Transforming Malawi Together - It Is Possible (Nzotheka) : People'S Party Manifesto 2014-2019

TRANSFORMING MALAWI TOGEtHER | It IS POSSIBLE (NZOtHEKA) PEOPLES PARTY MANIFESTO 2014-2019
Contents
Message from Her Excellency, Dr. Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of Malawi and the Peoples Party
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Preamble vi The Dream Lives On vi The Peoples Party vi
CHAPTER 1 Integrated Rural Transformation 1 CHAPTER 2 Agriculture and Food Security 5 CHAPTER 3 Education Development 17 CHAPTER 4 Health 23 CHAPTER 5 Women Empowerment 27 CHAPTER 6 Youth Development and Vocational Training 31 CHAPTER 7 Persons with Disability 35 CHAPTER 8 The Elderly 39 CHAPTER 9 Arts, Culture and Sports 41 CHAPTER 10 Infrastructure Development 43 CHAPTER 11 Economic Management and Governance 51 CHAPTER 12 Economic Development Sectors 55 CHAPTER 13 Public Sector Reform 65 CHAPTER 14 Good Governance, Human Rights and Rule of Law 69 CHAPTER 15 Social Protection 73 CHAPTER 16 Peace and Security 75 CHAPTER 17 International Relations and Cooperation 79 CHAPTER 18 Our Pledge 81
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Message from Her Excellency, Dr. Joyce Banda, President of the Republic of Malawi and the Peoples Party
My fellow Malawians, I have the privilege of placing before you the Manifesto of the Peoples Party, which highlights the policies and progammes we intend to implement after the forthcoming elections. I do so in all humility, knowing, as you do, how far we have recently come in rescuing our country from the mismanagement and abuses of the past. However, we still have a lot of work to do, in order to turn our country around and create the foundation for a clean and competent Government that meets the aspirations of the people of Malawi. We are all aware of the painful past of the previous administration which was characterized by shortages of foreign exchange, fuel, and drugs. Relations with our development partners and some of our neighbors were at the lowest. The country experienced poor political and economic governance; human rights infringements and a slowdown in industrial production . This not only led to increased suffering of our people, but also alienated them from the Government that was supposed to serve them. This, therefore, called for urgent and fundamental change, which we propose in this Manifesto for the consideration of every citizen of Malawi. In the short time I have been President, we have taken decisive action to recover the economy, build a foundation for growth and deal with corruption. These steps represent the beginning of a transformation agenda that we are now called upon to implement. As Malawians, we all share a vision of what we want our country to be. That vision requires us to agree on what we must do to realize our destiny. Most of all, we want a Government that is of the people; respects the people; and serves the people. We want a Government that guarantees the freedom, dignity, and pride of every Malawian. This lies at the heart of the proposals we set forth in this Manifesto. I am committed to continue to champion the cause of the rural and urban poor. I am committed to continue champion the cause of women and youth. I am committed to continue champion the cause of the workers, the people with disability and the elderly. I am committed to continue champion the cause of the business community. Yes, I am committed to continue champion the cause of students.
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Indeed, I am committed to rural transformation as the centre-piece of my transformational agenda. This is in response to the fact that life in rural Malawi is a continuous struggle and the rural folk are looking for a leadership and a government that can change their life circumstances forever. I want to call upon all our people: men and women, young and old; rich and poor to see what I see because I am seeing prosperity upon our land. It demands of us to make a better Malawi possible. A Malawi that becomes the hope of our people and the continent. A Malawi that is a centre of excellence for doing business. A Malawi that is efficient and skillful. Yes, a healthy Malawi. In this regard, the choices we make today are critical in determining the future we desire to have. I have full confidence in the people of Malawi. We all share the same dream of a better future for our country, our families, and our children. This Manifesto says what the Peoples Party Government, under my leadership, intends to do in order to achieve that objective. I ask for your support. It is Possible to transform Malawi. Dr. Joyce Banda PRESIDENT OF REPUBLIC OF MALAWI AND THE PEOPLES PARTY
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PREAMBLE
The PEOPLES PARTY agenda is to provide transformational leadership that can take action to uplift the lives of Malawians in ways that poverty remains a thing of the past. Every Malawian should live a meaningful and dignified life without worrying about basic survival. The citizens of this country should graduate from just barely hanging on to life. The PEOPLES PARTY is proposing in this manifesto an agenda that should serve as a foundation that will enable all Malawians to step up and step out of basic existence. For the last 50 years, Malawians have been continuously worried about basic survival, with the central agenda being food security. The PEOPLES PARTY Government proposes to introduce innovative ideas and programmes that will ensure that no Malawian has to worry about whether they will eat, but rather, what choices of food they will get. Ultimately, the goal of the PEOPLES PARTY government will be to ensure that we replace the domination of circumstances and chance by transforming the country so that our hardworking citizens are in total control over their day to day lives.
THE DREAM LIVES ON

Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda comes from a background where she has a passion for serving the people of this country, especially the most vulnerable. Her dream has been to transform the country in ways that poverty remains a thing of the past and that Malawi transforms into an upper middle income country in the shortest period possible. Her ascendancy to the presidency in 2012 gave her the platform to actualize that dream. She had to start with laying a solid foundation, that required making bold decisions that were at times painful but necessary to set the country on the path of recovery and sustainable transformation. Guided by this manifesto, the Presidents dream will now be realized through a responsive and people-serving government.
THE PEOPLES PARTY

After being dismissed from the Democratic Progressive Party in December 2010, for her stand on the principles of justice, equity and fairness, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda invited well meaning Malawians to form the PEOPLES PARTY with a view to contest in the 2014 elections. Since its formation in 2011, the PEOPLES PARTY has prioritized three sets of programmes focusing on transforming the political, social and economic sectors to create a Malawi that works for all regardless of their political affiliation, ethnicity, religion, region of origin and social status. Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda and a number of well meaning Malawians established the Peoples Party when it became clear that the system and practices of government that had evolved in Malawi were no longer suited to the needs of Malawians. In effect, it had
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been hijacked by a select few to serve their own interests at the expense of the people. That was entirely unacceptable. The solution, as in any democracy, was to return the control of Government back to the people. That is why we call ourselves the Peoples Party. We are the Party of the People.
Vision
A Malawi where her citizens are free from the ravages of poverty; live dignified lives and exude a sense of pride in themselves and their country.
Mission
To transform the lives of all Malawians through economic growth, wealth creation and political empowerment.
Values
To serve Malawians and the world with integrity, honesty, tolerance, selflessness, commitment and dedication.
Ideological Principles
The PEOPLES PARTY is founded on ideological principles of unity, equity and development.
Unity
Building a national brand around issues of unity in diversity, identity and coexistence regardless of tribal, faith, class and political differences.
Equity
Fair and just access to, and distribution of, national resources and opportunities.
Development
The PEOPLES PARTY seeks to embrace a development agenda that unlocks the potential of Malawi and Malawians; enhances opportunities for individual and national growth; reduces inequalities and the prevalence of poverty. This manifesto, therefore, identifies the key elements of the PEOPLES PARTY Governments transformation agenda; illustrates why they are important and highlights opportunities for, and the key drivers of a successful transformation. We recommend it to the people of Malawi and ask them to walk with us as we embark on this journey to take Malawi into the status of a middle income country.
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CHAPTER 1
Integrated Rural Transformation

Fifty years after independence, the lives of rural Malawians have hardly changed. The education and health sectors are in a perpetual state of crisis; many people still drink from unprotected wells; despite no country having ever developed on the back of a hoe, this remains the farm implement of burden for most citizens; majority of our people live in substandard houses; transport remains a challenge with many areas of the country inaccessible; social services have collapsed; the countrys hardworking farmers are reliant on the fate of nature and barely harvest enough to eat; unemployment is rampant, especially among the youth; industrial productivity is almost non-existent; women face discrimination and most lead life as second class citizens; environmental degradation is rampant; many children are born into poverty and destitution and end up living entirely excluded from mainstream society. The PEOPLES PARTY Government, under the leadership of Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda, who has shown passion as the champion of the poor, is committed to rural transformation as the centre-piece of her Governments development agenda. This is in response to the fact that life in rural Malawi is a continuous struggle and the rural folk are looking for a leadership and government that can change their life circumstances forever. The PEOPLES PARTY Government, led by Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda, proposes to introduce policies and programmes that will be primarily geared at transforming the lives of ordinary Malawians. In implementing these programmes and policies, the PEOPLES PARTY Government realizes the interconnectedness and synergies between various aspects of rural livelihoods. The transformational agenda that the PEOPLES PARTY is proposing in this manifesto, therefore, takes a holistic view by addressing the development needs of rural areas in an integrated manner. Departing from the traditional development approaches of the past, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will seek to maximize impact and sustainability by delivering tailor-made development packages to different communities. The development agenda being proposed by the PEOPLES PARTY in this manifesto will ultimately transform Malawis rural and urban areas into vibrant hubs of agri-business and industrial activity and translate the countrys youth into a demographic dividend.
Additionally, the proposed transformational agenda will expand access to social services that meet minimum standards of quality regardless of location; reduce inequality spatial and gender; and accelerate progress towards an inclusive community and national development. As part of the take off of this transformation agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY, under the leadership of Her Excellency, Dr. Joyce Banda, established the Mudzi Transformation Trust to modernise rural areas and fight poverty. As the country prepares to launch a new presidential and parliamentary cycle, the PEOPLES PARTY is proposing to expand its transformational vision to become the flagship of the countrys development agenda. It is the vision of the PEOPLES PARTY Government that the Mudzi Transformation Trust supports villages and rural communities to access social and economic services that address most of their basic needs. The package of interventions will among other things include the following: Provision of portable clean water; Building assets of households; Support farmer clubs and cooperatives access farm inputs on loan; Support rural farmers grow cash crops; Facilitate access to markets; Provide support for roads, health and education infrastructure development; Provide support for the development of cottage industries; and Provide special housing schemes for serving low grade civil servants, for example, health workers, teachers, community and extension workers, police men and women.
The PEOPLES PARTY realizes that rural transformation requires institutional overhaul and re-engineering. This is evident in the words of Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda, who has pointed out that: As your President, I have come to the conclusion that a business as usual approach is unacceptable. We must change the way we do business. There is need to re-define the architecture of our development agenda as a driver of socioeconomic transformation for our country. As we have noted, the past fifty years have failed to stimulate development and transformation of our countrys economy. Under the leadership of Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda, the PEOPLES PARTY Government has already embarked on a process to reflect and review the past 50 years since Malawi attained independence and define the countrys future development trajectory. To demonstrate her commitment, Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda has appointed a High Level Development Council that will play an advisory role in the countrys development endeavours.
This manifesto, therefore, identifies the key elements of the PEOPLES PARTY Governments transformation agenda; illustrates why they are important and highlights opportunities for, and the key drivers of a successful transformation. We recommend it to the people of Malawi and ask them to walk with us as we embark on this journey to take Malawi into the status of a middle income country. In order to realise the intergrated rural transformation agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will implement the following programmes: 1. Farm Input Loan Programme to provide fertilizers and seeds on loans; 2. Rural Housing Programmes by building houses for the rural poor in all the districts; 3. Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) by providing electricity to rural communities; 4. Towns, Urban and Market Centres Programme and Rural Water and Sanitation Programme to provide potable water to rural and urban communities; 5. Agricultural growth clusters, which are critical to the development of rural economy, to promote commercial and mechanized farming of cash crops, development of cooperatives and access to markets. This will be implemented in collaboration with the Presidential Initiative on Hunger and Poverty Reduction. 6. Markets Construction Programme to build rural and peri-urban markets centres. 7. Agro-processing industries to intensify rural industrialization initiative through provision of Business Incubators (enterprise centres, nurseries, managed workplaces and venture units) to assist entrepreneurs with enterprise start-ups and development. (promoting Cottage Industries) 8. Information Communication Technology in rural areas by installing computer and cell phone centres in rural areas; 9. Promote the involvement of traditional leaders as custodian of culture and traditions. The Peoples Party Government has already promoted 20,000 Village Chief. Traditional leaders enjoy power and influence in society and if we can redirect this influence to positive energies, like we have done with maternal health, we can engage traditional leaders to ensure that every girl child goes to school and also remains in school; that no woman gives birth in the home without the assistance of skilled birth attendant. 10. Implement Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) IV as one of the key programmes in realising the Rural Transformation.
CHAPTER 2
Agriculture and Food Security

