Last month Malawi attended the nutrition for growth summit and became a member of the G8’s New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. The government of Malawi will work with businesses and international investors to expand agriculture funding with the goal of increasing funds to combat poverty and hunger.

The government is responsible for instituting pro-agriculture policy as well as building effective infrastructure and trading mechanisms. In turn, businesses and investors will commit to a larger increase in funding. Over $3.8 billion will be given to Malawi along with Benin and Nigeria countries by 70 different businesses and donors. This will be a significant gift for Malawi, an extremely poor country that has been struggling to stabilize after years of economic crisis.

The president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, made the decision that major reforms were necessary to pull Malawi out of its economic crisis. The first priority of the government is to encourage investment by restoring confidence in the quality of governance and stability of the economy. The food security alliance is a key element in the plan for Malawi’s improvement

The Country Cooperation Framework for Malawi “sets out how G8 countries, the Malawian government, and the private sector will work together to invest in agriculture and help end hunger.” The Framework lays out the policy commitments of the government, the funding commitments for the G8 and other involved countries, and the plan for private sector involvement.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening says of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition conference, “We have made huge progress today getting agreement to help end under-nutrition in our lifetimes, backed by governments, business, science and NGOs…Strong agricultural growth in Africa will raise more people out of poverty than growth in other sectors because so many people, including many women, depend on it for their livelihood.” The Alliance focuses on agriculture as a critical aspect of wellbeing from the basic human level to the country’s economic level and offers hope for the future to Malawians.

– Zoë Meroney
Source: The Guardian, United Kingdon