
 
MINISTER FOR THE DISABLED SAYS DEVICES NEEDED 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Minister for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly 
Reen Bessie Kachere told the Ambassador in a January 6 
meeting that an acute shortage of wheelchairs and other 
adaptive devices was the most daunting issue for her 
cash-strapped ministry.  Stressing the value of 
"people-to-people" solutions when grappling with such 
challenges, the Ambassador offered to help the ministry to 
better engage with private local and U.S. organizations that 
could help address the need.  The minister also gave an 
update on GOM efforts to draft legislation aimed at improving 
accessibility and services for Malawi's disabled and elderly. 
 The ministry hopes to have a homegrown version of the 
landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act ready for 
consideration at the next sitting of Malawi's parliament. 
 
VICE PRESIDENT BANDA UNHAPPY WITH TV COVERAGE 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Local media reported that Vice President Joyce Banda 
blasted a Television Malawi (TVM) camera crew recently for 
giving her "scanty coverage."  The Vice President is a likely 
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate in 
the 2014 elections, but faces a formidable potential rival in 
Justice Minister and presidential brother Peter Mutharika. 
The unhappy VP said of TVM, "You come here to pretend you are 
(filming) me, then you don't bother to beam the material, or 
you cut it off so that it doesn't make sense."  Banda's 
outburst comes amid rumors of a directive from the President 
that the country's sole television station not carry Banda's 
voice in news items.  TVM executives denied receiving any 
such order saying, "When she does say something newsworthy, 
we air her." 
 
ENERGY REGULATOR RECOMMENDS INCREASING BIOFUEL USAGE 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶5. (U) A task force established by the Malawi Energy 
Regulatory Authority (MERA) has recommended that the ratio of 
ethanol blended into petrol be increased to 20 percent from 
the current 10 percent.  The Ministry of Energy has accepted 
the recommendation in principle and is looking into the legal 
requirements for its implementation, as well as the 
feasibility of also blending diesel fuel.  In addition to the 
environmental benefits of a cleaner burning fuel, increasing 
the ethanol ratio would also contribute to reducing Malawi's 
fuel import bill, since the ethanol used in the blending is 
produced locally. 
 
LILONGWE 00000034  002.6 OF 002 
 
 
 
GOVERNMENT STEPS IN TO BAIL OUT AIR MALAWI 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Government has stepped in once again to rescue 
troubled flag carrier Air Malawi, paying an outstanding 
repair bill that has kept the carrier's two jet aircraft (a 
Boeing 737-300 and a Boeing 737-500) stranded in South 
Africa, one for over a year.  The airline had been operating 
with expensive leased aircraft.  Having earlier been 
identified for privatization, Air Malawi could not find a 
buyer and the airline continues to operate as a loss-making 
state-owned enterprise (SOE).  Despite GOM pledges that it 
would not tolerate continued poor performance by SOEs, it is 
now considering further action for a complete bail-out of the 
airline, which carries a significant debt burden. 
 
MAIZE EXPORTS CONTINUE AT A REDUCED LEVEL 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Having lifted a 2008 export ban on maize in 2009, 
the GOM continues to issue export licenses for the country's 
principle staple food crop.  After four successive years of 
crop surpluses, Malawi has adequate maize supplies, but 
memories are still fresh from the food crisis of 2001, when 
poor harvests were exacerbated by large maize exports.  Poor 
early rains in some regions of the country suggest a smaller 
2010 crop, and have prompted a reduction in the size of 
export licenses. 
 
ADB SUPPORTS STUDY OF PRESIDENT'S PET PROJECT 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The African Development Bank has approved a grant of 
USD 3.4 million to fund a feasibility study for the proposed 
Shire-Zambezi Waterway.  The project, which has been 
identified as a priority in the Malawi Growth and Development 
Strategy and is a particular favorite of President Mutharika, 
would give landlocked Malawi access to the sea via the two 
named rivers through the port of Nsanje (already under 
construction) at the extreme southern tip of the country. 
The study, expected to begin in the first quarter of 2010, 
will examine the hydrology of the rivers, among other 
aspects.  Even if the waterway itself should prove 
technically feasible - something that has yet to be 
demonstrated - questions will remain regarding such issues as 
how goods would be moved from Nsanje to the rest of Malawi or 
Zambia beyond. 
SULLIVAN