2.0 Introduction and Background
The PEOPLES PARTY, under the leadership of President Dr. Joyce Banda, recognises that agriculture remains the backbone of Malawis economy. The sector contributes over 90 percent of the countrys export earnings; accounts for 85% of total employment; contributes 39% Gross Domestic Product (GDP); supplies over 65% of the manufacturing sectors raw materials; and provides over 60% of the total income of rural people. The PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore build its agenda of transforming the lives of ordinary Malawians on the agriculture sector. The centrality of agriculture as the driver of African economic growth is echoed by the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which emphasizes that agriculture remains the most promising avenue for economic growth, development and poverty reduction. In framing its agenda to transform the agricultural sector in Malawi, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will be guided by the underlying philosophy of CAADP, which commits African governments to spend at least 10 percent of their annual budgets on agriculture in order to achieve a minimum growth rate of at least 6% per annum. Despite the central role that agriculture plays in Malawis economy, it is beset by numerous challenges. The face of Malawi agriculture has remained the same, with the majority of farmers growing crops for basic subsistence. For over fifty years, the hoe has remained the implement of burden; the sector is predominantly rain-fed which makes it vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change. The sector is further characterized by low uptake of improved farm inputs and technologies; faces a lack of viable agricultural financing mechanisms; is hampered by weak farmer organizations and insufficient extension services and is constrained by poor support infrastructure including inadequate markets and weak private sector participation. In moving forward, and in keeping its vision of rural transformation, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will prioritize efforts towards modernizing the agriculture sector. This agricultural transformation agenda will be guided by a set of key principles that will either singularly or in combination, catalyse unprecedented transformation that will ensure food security through climate-smart agriculture and serve as the basis for rural industrialization. These principles include the following:
Partnerships, alliances and dialogue between and among farmers, agribusiness, financial institutions and civil society; Promotion of regional cooperation to expand markets for both small-scale and large scale farmers; Strategic policy alignment between the sectors priorities and special presidential initiatives such as the Presidential Initiative on Poverty and Hunger Reduction, the Zero Hunger Initiative, Feed the Future Initiative and the Mudzi Transformation Trust; Collaboration and coordination between development partners including donors and local stakeholders; and Joint sector reviews as a mechanism for monitoring progress toward modernization of the sector. In its quest to achieve the transformation of the agricultural sector, the PEOPLES PARTY has identified three broad priority areas of action. These include: i) ii) iii) Institutional and structural transformation; Prioritization of Sub-sectors as modes of growth; and Targeted interventions that can bring about immediate gains to the hardworking Malawian farmers.
2.1 Broad Priority Areas
2.1.1 Institutional and Structural Transformation

The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that the old ways of doing agriculture have not brought tangible benefits to Malawis hardworking farming community. It is therefore committed to spearhead institutional and structural reforms of the sector which will provide a solid foundation for dramatic and irreversible change that will benefit the Malawian farmer. The institutional and structural reforms that the PEOPLES PARTY Government will introduce shall include: In order to bring focus and visibility of the Livestock and Fisheries Subsector, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will be restructured into two separate ministries, namely: a) Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and b) Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development Establish Malawi Agricultural Transformation Authority (MATA) as a semiautonomous institution whose primary responsibility will be to catalyse transformation and sustainable change in the sector by working in partnership with key stakeholders to identify and address systemic bottlenecks in the sector; Create an Agricultural Investment Bank to provide credit to farmers on a sustainable basis according to their specific needs;
Mobilise and establish new Cooperatives and strengthen existing ones in order to enable farmer associations to mechanize farming activities; cultivate high-value commodities; purchase inputs and access credit facilities and extension services in a structured manner; Undertake a thorough home-grown review of Agricultural Development Marketing Corporation Ltd (ADMARC) with the intention of redesigning and transforming it into a new entity that can better address the needs of all Malawians in a sustainable and progressive manner specifically by: Mobilizing funding for ADMARC to ensure maize availability in all ADMARC selling points; Funding ADMARC as a major off-taker to ensure that it will buy agriculture commodities from farmers at reasonable prices in order to protect farmers from exploitation by unscrupulous traders; Strengthening the outlets for agricultural products and farm inputs; Strengthening ADMARC to drive the national agenda of value addition of primary agricultural products in addition to export oriented commodities like cotton to increase its income base and for job creation; Directing ADMARC to identify and secure export markets for home grown commodities; Ensuring that ADMARC mainstreams profit orientation in its business undertakings; and Strengthening ADMARCs governance structure through periodic audits and evaluation of its business operations. Improve management of the National Food Reserve Agency and build regionally designated Silos in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu in addition to strategically place Sub regional ones in Karonga, Mzimba, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Mulanje and Nsanje while working towards fully divesting government of this responsibility within the framework of public private partnerships in the medium to long term. Strengthen and support research and development capacity for the agricultural sector by restructuring the Department of Agricultural Research Services (DARS) into a National Agricultural Research Institute with improved infrastructure, working closely with institutions of higher learning and local and international agricultural research centres. Create and facilitate a conducive environment to attract investors, both local and international, to produce fertilizers locally while the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security works to update area-specific fertilizer recommendations.
2.1.2 Prioritization of Sub-Sectors as Modes of Growth

While the PEOPLES PARTY Government broadly recognizes agriculture as the engine of growth, it will prioritize seven sub-sectors. These sub-sectors have been carefully singled out for their potential in the context of Malawis agro-ecological conditions. The seven sub-
sectors are: a) maize and food crop diversification; b) tobacco; c) Cash Crop Diversification; d) livestock; e) fisheries; f) irrigation; and g) seed availability.
2.1.2.1 Maize and Food Crops Diversification

Maize is the major staple food in the country, to the extent that food security is often equated to its production and availability. While the PEOPLES PARTY recognizes the need to diversify the countrys food portfolio, maize will remain an important crop at least in the short term. While pushing efforts to diversify food crop production, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will do the following to ensure steady production and availability of maize for the countrys citizens: Promote high yielding and drought resistant maize varieties among small-holder farmers; Expand winter and irrigation cropping to cushion potential shortfalls from rain-fed agriculture that has become highly unreliable due to the adverse effects of climate change; Overcome systemic bottlenecks that make the cultivation of maize as a commercial crop less viable; Expand and improve the management of strategic grain reserves; and Improve research capability of the ministry of agriculture and agricultural research institutions to breed seed varieties that are relevant to the countrys agro-ecological conditions. In an effort to diversify from dependence on maize, build an aggressive national campaign to promote the use of other sources of food crops such as cassava, potatoes, sorghum, millet and wheat.
2.1.2.2 Tobacco
Tobacco is a very critical crop to the countrys economy, since it accounts for 60% of the national foreign exchange earnings, 25% of the total tax revenue and employs up to 12% of the working population. Overall, it contributes 13% of Malawis Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Building on its achievements, which include improved tobacco pricing, reduction of rejection rates, eliminating child labour, rebuilding relations with tobacco buying companies, facilitating timely payments to farmers in United States Dollars and the adoption of the Integrated Production System (IPS), the PEOPLES PARTY Government will pursue the following agenda in the sector: Promote sustainable production of Flue cured and dark fire cured tobacco; Continue to align tobacco production to market demands through the Integrated Production System; Promote value addition by empowering farmers, through cooperatives, to locally produce secondary tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos;
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Establish decentralized tobacco marketing system to maximize revenue to farmers by reducing transaction costs; Decentralize tobacco licensing system in order to ensure broad-based participation by Malawian farmers; Establish a National Tobacco Training Institute to ensure that Malawis tobacco crop remains internationally competitive.
2.1.2.3 Cash Crop Diversification

While tobacco remains Malawis main cash crop, the PEOPLES PARTY is mindful of the challenges that the sector is facing from the global anti-smoking lobby. The PEEOPLES PARTY is therefore proposing a twin-track strategy that simultaneously promotes the tobacco sector while promoting viable alternative cash crops to anchor the countrys economy in the next 50 years. The PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore do the following: Promote and finance dedicated research efforts into the diversification of cash crops within the next 5 years; Building on the successes registered in: launching Malawi Mango Industry in Salima; Establishing cotton ginneries in Chikhwawa, Salima and Karonga and up scaling Cotton Production and Marketing initiative in the cotton sector; Promoting new sugar plantations and factories in Nkhata Bay, Salima and Mangochi; Profiling cassava as both cash and food crop with introduction of Anchor Farms in Kasungu and Nkhata-bay; and Mobilising the growing of legumes for industry and export market.
Support farmers in the production of promising alternative cash crops including tea, sugar, cotton, cassava, coffee, paprika; sunflower, groundnuts and legumes. Promote development of small and large scale commercial farms through integrated farming schemes; Establish farmers organizations and cooperatives at the grass root level by linking them to Anchor Farms as demonstrated by the Presidential Initiative for Hunger and Poverty Reduction; Learning from the successes of the Tobacco Control Commission, establish regulatory bodies for each cash crop to licence and regulate the industry for fair farming practices, marketing, promoting growth and tracking proceeds from the sale of commodities in the respective industries. Promote and support agro-processing and marketing of: fruits like: banana, tomato, mango, pineapple, papaya, citrus and guava fruits to produce:
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Tomato paste, sauce and ketchup; Banana puree and soft drink; Fruit juices, fruit concentrates; Dried fruits and titbits; Canned fruits, jams, candy fruits.
Farming bees and harvesting honey as a distinct industry; Dairy and meat Industry including its linkages like cheese, butter, yoghurt, sausages etc.; Fish processing.
2.1.2.4 Livestock
The PEOPLES PARTY recognises that the Livestock sub sector has the potential to play a significant role in the countrys economy. Livestock constitutes a very important part of food and nutrition security. It is a reliable source of income through sales of animals and animal products. Livestock products such as milk and meat and by products such as hides and skins are used as raw materials for industrial development. Despite its many economic benefits, recent governments have not given the livestock subsector the attention it deserves. Since ascending to power, the government of President Dr. Joyce Banda sought to reverse the trend by promoting policies aimed at improving the countrys livestock population. These programmes have contributed to the doubling of the cattle population from 650,000 to 1.2 million and an increase in the goat population from 3.4million to 5.4 million. Building on the existing gains, the PEOPLES PARTY is proposing interventions on two fronts: production and commercialization of livestock.
2.1.2.4.1 Livestock Production

Launch a nation-wide breeding and multiplication of livestock programme; Rehabilitate dip tanks and livestock holding grounds; Improve coordination and Implementation of Livestock Services through Public Private Partnerships; Facilitate the establishment of a regulatory body to over-see the livestock, meat and dairy industry; and Encourage smallholder farmers to take livestock production as a business.
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2.1.2.4.2 Commercialization of Livestock

Facilitate and promote livestock investments through the proposed Agricultural Investment Bank; Promote financial services and enabling environment for private sector participation in production, processing and marketing of livestock and livestock products; Promote investment in local feed production for livestock; Revive extension services, training, research and farmer empowerment interventions necessary to bring about the technological innovations that are required to commercialize livestock in an environmentally sustainable manner; Facilitate establishment of slaughter slabs/abattoirs in livestock producing areas; Establish and strengthen milk collection centres; Resuscitate and improve the implementation of disease control programmes. Promote the training of technical and professional livestock officers in institutions of higher learning; and Establish a regulatory body for Meat, Milk and Animal Products Industry for licensing and regulating the industry for fair animal farming and milk production by all categories in the industry.
2.1.2.5 Fisheries
Fisheries are one of the sub-sectors whose potential is yet to be fully exploited. It is an important source of proteins to the majority of Malawians and a source of employment especially for communities living along the countrys major lakes and rivers. The fisheries sub-sector has the potential to be one of the main export revenue earners but it has not been fully exploited. The PEOPLES PARTY notes that the initiatives that have been taken in the sub-sector have been largely ad-hoc and donor driven. Consequently, the fisheries subsector has been in a perpetual state of decline. The PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore prioritise the fisheries sub-sector under the banner of the Malawi Fish for All Initiative. The main goal of this initiative will be to promote sustainable fish production that will involve women and the youth through among other things, promotion of public private partnerships and investment in fish rearing in cages and ponds, and capture fisheries. More specifically, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will do the following: Extend credit facilities to fishing businesses through the Agricultural Development Bank and other alternative financial institutions and thereby creating 50,000 jobs over the next five years; Promote fish processing, value addition and marketing to increase fish exports from 500 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes by 2018; Facilitate training for research and extension staff in integrated fish farming, feed production, fish handling, processing and marketing;
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Increase sustainable fish production from capture fisheries from 98,000 to 200,000 tonnes per annum by 2018; Promote development of small and large scale commercial aquaculture production through development of integrated fish farming schemes; Establish fish farmers organizations and cooperatives at the grass root level; Promote increased utilization of dam, irrigation canals and other water bodies for small scale aquaculture; Promote crop-livestock-fish integrated farming; and encourage private investment in hatcheries; Facilitate the development of appropriate infrastructure for handling, storage and processing of fish in key areas; and Establish regulatory body for Fisheries Industry for licensing and regulating the industry for fair fishing by all categories of fishermen.
2.1.2.6 Irrigation
The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that Malawis agricultural production is hampered by the excessive overdependence on rain-fed system. Efforts to diversify away from rain-fed agriculture date back to independence fifty years ago but very little has been achieved. It is estimated that less than one percent of agricultural land is under irrigation yet Malawi is richly blessed with abundance of fresh water. In the next five years, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Expand the Green Belt Initiative by increasing area under irrigation from the current one to at least 20% of agricultural land; targeting: 40,000 hectares in the Lower Shire; 100,000 hectares in Salima; Many irrigation schemes in Karonga, Nkhata-Bay, Dedza, Mangochi and Zomba. Initiate and mobilise water harvesting on rivers and wetlands in order to promote winter cropping; Promote new irrigation technologies that are cost effective and appropriate to the needs of the Malawian farmers with particular focus on mechanization; and Seek to learn through South to South cooperation initiatives on irrigation, particularly from the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries.
2.1.2.7 Seed Technology

Her Excellency, President Dr. Joyce Banda and the PEOPLES PARTY, realize that the transformation of the agricultural sector cannot be attained and sustained without a robust seed sector. While the liberalization of the agricultural sector has opened up the seed sector and improved access to improved seed, the sector is dominated by international players.
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This has had a negative effect on the national seed breeding programme, yet the emerging evidence shows that a country cannot achieve sustainable agricultural transformation without a strong domestic seed industry. It is against this backdrop that the PEOPLES PARTY Government will promote a number of interventions aimed at resuscitating a viable local seed sector. These initiatives are: Fast-track the review of the seed policy and seed Act within one year to fully take into account the needs of the countrys agricultural sector; Build adequate research capacity in the Agricultural Research Stations and provide them with adequate funding to carry out extensive research on appropriate seed technology that will best serve the needs of Malawi; Promote training of seed technology in institutions of higher learning that is suited to local needs; Promote interface between local and international seed companies and local researchers to share knowledge and experiences; Promote dialogue between seed companies and local people so that new seed technology takes into account the food needs of ordinary Malawians; Fast track the enactment of the Breeders Rights legislation in order to encourage innovation; and Expand the availability and adoption of improved seeds in hybrid, open and selfpollinating varieties of cereals and high-value crops.
2.1.3 Targeted interventions

In their daily interactions with ordinary citizens, Her Excellency, President Dr. Joyce Banda and the PEOPLES PARTY are fully aware of the fact that the agricultural sector in this country is in a state of flux. Malawians continue to work hard in their fields and yet yield very little retains from the fruits of their labour. Because the agricultural sector employs a large proportion of the countrys workforce, the declining agricultural productivity has had devastating impact on the livelihoods of ordinary people. According to the 2012 Integrated Household Survey, poverty in Malawi is severe, widespread and deep-rooted. It is estimated that 50.7% of Malawians live below the poverty line. Of particular concern to Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda and the PEOPLES PARTY is the fact that the proportion of the ultra-poor has been growing over time. While the PEOPLES PARTY is working towards a complete transformation and commercialization of the agriculture sector, it therefore recognizes the need to implement a series of quick-win interventions that demonstrate its commitment to immediately uplift the welfare of an ordinary Malawian and prepare them for the far-reaching transformation agenda. These quick-win interventions will, among others, include the following:
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Institutionalise and expand the Farm Input Loan Programme in a manner that improves accessibility amongst farmers at all levels while encouraging efforts and initiatives for a large majority of the farmers to graduate from total dependency on government subsidies; Improve the efficiency and targeting of the Farm Input Subsidy Programme; Zone the country into agricultural growth clusters that would drive the transformation of the rural economies and thereby support national economic growth and create jobs. The agricultural growth clusters are critical to the development of rural economy and will provide additional tools for improving the welfare of poor farmers, many of whom are women. Identify idle farms and convert them into Anchor Farms as growth centres whilst supporting out growers schemes for farming families in order to promote increased participation of women and the youth in profitable agricultural and agro-based business enterprises; Review and strengthen the A Cow A Family Initiative alongside a programme on small ruminants to empower smallholder farmers economically and nutritionally; Encourage farmers to grow other crops in addition to maize as a way of diversifying the crop and dietary portfolio especially in the wake of unpredictable climatic patterns; Revitalize agricultural extension services by facilitating the implementation of the new Extension Policy as well as recruiting additional extension staff and training of extension workers in rural settings to enhance staff retention; Promote and strengthen the agro-dealer network as a principal means of enhancing farmers access to high yielding technologies within easy reach and complimenting the provision of extension services; Establish Public Private Partnership Platform to facilitate regular dialogue between government and the private sector in order to promote value chain development within the framework of Agribusiness clusters; Facilitate farmer access to mechanization and equipment (e.g tractors, ploughs, ridgers, harvesters) through off-farm service Centres as a way of enabling farmers to graduate from hoe farming to modern technology that supports better conservation agriculture; and Facilitate farmers access to fair, equitable and lucrative output markets through innovations such as Agricultural Commodity exchange (ACE) and sophisticated credit systems and warehouse receipt systems.
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CHAPTER 3
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Education Development
The PEOPLES PARTY recognises that EDUCATION occupies a central place in the development of the individual and is a key investment for society as a whole and facilitates the transformation of the economy. It is an instrument for empowering the poor, the weak and the voiceless as it provides them with equal opportunity to participate in local and national development. Against this backdrop, the PEOPLES PARTY embraces education as a tool for the creation and expansion of human capacities and abilities. The PEOPLES PARTY however, notes that in the past two decades, the overall quality of our education system has been in decline. This is underlined by the debate on the structure and effectiveness of our education system. At the primary school level, the education system is beset by a myriad of challenges, including inadequate and under-motivated teachers; poor and inadequate infrastructure; poor quality assurance. These challenges are further compounded by an unstable curriculum which is in a constant state of flux. Nearly all these challenges are repeated at the secondary and tertiary levels. The secondary and tertiary education sectors face additional challenges in the form of limited access, inadequate resources, student indiscipline and a top-heavy governance structure. Despite having highly qualified research staff, our public universities have been reduced to purely teaching institutions with limited research outputs that could otherwise generate innovative solutions and ideas to transform the nation. As Malawi moves into the second half-century of independence, the PEOPLES PARTY is proposing an ambitious agenda that will seek to transform the education sector to offer world class education that will enable learners to develop to their full potential. This will involve restructuring the education system in order to impart skills, knowledge and expertise that will enable them to live independent, meaningful and responsible lives while contributing to the development of the nation. In todays era of globalization and knowledge-based economy, the overall vision of the PEOPLES PARTY is therefore an education system that enables Malawian learners compete at regional, continental and global levels. In fulfilling this vision, the PEOPLES PARTY will strive to promote an equitable education system through provision of bursaries with particular focus on the girl-child.
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The PEOPLES PARTY GOVERNMENT will restructure the Education Sector as follows:
3.1 General Initiatives

Recognizing that the current structure makes the Ministry of Education too large to ensure efficiency and effectiveness, the PEOPLES PARTY government will create separate ministries responsible for Higher Education and Research and another for Basic and Secondary Education. Responsibility for Vocational Training will be transferred to a restructured Ministry of Youth Development and Vocational Training in order to give visibility to issues of youth and vocational training. Streamline the activities of the Education Ministries to focus on the core business of development and delivery of academic programmes; Through the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, launch an aggressive programme to upgrade and expand education infrastructure (e.g. school blocks, teachers houses, equipment, desks etc.) throughout the country; Build Government Secondary Schools in districts which do not have any for example Phalombe and Machinga; Explore creating ways to generate additional resources for the education sector, including putting a 1 per cent levy per unit of airtime in order to support the modernization and transformation of the education sector; Strengthen the school inspectorate at primary and secondary levels to ensure that education standards and quality match the overall development agenda; Review curricula regularly to ensure relevance to emerging demands and the countrys development agenda; Ensure compulsory learning of English from Early Child Development (ECD) and Science, Technology and Information and Communication Technologies at primary and secondary levels of education; Enhance Open and Distance learning to increase access to education at all levels; Improve special needs education by training more teachers, developing appropriate tools such as sign language and Braille, provision of adequate learning materials and equipment to facilitate learning and making infrastructure user friendly; Encourage the learning of major foreign languages such as Chinese, French, Portuguese and Swahili among other foreign languages to enhance capacity of Malawi to engage with the international community; Optimize Public Private Partnerships as well as involving parents and guardians in provision of quality education; Regulate private education providers at all levels to ensure quality in line with the new Education Act and the PEOPLES PARTY transformational agenda; and Carry out a core functional analysis of the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) to ensure that world class standards and quality are maintained so as to eliminate the chronic leakage of examinations.
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3.2 Basic and Secondary Education

As part of its transformational agenda of the educational sector, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Continue to provide free primary education; Ensure 100% primary school completion rates while guaranteeing that learners acquire skills and knowledge that would enable them to participate fully in the economic and social life in line with the transformational agenda of the PEOPLES PARTY; Initiate and promote programmes that empower the girl learner and other disadvantaged groups to mitigate against early drop out from school; Implement the recommended teacher-pupil ratio across the entire education system to facilitate more effective learning by progressively recruiting teachers; Extend the school feeding programme to all rural schools and disadvantaged urban areas; Develop primary school clusters and link them to a community secondary school to enhance access to secondary education and build capacity of these community secondary schools; Motivate teachers by improving and honouring their existing conditions of service and offering them opportunities for upgrading and refresher courses; Strengthen primary schools by having at least one graduate teacher at every primary school within ten years; Promote Early Childhood Development Centres so that their numbers as well as enrolment increase to 60% Establish Early Childhood Development (ECD) resource centres in each district and strengthen the decentralized ECD management structure by empowering local communities; Strengthen complementary basic educational modalities for learners including Interactive Radio Instructions (IRI), Complementary Basic Education and Open and Distance Learning.
3.3 Teacher Education

The rapid expansion of primary and secondary education has increased the demand for trained primary and secondary teachers. In order to address this gap, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Convert Domasi College of Education into a fully fledged Domasi University of Education to address the supply of teachers; Construct six teacher training colleges in Rumphi, Nkhata-Bay, Mangochi, Chikhwawa, Lilongwe Rural and Mwanza/Neno; Increase the capacity of public Universities to train secondary school teachers and
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increase capacity to train special needs educators at all levels; Ensure that all tutors in primary teacher training institutions have the minimum qualification levels to enhance efficiency and effectiveness; Expand teacher student intake in the training colleges for both regular and special needs with emphasis on increased female intake; Revive mentorship training programme by placing trainee-teachers in schools.
3.4 Higher Education Institutions

The PEOPLES PARTY endorses the objectives of the National Education Strategic Plan (NESP), which is in tune with the partys transformative agenda. In line with this plan, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore do the following in order to transform higher education: Ensure that the National Council for Higher Education operates to its full functionality as a way of modernizing the tertiary education sector and aligning it with the countrys overall development agenda; Facilitate the work of the National Council for Higher Education to develop the standards and accreditation framework that will guarantee world class tertiary education; Rehabilitate current infrastructure and facilities in all Universities to acceptable standards; Construct additional infrastructure in existing public Universities with the support of development partners and local stakeholders in order to ease congestion and expand access; Explore alternative ways of generating additional resources for public universities as one way of easing the governments burden and guaranteeing sustainability of quality University education; Fast track the Students Loan Bill to enhance the ability for all students to access loans for education. Within two years, transform University of Malawi (UNIMA) Colleges into fully fledged Universities as a strategy to expand access and improving efficiency of operations; Fast track the integration of Natural Resources College into LUANAR to cater for human resource development at certificate and Diploma level; Work towards ensuring that all lectures in public universities have a doctoral degree as part of modernizing and transforming the tertiary education sector to enable it contribute effectively to the development agenda; Improve and harmonize conditions of service and remuneration packages in public universities; Improve the interface between universities and the private and public sectors to maximize synergies between university education and the countrys development needs; Initiate a competitive programme of Academic Chairs in public universities to strengthen the education and research capacity of Higher Education and research institutions.
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CHAPTER 4
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Health
During its first two years of the PEOPLES PARTY Administration, Government has made numerous interventions that have begun bearing fruits in the areas of child health, underfive and maternal mortality, increased number of women delivering in health facilities, reduced HIV prevalence and increased coverage of anti-retro viral therapy (ART). These have facilitated progress toward achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals. In order to revamp and modernize the health service system, the PEOPLES PARTY, under the leadership of Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda, proposes to do the following:
4.1 Maternal and Neonatal Health

Intensify the construction of waiting homes across the country for pregnant women under the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe-motherhood for improved reproductive health; Her Excellency the President will continue an ambassadorial role for Malawian mothers in promoting Maternal Health and Safe-motherhood and advocating for the girl-child.
4.2 Nutrition, HIV and AIDS Management

Enhance and accelerate therapeutic and preventive management of malnutrition, HIV and AIDS in collaboration with local and international development partners; Scale-up the new ART regimen to all beneficiaries; and
4.3 Malaria prevention and control

Enhance the malaria prevention and control strategies including distribution of longlasting insecticide treated nets, in-door residual spraying with insecticides, rapid diagnostic testing and treatment;
4.4. Drugs and Medical Supplies

Address systemic bottlenecks that have undermined timely availability of drugs and medical supplies, such as lengthy procurement processes, weak logistical information systems, inadequate and unpredictable funding for medicines and inadequate infrastructure;
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Mobilize resources to ensure that the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST) is always fully stocked with a minimum of at least three months supply of essential drugs and medicines;
4.5 Improving Access to Essential Health Services

The PEOPLES PARTY transformational agenda envisages making health services accessible and equitably distributed to all people, with emphasis on vulnerable groups such as poor people, women, children, orphans, people with disabilities and the elderly. Access to essential health services will be enhanced through three interconnected priority areas, namely: a) infrastructure for health; b) service level agreements with Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM); c) health transport system.
4.5.1 Infrastructure for Health

Reduce congestion in Central Hospitals by constructing District Hospitals in the cities of Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu and enhance the operations of the existing clinics in these cities; Build a state of the art military hospital in Lilongwe for the army and police to provide specialized care and treatment; Construct a state of the art National Cancer Centre and train necessary specialist personnel for the centre; Ensure that each district has a modern hospital within the next ten years; Rehabilitate all district hospitals that are dilapidated; Introduce incentives to health service personnel working in rural and underserved areas.
4.5.2 Service Level Agreement with CHAM

Explore creative ways of resourcing service level agreements with CHAM to ensure accessibility of health services in areas not served by the public health system;
4.5.3 Health transport system

Prioritize the purchase of essential health transport such as well-equipped motor vehicle ambulances to ensure timely access to referral and emergency services; and Improve delivery of outreach health services through innovative mechanisms, such as Mobile Medical Services to reach populations that live outside an 8km radius from the nearest health infrastructure as a stop-gap measure while government works on construction of health facilities within easy reach of all communities.
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4.6 Human Resource for Health

Decentralise management of human resources for health to district councils; Improve conditions of service in accordance with public service reforms to enhance retention of staff;
4.7 Health Care Financing

Implement new Health Financing Strategies to augment national budgetary allocations for instance levies on alcohol and tobacco products; Establish a National Health Fund to manage the alternative health finances and improve health service delivery; and Explore the feasibility of introducing a compulsory national health insurance scheme as an alternative way of resourcing the national health system and promoting access to health.
4.8 Health Information System

Strengthen the Health Information System by scaling up electronic medical record systems and establishing a computerized national health data base.
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CHAPTER 5
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Women Empowerment
THE PEOPLES PARTY Government notes that although women make up more than 52 percent of the population, they are grossly underrepresented in decision making positions and marginalized in economic activities. This has not changed much even though the country has signed up to a number of international protocols aimed at increasing the participation of women in politics and socio-economic affairs. The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that women constitute the majority of our population therefore when we talk about poverty, suffering and underdevelopment; we are talking mostly of women who are in majority. The promotion of gender equality, women empowerment; improvement of maternal health and achieving education for the girl child are transformational strategies to achieving sustainable development and overcoming poverty. The biggest threats to development in Malawi are poverty, lack of opportunity and lack of hope. Building on the leadership of the countrys first female Head of State, Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda who noted that: We have an opportunity to transform the country by recognizing the interconnectedness of gender equality, agriculture, security, the environment, health, and a strong youth population. For a woman living in a village in Africa, the issues of food security, the challenges posed by climate variability, population pressures, and economic challenges all meet this woman on the doorstep of her home. I think that it is income into the poor household that must come first. The issues that affect population growth, malnutrition, girls access to education, maternal health and indeed poverty are all linked to lack of incomes into households. If we have to overcome these challenges we need to promote policies and programmes that bring decent incomes into households.
5.2
Interventions
Mindful of this, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will do the following: Develop policies and programmes that bring incomes into households so that children are not considered as wealth for families. This income based approach will emancipate this woman to secure social, political and economic freedoms which are necessary for growth and development;
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Invest to support education for the girl child so that girls can complete primary, secondary and tertiary education with special focus on child headed households and orphaned children; Building on the successes in maternal health, promote the involvement of traditional leaders as custodian of culture and traditions. Traditional leaders enjoy power and influence in society and if we can redirect this influence to positive energies, like we have done with maternal health, we can engage traditional leaders to ensure that every girl child goes to school and also remains in school; that no woman gives birth in the home without the assistance of skilled birth attendant; Provide economic empowerment for the social political emancipation of women. In this regard, expand programmes for women based on the Market Womens Activities In Development (MWAI) Initiative. This among other things empowers women to make informed decisions that affect them including political participation, reproductive rights and education of their children; Establish institutional framework that will support women to go to Parliament, and while in Parliament implement capacity building programs to support them perform and stay in the house; Identify and encourage professional women to mentor young women and set them as role models to motivate young girls; Establish networks of women to support fellow women, for example, to help women get reelected, help women stay in marriage, help fellow women stay in senior positions; Enact constitutional reforms to set a 40% quota representation of women in Parliament and other key decision-making positions; Domesticate fully international protocols relating to women and gender in development so as to enhance representation of women in decision making and improve their socioeconomic welfare; Enhance educational opportunities and promote the rights of the girl child, including the removal of impediments that inhibit their progression; Revive Home Craft Workers Programmes to enhance livelihoods for women; Develop integrated rural wholesale markets for women in Bvumbwe, Zalewa, Lizulu, Tsangano and Jenda; Implement programmes that sensitize the nation against all forms of violence against women; and Eradicate all forms of discrimination against women including the creation of equal employment opportunities.
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CHAPTER 6
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Youth Development and Vocational Training

The PEOPLES PARTY Government recognizes that the youth are an asset of our nation. They are energetic, adventurous, innovative, industrious, healthy, and willing to learn. Although the youth constitute a significant proportion of the countrys population, they are marginalized in the countrys development endeavours. A large proportion of the youth face education challenges; are unemployed or underemployed; lack access to start-up financial capital; do not own land and generally lack alternative opportunities especially girls who are not in school. Ultimately, the youth struggle with poverty, especially when they do not have any family or community support mechanisms to lean on. Building on the Presidents vision to place the youth at the centre of her transformational agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that the youth are not a homogeneous category, but that they are differentiated by gender, area of residence, age, economic status, religion or even marital status. The PEOPLES PARTY youth agenda therefore takes into account these differences and seeks to build the foundations of the transformational agenda on todays youth. The PEOPLES Party further recognizes that youth empowerment policies are spread thinly across too many government ministries to achieve the desired strategic impact. In taking the youth agenda forward, the PEOPLES PARTY Government youth agenda will focus on five sets of specific interventions: a) general and pragmatic youth initiatives; b) institutional and structural reforms; c) vocational and technical training; d) National Internship Programme; and e) National Youth Service programme;
6.1 General and Pragmatic Youth Initiatives

The PEOPLES PARTY Government endorses the Presidents vision for the youth of Malawi, which she outlined at the 2013 National Youth Day celebrations. This vision envisages a number of cross cutting initiatives aimed at creating a supportive and progressive policy environment to harness the potential of the youth. Key activities under this initiative will include:
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Improving the quality and quantity of schooling with the goal of ensuring that secondary school, vocational training and university education, equip the youth with relevant skills needed in the workforce; Modernizing the countrys job market by investing in technology and IT skills and ensuring equal access to employment for males and females; Pursuing a multi-sectoral approach that combines the efforts of various government departments to enhance youth skills and opportunities; Enhancing overall management capacity of the economy in order to guarantee stable macro-economic conditions that are a prerequisite to growth, wealth and job creation; Encouraging youths participation in public life, programmes and services that are directed at them; Expanding and reinvigorating family planning programmes especially in most disadvantaged areas, to delay births, reduce unintended pregnancies and improve maternal health; Enacting and enforcing laws to prevent early marriages since those who marry early are generally less able to contribute to productive sectors of the economy; and Facilitating youths access to microcredit in order to promote entrepreneurship.
6.2 Institutional and Structural Reforms
The PEOPLES PARTY Government recognizes that the realization of its youth transformational agenda requires a number of institutional and structural reforms. Consequently, the PEOPLES PARTY is proposing the following reforms: Reorganizing the Ministry responsible for youth affairs by creating a separate Ministry of Youth and Vocational Training to raise the profile of youth specific needs and empowerment programmes; Reform the Technical and Vocational Education Training Authority (TEVETA), to align it with current priorities and regional and international standards; Repeal the 1% levy in the TEVETA Act for public training institutions; Harmonize coordination of fragmented youth employment policies among government ministries to ensure coherence in policy implementation; and Establish credible monitoring mechanisms in order to track whether or not interventions aimed at improving the welfare of the youth are producing the intended results and outcomes.
6.3 Vocational and Technical Training

The PEOPLES PARTY Government believes that investing in technical, vocational and enterprise training is key to building knowledge and required competencies that facilitate development and empowerment of our youth. As part of its youth agenda in the next five years, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore undertake the following interventions:
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Upgrade existing technical colleges by providing them with modern learning facilities and equipment; Build at least 4 new technical colleges (one in each administrative region) to provide increased access to vocational and technical training; Re-engineer vocational and technical education programmes to align them with national skills needs; Expand the teaching capacity of vocational and technical training institutions by training new instructors; Develop a career path for instructors in vocational and technical training institutions to ensure retention of staff; and Identify and expand opportunities for youth employment outside the country.
6.4 National Internship Programme

In the 2012/2013 financial year, the Government of Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda launched the National Internship Programme to provide the youth of the country with real life work skills to prepare them for meaningful and gainful employment opportunities. In the next five years, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will build on this initiative by: Popularizing and fine tuning the National Internship Programme to cater for the increased number of youth; and Creating incentives for private and civic organizations that enrol youth under the internship programme.
6.5 National Youth Service Program

Operationalize the National Youth Service Programme, targeting priority sectors, namely agriculture, agro-processing and trade; Exploit synergies between the National Youth Service Programme with various government initiatives, such as the Mudzi Transformation Trust and the Youth Enterprise Development Fund; Building on the progress made on revitalising the following farms: Make Neno Centre a national and regional model for youth development. The Centre has already created 200 jobs. Establish satellites centres at Ngapani in Mangochi, Ntonda in Ntcheu, Kamwanjiwa and Mmbelwa Farm Institute in Mzimba , Chipunga in Nkhata Bay just to mention a few.
Explore the possibilities of establishing Public Private Partnerships in the implementation of the National Youth Service with the target of creating at least 18,000 new jobs for young people every year; and Establish a Youth Training Centre in all major cities to train at least 1,000 youth per year in farming, animal husbandry and assorted technical skills.
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CHAPTER 7
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Persons with Disability

As part of its transformational agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY will champion inclusive development which respects the full rights of all peoples, acknowledging diversity, eradicating poverty and ensuring that all people are fully included and can actively participate in the development processes and activities regardless of age, gender, disability, state of health, ethnic origin or any other characteristic. It is against this background that the PEOPLES PARTY Government will take concrete steps to ensure that people with disabilities will become an integral part of the mainstream development processes.
7.1 Interventions
The PEOPLES PARTY will therefore pursue the following interventions to achieve its strategic objectives to integrate people with disabilities into its transformational agenda: Integrate disability issues in all government development strategies, planning and programmes; Build capacity and intensify public education and awareness about disability issues in order to challenge negative perceptions regarding people with disabilities; Enforce the implementation of the provisions of Disability Act Create a conducive environment for people with disabilities to fully participate in development processes; Ensure that people with disabilities are treated equally by the law, have access to justice and can live safely in their own communities, particularly women and the youth; Eliminate barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing the physical environment, transport, goods and services so that they can participate fully in all areas of life; Improve interaction between all sectors to achieve the social inclusion of people with disabilities; Increase opportunities for people with disabilities to influence policies and programmes in government; Increase awareness among people with disabilities of their rights and opportunities through a range of communication activities; Increase the level of accessible and inclusive communications so that people with disabilities can access information as independently as possible and make informed choices; Ensure that families with children with disabilities have access to appropriate support to enable the children to fulfil their full potential; Ensure that parents with disabilities have access to effective and appropriate support to fulfil their child-rearing responsibilities;
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Work towards increasing the number of people with disabilities entering all levels of employment and safeguard the rights of those already in work; Increase the opportunities for people with disabilities to attain skills and qualifications through access to appropriate training and life-long learning opportunities. This will include capacitating the countrys education institutions to provide adequate support to facilitate learning for students with disabilities; Improve access to sports, arts, leisure and other cultural activities so that people with disabilities feel that they are part of the community; Roll out the community based support programmes for people with disabilities in all districts in the country; Promote the production and availability of quality adaptive equipment and assistive aids; Build research capacity on disability issues in institutions of higher learning as a way of promoting the development and identification of innovative solutions to problems faced by people with disabilities.
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CHAPTER 8
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The Elderly
The PEOPLES PARTY Government has been implementing a number of social security programmes across the country targeting various groups of our society. However, after working and contributing so much to our communities and economy, the elderly are now tired and look towards society to accord them a dignified old age. The PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Design targeted cash transfer and food aid initiatives for the elderly; Expand and institutionalize the Bring a Blanket Programme for the elderly; and Engage and collaborate with organisations working on elderly issues.
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CHAPTER 9
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Arts, Culture and Sports

The PEOPLES PARTY holds the view that arts, culture and sports provide a national identity to both the nation and the outside world. As part of its transformation agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will seek to harness the countrys artistic, cultural and sports heritage to become an integral part of the development process.
9.2 Interventions
To this end, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Promote movie and film industry to create a platform for Malawian actors and actresses to showcase their talent; Develop a comprehensive roadmap and corresponding infrastructure that provides a platform for the full exploitation of the Malawian film-industry; Encourage private sector to support the youth in art development; Develop a regulatory framework for the arts industry and enforce piracy laws; Uphold and promote a national heritage to promote a distinct national identity on the international stage; Preserve and construct national monuments and the establishment of cultural centres; Promote research and documentation of Malawis cultural heritage; Develop purpose-built cultural infrastructure such as museums, arts centres, theatres and national archives; Complete the construction of the national stadium in Lilongwe and build new ones in Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu; Upgrade sports and recreation facilities in each district; Foster involvement of the private sector in the sponsorship of sports; and Train more teachers in physical education at primary and secondary levels.
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CHAPTER 10
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Infrastructure Development
THE PEOPLES PARTY Government recognizes that infrastructure serves as a catalyst for speedy economic and social development. The existing evidence shows that countries with inadequate or poor infrastructure do not experience development at the same level and pace as countries with a solid infrastructure network. Under the leadership of Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda, the PEOPLES PARTY appreciates that it is important to distinguish between hard and soft infrastructure in order to maximize the synergies between the two in driving the transformational agenda. Examples of hard infrastructure include airports, roads, railways, power plants and buildings. Soft infrastructure on the other hand includes things like telephone networks, internet and a well-developed education system. The ambition of the PEOPLES PARTY Government is therefore to fundamentally transform the countrys infrastructural landscape, paying attention to both hard and soft infrastructure, so that it serves as the backbone of the countrys development agenda in the next half century. In pursuing this infrastructural revolution, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will not only build new infrastructure, but will also ensure that the existing infrastructure is upgraded to world class standard and maintained as a matter of routine. In terms of hard infrastructure, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will prioritize the following: a) roads; b) railway transport; c) inland water transport; and d) air transport. As an additional, but all inclusive component, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will seek to revamp the existing city infrastructure and promote the construction of modern buildings in the countrys cities to raise their profiles. In terms of soft infrastructure, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will prioritize the following: a) ICT, and, b) telecommunications.
10.1 Road Infrastructure

Recognizing that road transport is the dominant mode of transport in Malawi, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will pursue the following agenda:
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Ensure comprehensive and coordinated planning of road and other modes of transport. Currently the PEOPLES PARTY Government is implementing or has planned the following road construction projects: Northern Region: i) The Jenda Edingeni road, which is part of the Jenda Edingeni- Euthini Mpherembe Rumphi road; ii) Mzuzu - Nkhata Bay road; iii) The Rumphi Nyika Chitipa road; iv) Mzimba Mzalangwe road. Which is part of the Mzimba Eswazini Kafukule Ezondweni Ekwendeni road; v) Mzuzu-Chikwina-Usisya-Chiweta road; and vi) Chintheche-Chikangawa-Perekezi-Mqocha road. Central Region: i) Lilongwe City West Bypass; ii) Ntcheu-Tsangano-Neno-Mwanza road; iii) Lilongwe Old Airport Kasiya Santhe road; iv) Dzaleka Ntchisi Mpalo - Malomo road; and v) Mtunthama Wimbe Kapelula - Nkhota kota road, among others.
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Southern Region: i) Thyolo Thekerani - Makhanga - Bangula road; ii) The Blantyre - Zomba road; ii) The Zomba Jali Phalombe Chitakale road; iv) The Chiringa Chiradzulu-PIM road; v) The Chikhwawa Chapananga - Mwanza road; vi) The Ngabu - Bangula road. Provide adequate network of roads based on appropriate standards across the country; Ensure that every district headquarters and regulated border post is connected to a bituminized road network; Enhance routine road maintenance and upgrading by building technical and institutional capacity at all levels and providing graders throughout the country; Construct additional weighbridges as a way of controlling axle load at strategic border posts; Promote and enforce high road safety standards and traffic management to promote road durability; Design a master roadwork plan that should serve the country for the next 50 years; Expand the city road network by building more dual carriage highways; Upgrade all major bridges and construct new ones to replace those that have outlived their lifespan; Promote an ambitious programme to install street lights in all the major cities and district headquarters and ensure that they are functional; Mount a robust and sustained campaign to sensitize the general citizenry about the need to safeguard road infrastructure; Prioritize the development of road infrastructure in areas that have been designated as the countrys growth nodes; and Ensure comprehensive and coordinated provision of other modes of transport including city buses especially to Capital Hill and rural areas.
10.2 Rail Transport

While it is generally recognized that rail transport is relatively cheaper than other alternative modes of transport, previous governments in the multi-party dispensation have totally neglected it to the extent that it is in a state of disrepair and falling apart. It is the ambition of the PEOPLES PARTY Government to revamp and upgrade the existing rail network and transforms it into a viable transport infrastructure for both goods and passengers. To achieve this, the PEOPLES PARTY Government shall: Rehabilitate and expand the railway network and related infrastructure across the country specifically:
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Rehabilitate and expand the railway line and related infrastructure along the Nacala corridor; Build an inland port at Liwonde; Construct a rail line linking TAZARA to Chitipa, Karonga then Chilumba; Revive and develop the Mtwara corridor; Rehabilitate the Liwonde-chipoka-Lilongwe- Mchinji rail line; Build and complete the Sena rail line; Repair the Chilomo rail/road bridge;
Develop and implement a railway network master plan that will link up all strategic areas such as ports, industrial zones and local and regional markets in the next ten years; Promote railway safety for communities living along rail lines by sticking to internationally accepted best practices; Improve operational efficiency and commercial viability of the existing railway infrastructure and levels of service; Invest in modern rail passenger and cargo services linking the countries major cities; and Invest in intra city commuter trains, particular those connecting major airports and city transport hubs as a way of decongesting the city road networks.
10.3 Inland Water Transport

Despite the country being landlocked, the PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that the country is blessed with large water bodies that provide untapped opportunities for an efficient water transport system that could also boost the countrys tourism potential. Notwithstanding this potential, the PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that the countrys water transport system is not fully developed and faces a number of challenges that include dilapidated port infrastructure; ageing and inadequate fleet of vessels; and capacity problems. The PEOPLES PARTY Government shall: Design a roadmap toward a comprehensive maritime transport system that will enhance efficiency and effectiveness; Introduce a state of the art new Passenger Ship on Lake Malawi to ease water transport problems faced by those living along the lake shore; Revamp and construct new supportive maritime infrastructure for the maritime sector along Lake Malawi including Likoma Port, Chilumba Port, Nkhata-Bay Port, Ngala Port and Chipoka Port; Partner the private sector to introduce luxurious cruise vessels on Lake Malawi; and Speed up feasibility studies on Shire-Zambezi waterway to facilitate decision on the future of the Nsanje Inland Port.
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10.4 Air Transport

The PEOPLES PARTY places great emphasis on the pivotal role of air transport in national economic development. This has recently been underlined by the PEOPLES PARTY Government bold decision to wind up the struggling Air Malawi which has since been replaced by a new flag career, Malawian Airlines in a strategic partnership with Ethiopian Airlines. To continue with this revolutionary agenda in the air transport sector, the PEOPLES PARTY Government shall: Build a new International Airport at Chileka, in Blantyre and rehabilitate Kamuzu International Airport into a modern regional airport hub; Build an International Airport in Mangochi to enhance tourism and stimulate economic growth. Building on the success of launching the open skies policy by the PEOPLES PARTY Government, ensure prudent management of Malawian Airlines to facilitate growth of both national and international linkages. Upgrade existing domestic airports such as Karonga, Likoma and Mzuzu to compliment the services of the countrys international airports.
10.5 Information and Communication Technology

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will play an important role in delivering the long term strategic and transformative development agenda of the PEOPLES PARTY Government. ICT will facilitate the creation of an enabling environment that shall foster the development of innovative sector policies and build a critical mass of human resources by improving knowledge and skills. THE PEOPLES PARTY further recognizes that ICT will provide the backbone that will facilitate progress in other sectors such as trade, productive capacities, environment, disaster risk reduction, disaster management, education, gender mainstreaming, health, agriculture and climate change. In her quest to transform the lives of Malawis rural citizens, Her Excellency, President Dr. Joyce Banda realizes that ICT can play an important role in rural communities by enhancing socio-economic development opportunities, particularly for women and the youth. It is against this background that the PEOPLES PARTY Government will pursue an ambitious ICT programme that will focus on:
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Development of world class ICT infrastructure to enhance the delivery of public services, electronic commerce and secure transactions; Development of ICT skills for research and development as well as education, training and recreation; Development of registration and policies to correspond to the requirements of technological advancements; Promotion of institutional development and coordination of the ICT sector through credible regulatory structures; Provision of a minimum level of ICT knowledge to organizations and individuals and the ability to keep it up to date; Provide information and communication facilities, services and management at a reasonable or reduced cost; Specify a minimum level of ICT resources for education institutions and government agencies; Identify priority areas for ICT development that will have the greatest positive impact on programmes, industrial development and public service delivery. Enhance the Telecommunications Sector by establishing fibre optic across the country
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CHAPTER 11
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Economic Management and Governance

The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that sound economic management and governance are central to a transformational poverty reduction agenda. However, the main challenge of maintaining macro-economic stability is that Malawi faces significant internal and external imbalances. The internal imbalance is evident in perennial budget deficits while the external imbalance manifests itself in the enormous gap between the cost of imports and the revenue derived from exports. At the core of the PEOPLES PARTY transformational agenda is the elimination of these chronic and unsustainable imbalances. In order to achieve this, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will develop a strong and open economy in which primacy of market solutions is balanced by both government and public concern for social justice. In this economic management and governance blueprint, the role of government will be to create the right incentives and conditions to encourage a dynamic and high-growth sustainable economy. This kind of economy will be anchored by policies that deliver economic growth and opportunities, influence the operation of businesses which are the key economic agents that create jobs, innovate and lead the growth processes. In its economic transformational agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY will pay special attention to the needs of rural areas and the poorest segments of the populations, which must be included in efforts to raise the level of savings, and must benefit from financial intermediation and the availability of credit. The Peoples Party Government will therefore implement the following principal measures in order to address macro-economic and fiscal policy: The fiscal measures will focus on conversion of short-term debts into long-term instruments, reduction in fiscal deficits, and more effective revenue mobilization; Monetary policy will focus on effective monetary management to ensure low and competitive interest rates, single digit inflation, stable exchange rates, reasonable spread between lending and savings rates, and the establishment of long-term capital market; and International trade measures will focus on mechanisms to diversify exports and enhance productivity to ensure international competitiveness to achieve a sustainable level of foreign reserves.
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As the PEOPLES PARTY Government pursues its ambitious transformational agenda, it will focus on five key areas in the realm of economic management and governance, namely: a) fiscal and monetary policies; b) management of public expenditure; c) development of financial markets; d) international trade; and e) debt management.
11.1 Fiscal and Monetary Policy

Promote expenditure within the budgetary constraints to begin to move towards a balanced budget. Build capacity for financial programming in the Ministry of Finance, and the Reserve Bank of Malawi as a strategy to develop a systematic, comprehensive and consistent programme to ensure efficient, effective and prudent use of public resources; Widen the tax base by strengthening administrative capacity and reforming the system for granting exemptions and eliminating tax evasion; Undertake a thorough review of the tax code in order to develop a progressive tax structure that will meet the demands of transforming the country; and Ensure maximum collection of budget revenues from investments in the extractive industry.
11.2 Management of Public Finance

Finalise and implement the Extra-Ordinary Performance Assessment Framework (EPAF) and Public Finance and Management Programme in order to strengthen public finance management; Improve security of the Integrated Financial Management Information System and ensure that Controlling Officers are responsible and are held accountable; Change the budgetary classifications used to allow for the registration and controls of expenditure at central and local levels in line with the decentralization programme; Implement regular review of reconciliations; Improve auditing and inspection of government accounts; to enhance transparency and accountability; Enhance the auditing and accounting capacity of government ministries and departments by recruiting more professionals; and Prepare and carry out annual expenditure reviews in all sectors in order to track the flow and use of public resources.
11.3 Development of Financial Markets

Strengthen the supervisory capacity of the financial sector to ensure that they do not undermine governments developmental agenda; Review and define prudential regulations for banks, non-bank financial institutions and the insurance and pensions sectors;
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Reform and expand the Malawi Stock Exchange, the Insurance Industry and the Bond Market to enhance their capacity for capital mobilisation and accessibility by low and middle income citizens; and Fast track the establishment of the Malawi Development Bank.
11.4 International Trade

Adopt and sustain a stable monetary policy that guarantees low inflation and competitive exchange rates; Develop procedures for rapid customs clearance and VAT refunds for registered and regular exporters; Review trade protocols; Remove all bottlenecks that impede and slow down trade and investment opportunities; and Ensure availability of uninterrupted power and energy supplies.
11.5 Debt Management

Prepare a medium and long-term strategy for debt management in the post-HIPC era to ensure sustainability; Prepare long-term strategy that will ensure manageable and sustainable domestic debt levels; and Mobilise alternative finances/resources to reduce dependence on donors by 30% in five to ten years.
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CHAPTER 12
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Economic Development Sectors

12.0 The Economic Recovery Plan (2012-2014)
As Malawians may recall, since 2010, Malawi was in a state of an economic downturn. Among other problems: bilateral and multilateral relationships soured; fuel was difficult to find. There was shortage of foreign exchange which led to disruption in trade and investment and some companies closed down or downsized. These adverse developments affected all of us: from the well-to-do in town to the masses in the rural areas. The PEOPLES PARTY Government, therefore, developed an Economic Recovery Plan (ERP), with bold economic reforms, whose main objectives were threefold: macroeconomic stability; cushion the poor and vulnerable through social protection programs; and diversifying the economy and identifying new sources of growth. The ERP focused on immediate policy reforms, and short and medium term measures that would bring quick wins to the economy. The ERP also isolated sector projects that had an impact on foreign exchange generation, employment creation, reduced power outages, improved transport and information communication technology. In this regard, the following five sectors were prioritized: agriculture, energy, tourism, mining and infrastructure development. The implementation of these reforms has ensured that fuel is readily available and foreign exchange reserves have continued to improve from under weeks in 2012 to more than two months in 2014. The increase in import cover has been due to steady donor inflows, tobacco earnings and good monetary policies. The PEOPLES PARTY Government has also been able to lay a strong foundation for economic recovery and sustainable growth. The PEOPLES PARTY Government is implementing many social protection programmes to protect the poor and vulnerable those have been affected by the negative impacts of the reforms. These included: public works programme, cash transfer programme, school bursary and school feeding programmes, a cow a family programme, fertilizer input subsidy programme and food aid programme, among others. Our Social Security Programs have in-built activities to wean out those who can progress to income-generating programs like fertilizer input loan programme. Many of our citizens have benefited from these programs.
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Having laid this strong foundation, the PEOPLES PARTY Government can confidently say that the economy has almost recovered and is on the path to growth. In 2013, the economy grew by 4.5 percent, against 1.8 percent in 2012. These achievements have not been without challenges. The implementation of the Economic Recovery Plan faced a number of constraints including inadequate financing, human capacity and the looting of public resources in Government. The PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore in the next five years move from healing to prosperity and from recovery to sustainable growth. While the broad principles of the PEOPLES PARTY economic governance have been outlined in the preceding chapters, the actual economic transformation will be realized through a series of interventions in a number of priority economic sectors. These sectors include: i) Energy ii) Tourism; iii) Mining; iv)Industry, Trade and Private Sector Development; v) Science and Technology; vi) Water Development; vii) Environment and Natural Resources; viii) Land Development; ix) Labour; and x)Local Government and Housing. The PEOPLES PARTY believes that these priority sectors will serve as the platform for a sustainable transformational process in which high levels of inequality and poor quality of services will no longer co-exist. Meanwhile, the transformed economy will be resilient to external shocks, and especially the effects of dramatic climate change, which will guarantee the sustenance of development gains. In pursuing this economic agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY government will implement a series of interventions in each sub-sector as follows:
12.1 Energy
Energy is one of the critical sectors that will form the cornerstone of the PEOPLES PARTY Government development agenda. A viable energy sector is not only necessary for transforming the country toward an industrial economy, but also has dramatic effects on health, education, agriculture and can therefore fast track a countrys potential to rise out of poverty. Realising the importance of the energy sector, the PEOPLES PARTY Government has demonstrated its commitment to transform the sector by inaugurating Kapichira II Hydroelectric Station, which has increased electricity generation capacity from 283 to 351 megawatts. This is in addition to the installation of an 850 kilowatt solar plant at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe. Recognizing that electricity supply industry in Malawi is fraught with risk due to reliance on hydro-electricity, PEOPLES PARTY Government has decided to diversify away from hydro-electricity by constructing a Thermal (or coal fired) power plant at Kammwamba in Neno.
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The PEOPLES PARTY Government also rolled out Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP 7) which is electrifying 81 trading centres by the end of 2014. Progress in 27 Trading Centres is at an advanced stage. Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda launched the project in Zomba and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia switched on at Kambwiri Trading Centre in Salima. The PEOPLES PARTY Government is also constructing three Strategic Fuel Reserve Tanks in the cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu with a capacity of 60million litres (or close to 60 days requirement). The goal of the PEOPLES PARTY Government is therefore to generate and distribute sufficient amounts of energy to meet national socio-economic demand. To realize this vision, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will undertake the following series of interventions in the energy sector: Continuously expand the capacity of electricity generation in line with socio-economic demands by developing Tedzani 3 hydroelectric power station for example; Improve management of energy generation, transmission, distribution and supply; Expand urban and rural electrification with the ultimate goal of achieving universal coverage; Develop a master plan that outlines the investment framework and strategy for progressive expansion of energy supply for the next fifty years; Promote the use of renewable sources of energy and explore other new energy sources ; Promote public- private partnerships in energy generation and distribution and enhance the regulatory capacity of the sector;
12.2 Tourism
Malawi is recognized the world-over as a top tourist destination, but its potential remains largely untapped. The goal of the PEOPLES PARTY Government in tourism is to go beyond the rhetoric of previous governments and create a tourism sector that is viable and contributes maximum benefits to the countrys economic and development agenda through the generation of foreign exchange and the creation of jobs. To achieve this, the PEOPLES PARTY government will do the following: Widely and aggressively advertise Malawi as a tourism destination, both locally and internationally; Fast track the implementation of E-Visa Programme; Promote and market the development of integrated tourist resorts at key sites such as Nyika National Park, Salima Beaches, Liwonde Tourism Catchment Area, Nkhata-bay, Likoma Island, Mulanje Mountain, especially along Lake Malawi; Promote public-private partnerships in order to transform most tourism infrastructures to bring them into line with international standards;
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Promote the introduction of luxurious cruise vessels on Lake Malawi; Restock the existing game parks and work with local communities under the community based natural resource management schemes in order to ensure sustainability; Designate Mangochi as a tourism city and provide it with the necessary financial and infrastructural support so that it can become a leading destination for tourists in Africa.
12.3 Mining
The PEOPLES PARTY government recognizes that mining is increasingly becoming important in the countrys economic portfolio. Its contribution to GDP has risen from 3% to 10% over the last ten years. However, the PEOPLES PARTY believes that with a proper supportive infrastructure, minings contribution to GDP can be raised to 20% within the next five years. The PEOPLES PARTY government will therefore do the following to fully exploit the mining sectors potential: Fast-track the completion of the audit of the countrys potential mineral endowment that is currently underway through airborne geophysical exploration; Fast track the completion of the revision of the 1981 Mines and Minerals Act, the 1983 Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, and the Explosives Act of 1968 to align them with the demands of 21st Century to ensure that the country fully benefits from its mineral resources; Design a simple and unique mining fiscal regime which should be both stable and predictable over time; Open at least one mine every two years. Immediate targets are the niobium deposit in Mzimba where a mine will open in 2015, the rare earths projects in Phalombe, Mulanje and Kangankunde in Balaka where mining will start from 2017, and the various coal deposits; Establish means for auditing mining companies accounts to ensure accuracy of information provided for taxation purposes and the maximization of income from royalties; Implement a capacity development programme on the basis of a comprehensive needs assessment and institutional audit exercise for the mining sector; Encourage local and foreign ventures in the mining sector with the aim of empowering local entrepreneurs and maximizing the benefits of mining to the country; Engage with different levels of the education system to develop relevant courses that will support the mining sector, particularly through research and development; Construct state of the art geochemical laboratory that will ensure that all the necessary analyses are carried out in the country.
12.4 Industry, Trade and Private Sector Development

The PEOPLES PARTY recognize the important role trade and industry and private sector plays in the development of our country. The main objective for this sector is to improve
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value added goods and services for domestic and international markets while sustaining competitive advantage. This will enhance foreign exchange earnings and lead to increase in employment creation and poverty reduction. This was one of the priority areas of the Economic Recovery Plan and focused on pro-business environment; industrialization and export development; and empowerment of Small Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives. The development of manufacturing industry, and particularly the priority subsectors, depends on the expansion of private initiative and investment, including micro, small and medium enterprises. The PEOPLES PARTY seeks to strengthen the private sector in an active way to ensure that it is capable of acting effectively as the engine of growth and poverty reduction. This should lead to creation of wealth at a faster rate in order to reduce poverty in a sustained manner. Under the leadership of Her Excellency President Dr. Joyce Banda, the Government registered some significant progress in creating a conducive environment for private sector growth and development of trade and industry. In the past two years, the PEOPLES PARTY Government: Enacted and established the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre to facilitate investment and trade as a one stop shop; Passed a number of Business Bills in Parliament aimed at creating a conducive environment for business, for example: Business Licensing Bill, Business Registration Bill, Companies Amendment Bill, Insolvency Bill and Personal Property Security Bill which have already been passed. Launched the National Export Strategy to steer the country in promoting exports and development of niche industry in order to narrow the trade deficit; Has created a pro-business environment that will among other things increase access to credit, reduce time and cost for processing trade documentation and address the outstanding legal and administrative constraints. In moving forward to realize this transformational agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Capacitate the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre to ensure the smooth facilitation of investment and trade in the country. Strategically implement the National Export Strategy to spur the growth of industry. Implement the simplified laws governing business registration and licensing to attract and protect investors. Develop a comprehensive industrial and export development policy that helps Malawi to fully exploit its potential in areas in which it has comparative advantage. Create an enabling environment that would ensure that cooperatives and small medium enterprises flourish and generate employment and facilitates wealth creation and poverty reduction. Fast track the upgrading and expansion of the Malawi Bureau of Standards. Clarify incentives and improve transparency of the Export Processing Zones (EPZ).
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12.5 Science and Technology

The PEOPLES PARTY Government realizes that its transformation agenda cannot be achieved without an accompanying scientific and technology revolution. This revolution will require concerted efforts on the part of government, working in collaboration with other stakeholders to facilitate the development of appropriate science and technology to spur the transformational agenda. To achieve a science and technology-led transformation, the PEOPLES PARTY government will do the following: Mainstream science, technology and innovation across all sectors of the economy; Support establishment of technology transfer and commercialization programmes in research in universities and technical training institutions; Provide sufficient infrastructure for research and development in science and technology as a way of encouraging innovation and creativity; Strengthen institutional and regulatory framework for science, technology and innovation including protection of intellectual property rights; Improve gender balance in the field of science, technology and innovation; Explore innovative ways of improving domestic funding for scientific and technological research to at least 1% of GDP. Develop a comprehensive roadmap for a science and technology development agenda for the next half century. Revitalize institutions such as the Malawi Industrial Research and Technology Development Centre (MIRTDC) and Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to enhance the scientific transformational agenda.
12.6 Water Development

The PEOPLES PARTY subscribes to the old adage that water is life. Access to water is critical for both agricultural and industrial development. Through her lakes and perennial rivers, Malawi has large volumes of water for both domestic and industrial use and yet, access to potable water remains a challenge for the majority of the countrys citizens. The PEOPLES PARTY Government has launched the following ambitious water development programme to service cities, urban, towns, markets and rural areas with portable clean water: The Town and Market Centres Water Supply and Sanitation Project being implemented in seven market centres of Malosa in Zomba; Nkando in Mulanje; Ntaja and Nsanama in Machinga; and Nathenje, Kasiya and Nsalu in Lilongwe. The project is to develop sustainable water supply, sanitation and hygiene service delivery in the seven market centres and the surrounding villages within a distance of 2.5km from the respective centres. The programme will enhance Malawis capacity to meet the Millennium Development Goal targets for Water and Sanitation as a total of 37,549 rural people will
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benefit from increased access to water supply and a total of 28,639 people including school children will benefit from increased access to sanitation and hygiene services. The water Supply Scheme under the Urban Water Supply component. The programme seeks to expand water supply system for Balaka town through development of new water sources, rehabilitation and extension of transmission and distribution networks, and construction of new service reservoirs. This programme will also cover Nsanje and Neno in the Southern Region; Mzimba, Chitipa, Karonga (Songwe) and Mzuzu in the Northern Region; and Salima, Mchinji, and Kasungu in the Central Region. Lilongwe Water Board Airwing Water Development Project which will serve more than 200,000 residents of the City of Lilongwe and surrounding areas in accessing clean portable water. To make Malawi water secure, the PEOPLES PARTY commits to the following: Continue implementing various potable water provision initiatives in urban and rural areas under the National Water Development Programme with the ultimate goal of achieving universal coverage; Fast track the projects for expanding water supply sources for the Cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu. Undertake a capacity review of the water sector, including the Water Boards, in order to assess their potential and existing challenges; Rehabilitate Kasungu Dam and improve Water Supply Promote the setting up of Water Users Associations (WUAs) to ensure prudent management of water resources across the country; Launch an extensive campaign to drill new boreholes and the maintenance of existing ones across the country to improve the provision of potable water in rural areas.
12.7 Environment and Natural Resources

The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that its transformational agenda cannot be accomplished without paying attention to issues of the environment and natural resources. Prudent management of the environment and natural resources lies at the heart of a sustainable transformational agenda. This is particularly important for Malawi because the majority of the countrys citizens depend on the environment and its natural resources for their livelihoods. Recognizing the centrality of the environment and natural resources in the lives of Malawians, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will undertake the following: Intensify promotion of sustainable catchment areas management and protection; Create a conducive environment in order to promote Public-Private sector participation in environmental and natural resource management initiatives; Promote eco-tourism and ensure equitable distribution of costs and benefits derived from protected areas; Increase integration of gender concerns in all environmental planning at all levels to ensure sustainable economic development;
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Intensify public education campaigns to promote awareness and understanding of the need for sustainable environmental management through formal and non-formal education; Strengthen collaboration between researchers and local communities through action research concerning simplified local environmental management best practices; Establish the Environmental Regulatory Authority to oversee the implementation of all environmental programmes; Finalize the review of the policies and legislation governing environmental and natural resources management; Intensify enforcement and compliance of all relevant laws and regulations government utilization of the environment and natural resources; Incorporate new and intensify existing multi-purpose natural resource areas into development programmes and initiatives such as the Mudzi Transformation Trust; One Cow one Family and the Green Belt Initiative in order to improve environmental sustainability.
12.8 Land Development

The PEOPLES PARTY realizes that Malawi as an agro-based economy, land remains the singlemost important productive resource. As such, the overriding goal of the PEOPLES PARTY administration is to ensure that land is properly utilized and managed because it will play a key role in the realization of the countrys development agenda. The key interventions in this sub-sector will include: Continue public consultations on the draft Land Bill of 2012 in order to put in place a legitimate and consensual legislative framework for all land matters; Sensitize the public about the implications of the existing and proposed Land Laws once the new one is enacted; Promote the use of idle land for commercial farming; Facilitate the development and adoption of a National Land Use Policy, including its supportive legislative framework.
12.9 Labour
The PEOPLES PARTY fully recognizes that Labour is an integral part of its transformational agenda. In particular, the PEOPLES PARTY is mindful that Labour is not merely a commodity since employment is fundamental to responsible growth, the fight against poverty and social exclusion. In its transformational agenda, therefore, the PEOPLES PARTY government will endeavour to place Labour at the heart of economic and development policies so that it fully contributes to the development of the country. For this to be realized, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will undertake the following:
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Review the minimum wage to ensure that employees earn a decent enough livelihood to meaningfully contribute to the transformational agenda; Effectively address workers compensation issues and create an effective social security system for the labour force. Enforce laws on child labour and human trafficking; Review and update occupational safety to protect the rights of all workers; Embrace the ILOs decent work agenda to align the Malawian work place with international standards; Promote timely dialogue between employers and employees to ensure that labour disputes do not unnecessarily disrupt the transformational agenda; Support the creation of migrant workers programmes; Enforce Labour and workplace inspections.
12.10 Local Government and Housing

The PEOPLES PARTY is aware of the critical role Local Government plays in delivery of services and housing infrastructure development. Over the last two decades, however, revenue base for local authorities have eroded drastically. This has rendered the functioning of local authorities ineffective to the extent that service delivery is very poor and housing infrastructure in districts is in a very dilapidated state. Previous regimes have further ignored the plight of inhabitants of squatter settlements who are living in absolute squalor. In order to establish a system of local government which will promote local economic development, improve housing infrastructure and delivery of services. The PEOPLES PARTY Government shall: Ensure that functions of Local Government are fully decentralised ; Disburse council grants efficiently taking into account the population increase and the level and standard of infrastructure development in a particular district; Devise an appropriate formula for sharing national taxes collected within the jurisdiction of every local authority in order to strengthen the revenue base of local authorities; Empower Local Government Councils to be sole distributors of electricity and water to the residents within their jurisdiction in order to raise revenue for Local Councils; Introduce a social housing scheme that will empower councils to construct low cost houses from government guaranteed loans; Restructure the Malawi Housing Corporation to enhance efficiency; Upgrade squatter settlements into statutory and improvement areas in order to improve the living standards of the inhabitants; Review the appropriate legal instruments to achieve the above; Enforce regular waste management collection and disposal to enhance sanitation in urban areas; Strengthen capacities for rapid response to fire hazards by equipping towns and cities with fire fighting equipment and relevant training.
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CHAPTER 13
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Public Sector Reform

The PEOPLES PARTY Government realizes that the public sector plays a crucial role in the governments ability to deliver services to its citizens. This is further underscored by the Commission on Growth and Development, which revealed that countries which enjoy sustained high growth of 7% and above for 25 years or longer have well-functioning public sectors. Although the public sector has been subjected to several reforms, the results have been rather disappointing. The fulfilment of the overarching agenda of the PEOPLES PARTY to transform Malawi into an upper middle income country in 25 years requires a simultaneous transformation of the public sector so that it responds better to demand for quality services, sustainable, democratic and good governance practices with a focus on enhancing transparency and accountability and the active engagement of civil society and the private sector. In its current form, the countrys public sector is characterized by underperformance, poor work-ethics, corruption, nepotism, dilapidated infrastructure, weak inter-ministerial coordination and limited exposure to ICT. In other words, the contemporary public sector is not motivated, disciplined and dedicated to the course of national development. The PEOPLES PARTY government believes that in its current form, the Malawi public sector cannot successfully drive the transformational agenda that the party has committed itself to pursue and aimed at taking Malawi to an upper middle income status.
13.1 Interventions
In order to realign the public sector with its ambitious development agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will: Conduct an extensive review of the various public sector reform initiatives that have been implemented since 1994 in order to identify lessons and challenges that can serve as the basis for a far-reaching reform initiative; Depoliticize the recruitment and appointment processes into the public sector to ensure that it becomes the destination for the best and brightest Malawians; Develop and enforce a special leadership code for public sector managers so that they can effectively lead their operational units in the transformational agenda; Develop a comprehensive performance management and reward system to ensure that public sector employees are adequately motivated and committed to the national development cause;
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Retool the public sector so that it is aligned with the transformation agenda and inculcate new and modern work ethics; Enhance the capacity of the public sector to offer strategic guidance on the question of development to other development stakeholders; Increase training opportunities and refresher courses for public sector workers and guarantee predictable careers paths; Fast-track the implementation of decentralization through democratic local authorities and work to strengthen their financial, institutional, and legislative capacity; and Review the Decentralization Policy and Local Government Act to bring them in line with the countrys overall development agenda. Re-engineer Mpemba Staff Training Institute and Malawi Institute of Management for implementing staff development programmes that will enhance the transformational agenda. Recognising previous salary increases, establish a commission to develop a long term plan that addresses public servants remuneration. Reverse the public servants pension scheme and implement the previous one.
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CHAPTER 14
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Good Governance, Human Rights and Rule of Law

The PEOPLES PARTY Government transformation agenda is inspired by Her Excellencys passion for the Millennium Declaration, which stresses commitment to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law as well as respect internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development. This is further reinforced by the PEOPLES PARTY understanding of good governance as a multifaceted concept which, inter alia, entails respect of human rights, the rule of law, effective participation, transparent and accountable processes and institutions, an efficient and effective public sector, legitimacy, access to knowledge, information and education, political empowerment of the people, equity, sustainability and attitudes and values that foster responsibility, solidarity and tolerance. The vision of the PEOPLES PARTY government in the area of good governance, human rights and rule of law is to facilitate collaborative efforts with all stakeholders to build an inclusive, accountable, transparent, legitimate, responsive and democratic transformational state. Such a state is vital for ensuring that communities can withstand conflict and other shocks and that development gains are not lost. This vision will be realized through concerted efforts in advancing human rights, rule of law and strengthen good governance, thereby allowing for more inclusive political processes that ensure genuine participation by all citizens. The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that the realization of its good governance, human rights and rule of law agenda spans across a multitude of government ministries, departments as well as non-state actors. The PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore adopt a holistic approach while singling out key areas for prioritization. These areas are: a) Constitutional bodies; b) The Judiciary and Prosecutorial Services; c) Civil society, including faith-based organizations; and d) Media. In each of these areas, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will do the following:
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14.1 Constitutional Bodies

Increase funding to key constitutional and legislative oversight bodies, such as the AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB); Accountant Generals Office; the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC); the National Audit Office; the Law Commission; the Office of the Director of Public Procurement and the Office of the Ombudsman. Establish a Corruption Court at High Court level to enhance the fight against corruption. Undertake a thorough functional review exercise of the key constitutional oversight bodies in order to realign their operations to the countrys transformational agenda. Review legislation governing the constitutional oversight bodies to ensure the independence of their operations as a way of enhancing their contributions to the governments transformational agenda. Facilitate the creation of a platform where the leadership of the constitutional oversight bodies can meet on a regular basis to share knowledge and experiences as a way of ensuring unity of purpose and direction. Ensure that constitutional bodies recruit adequate staff to enable them fulfil their legal mandates. Promote human rights education programmes, with particular focus on the elimination of violence against women and other disadvantages groups. Revive the constitutional review process to bring the constitution in line with the countrys overall transformational agenda.
14.2 The Judiciary and Prosecutorial Services

Strengthen the capacity of the judicial services so that they can dispense justice in a timely manner; Source special funding to enable the judiciary to clear the backlog of court cases; Strengthen the capacity of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions through an extensive recruitment drive and retention.
14.3 Civil Society Organizations

Promote partnership between government and civil society in service delivery, governance and in the fight against corruption in a manner that minimizes duplication as much as possible; Promote regular and sustained engagement between government and civil society organizations to foster good governance and socioeconomic development; Provide an enabling framework for civil society organizations to play their watchdog role within the framework of rule of law; Promote greater accountability and transparency within the civil society sector as a way of making it more legitimate and responsive to the needs of the people.
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14.4 Media
Continue opening up the public broadcasters to alternative voices as a strategy of promoting strategic and meaningful national dialogue and debate, especially on matters that have a direct bearing on the transformational agenda. Promote independence of the public broadcasters as a strategy to wean them from government dependence and enable them to compete favourably with other media outlets. Ensure the freedom of the media to perform their essential role and the right of the public access to information. Engage the Media Council of Malawi on a regular basis on how the media can enhance its professionalism, including self-regulation, so as to positively contribute to the national transformational agenda.
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CHAPTER 15
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Social Protection
The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes that one of the principal features of a transformational society is its ability to care for its most vulnerable members. To address the chronic levels of poverty in the country, as reported in the 2012 Integrated Household survey, the PEOPLES PARTY Government is committed to implementing a social protection system that is innovative and progressive. The vision of the PEOPLES PARTY is to implement a social protection system that is characterized by inclusivity, progressive realization of universal coverage and national ownership. This vision will be informed by the social protection floor initiative which underlies the effort to promote access to essential services and social transfer for the vulnerable poor. In designing the progressive social protection system, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will strive to advance interventions that are protective, promotional, transformational and capable of responding to emerging issues such as humanitarian crisis, youth development, urbanization and migration.
15.1 Interventions
To achieve this, the PEOPLES PARTY government will do the following: Fast track the finalization of the social support policy to provide the framework for innovation in the provision of social protection interventions Enhance and promote regular transfers to the most vulnerable and the ultra-poor households; Promote longer term, skills oriented and asset enhancing social protection interventions; Implement coherent and progressive social support interventions to maximize synergies; Improve and scale up the Social Cash Transfer programmes to all 28 districts; Support people affected by natural disasters or shocks so that they do not descend into destitution.
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CHAPTER 16
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Peace and Security

The PEOPLES PARTY realizes that peace and security are critical prerequisites for sustainable national development and prosperity. Furthermore, the PEOPLES PARTY is aware that nations facing conflict and insecurity always tend to lose their grip and fail to pursue a transformational and development agenda. In its peace and security agenda, therefore, the PEOPLES PARTY Government will prioritize the provision of a secure and peaceful environment so that the countrys citizens can freely pursue their socio-economic activities. This will be further reinforced by activities that address the potential causes of conflict and insecurity while ensuring that the entire country is secure. The PEOPLES PARTY agenda is based on the belief that peace and security can best be achieved through the promotion of activities that change beliefs, attitudes and behaviour which in turn transform the short and long term dynamics between individuals and groups toward more stable and peaceful co-existence.
16.1 Interventions
The PEOPLES PARTY Government will therefore:(a) General Construct a purpose built hospital for the Army and Police; Fast track the finalisation of the National Security Policy. Improve the welfare of Men and Women in Uniform; Establish an Academy of Peace and Security to train the military, police and prison services in advanced and modern security operations and management; Improve the responsiveness of all security sectors to community needs in line with recognizable best practices; Establish a regulatory framework for the private security sector to ensure unity of purpose and direction; Enhance community integration and participation in promoting a secure, peaceful and crime free environment; Rehabilitate and expand security establishments and procure state of the art equipment; Ensure safe and secure countrys borders by providing security agencies with the appropriate and adequate equipment and support; Ensure that the police have appropriate and adequate equipment and support to fully
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execute their responsibilities; Rehabilitate and upgrade existing police infrastructure across the country; Retrain existing police officers in human rights because the operational mode of the police remains an instrument of terror, brutality and oppression; Increase visibility of the police in communities, towns and cities to guarantee rapid response to incidents of insecurity, crime and violence. Enhance community policing by establishing community police forums at each police station and unit to improve community-police relations as a way of forging close relationships that produce tangible achievements; Improve working conditions for the police and prison services, including opportunities for refresher courses and upgrading; Integrate the use of technology in crime investigation by developing partnership with relevant stakeholders such as Chancellor Colleges state of the art DNA lab; Expand and upgrade the countrys prison network and improve the conditions to meet basic minimum standards; Require extensive background security checks for all individuals and companies seeking to venture into the private security sector. (a) Army Ensure safe and secure borders; Involve the Army in social issues such as building bridges, road construction and disaster management. (b) Police Construct one Police training college in each administrative region to facilitate the training of more officers. Retrain existing police officers in human rights. Get more police units on the roads and make officers visible on a 24 hour basis by using vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles and horse bikes. Enhance Community policing through trainings. Improve welfare of police. Develop a partnership with the University of Malawi Chancellor College for the use of the DNA lab in solving crime. (c) Prisons Construct prisons according to internationally accepted standards in Mangochi, Mulanje, Lower Shire, Mzuzu, Nkhata Bay and Lilongwe.
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CHAPTER 17
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International Relations and Cooperation

At the time Her Excellency President Joyce Banda and the PEOPLES PARTY assumed power in April 2012, Malawi relations with her neighbours and major international development partners were severely fractured. Under President Dr. Joyce Banda, the PEOPLES PARTY Government worked hard to restore the broken relations and cement harmonious working relationships in the broader interest of the people of Malawi. The PEOPLES PARTY recognizes the critical importance of harmonious international relations and cooperation and therefore seeks to build on its demonstrable commitment and achievements since April 2012. In the pursuit of its international relations and cooperation agenda, the PEOPLES PARTY recognizes the need for innovative foreign policy agenda within the context of a rapidly changing international political and economic order. The ultimate goal is to ensure that Malawi becomes a strategic actor on the global, continental and regional arenas. It is the belief of the PEOPLES PARTY that this strategic engagement will further the interests of the people of Malawi in ways that will enable the countrys citizens to take advantage of developments within and beyond the countrys borders.
17.1 Interventions
The PEOPLES PARTY Government shall therefore do the following: Review the countrys foreign policy to align it with the national development agenda; Fast track the finalisation of the Diaspora Policy to create a platform for Malawians in the Diaspora to effectively participate in the development of their country. Train a special cadre of foreign affairs and international relations officers in the art of modern diplomacy; Enhance the countrys capacity to negotiate international treaties, protocols and agreements by tapping into existing skills, knowledge and expertise in the private sector, academia and civil society in order to strike deals that defend and advance the interests of Malawians; Prioritize regional cooperation through the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and seek to play a leading role in political, economic and social affairs; Continue working with all stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the border dispute with Tanzania over Lake Malawi that protects and safeguards the interests of the country; Establish diplomatic relations with new countries in order to widen opportunities for trade and employment; Play an active role in regional, continental and international security and peace-keeping missions.
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CHAPTER 18
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Our Pledge
This Manifesto is our pledge to our people to transform Malawi together. It sets out carefully considered and bold commitments that can be funded over the next five years and beyond. All levels of Government will implement this manifesto, and we will ensure that it is effectively monitored. While the PEOPLES PARTY Government will take a lead, each and every one of us communities, workers, private sector and civil society has a role to play in the implementation of the manifesto. As the PEOPLES PARTY, we further pledge to: Serve Malawians with integrity, honesty, tolerance, selflessness, commitment and dedication. Work with our allies and the people to transform Malawi together through the commitments we have set out in this manifesto. Strengthen the bonds of trust and solidarity with our people where these have been broken and continue to listen to and effectively communicate with our people.
TRANSFORMING MALAWI TOGETHER IT IS POSSIBLE (NZOTHEKA)
VOTE PEOPLES PARTY
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TRANSFORMING MALAWI TOGEtHER | It IS POSSIBLE (NZOtHEKA) PEOPLES PARTY MANIFESTO 2014-2019