US embassy cable - 04LILONGWE1010

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LILONGWE 001010 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID 
AF/S FOR DAN MOZENA, ADRIENNE GALANEK 
AF/PD FOR L.W. KOENGETER, RILEY SEVER 
USAID FOR PAT FLEURET, AYANNA TOURE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PGOV, ECON, OPRC, President 
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MUTHARIKA THANKS USG FOR 44 YEARS OF 
DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: USAID celebrated 44 years of partnership 
with the people of Malawi in a day-long event on 
October 20 at the USAID Mission in Lilongwe.  Nearly 
600 invited guests toured booths representing 33 
different projects under USAID's four strategic 
objectives: health, democracy and governance, 
education, and sustainable economic growth.  In his 
first appearance at a bilateral event in Malawi since 
assuming office, President Bingu wa Mutharika thanked 
the USG for its investment in Malawi since 1960.  He 
frankly stated his disappointment that Malawi did not 
qualify to participate in the Millennium Challenge 
Account (MCA), acknowledging "shortcomings in our 
fiscal and financial management."  Mutharika expressed 
hope, however, that his policies of combating 
corruption and improving accountability would make 
Malawi more competitive for MCA consideration in the 
future.  Coverage of the USAID Anniversary in Malawi's 
national media was widespread, detailed and positive. 
The coverage focused primarily on USAID's current 
programs and on the long-term success of USAID's 
activities in Malawi--an investment totaling nearly USD 
two billion in current dollar terms. 
 
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Speeches 
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2.  In the first address to a bilateral event in 
several years by a sitting Malawian president, 
President Mutharika thanked the United States for its 
long-term commitment to reduce poverty and foster 
democratic stability in Malawi.  Mutharika reiterated 
his commitment to combat corruption, reform the public 
sector and spur economic growth.  While noting 
disappointment that Malawi did not make the cut as a 
"threshold country" under the MCA, Mutharika urged the 
USG to favorably consider his good governance efforts 
in any future determination.  President Mutharika 
commented that Malawi would need to maintain 6 percent 
annual growth rates in order to substantially lower 
poverty rates.  Focusing on the importance of 
stimulating private-sector investment in order to 
promote economic growth, Mutharika promised 
"fundamental policy reforms" to reduce government 
interference in the private sector and requested 
continued donor support for anticorruption and poverty 
reduction efforts. 
 
3.  In his welcoming address, USAID Mission Director 
Roger Yochelson listed some of USAID's many 
achievements in Malawi, and praised Malawians for their 
energetic and sustained efforts as development 
partners.  He underscored that while the people of the 
United States remain life-long partners, in the end it 
is only Malawians who can ensure sustainable 
improvements to their country.  Looking to the future, 
the Mission Director called for greater effort in 
encouraging private-sector development as an engine for 
growth and development.  Charg d'Affaires Gilmour 
emphasized the continued long-term benefits of USAID 
development programs in Malawi.  He mentioned specific 
benefits to Malawian citizens from USAID programs in 
education and human resource development, rural water 
development, HIV/AIDs awareness and testing, basic 
infrastructure projects like road construction, 
microcredit institutions and programs to educate the 
populace about their legal and constitutional rights. 
The Charg confirmed the USG's long-term commitment to 
Malawi, saying it is U.S. policy to invest in countries 
"that care for the health and education of their 
people, respect freedom and the rule of law and unleash 
the power of the private sector-and particularly small 
businesses-to create jobs and drive economic growth." 
 
 
 
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Activities and Exhibits 
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4.  USAID implementing partners set up displays in 
booths on the Mission grounds representing projects 
organized under USAID's four strategic objectives. 
The diversity of the projects represented by USAID's 
implementing partners reflected the wide reach of 
American assistance to Malawi.  President Mutharika and 
seven government ministers inspected over half of the 
exhibits, television cameras in tow, providing an 
excellent opportunity for government officials and the 
media to focus on specific USAID activities. 
 
5.  One sustainable-agricultural project displayed 
three rows of corn plants that graphically demonstrated 
the results of three different growing regimens: no 
fertilizer, inadequately applied fertilizer and 
following a proper fertilizer regime.   Health sector 
partners featured the life-saving work they do to 
combat malaria and HIV/AIDS and to promote child 
health, nutrition, and survival.  Paralegals from 
Malawi Carer, an NGO dedicated to educating Malawians 
about their rights under the law, were able to explain 
their work to the President himself, something that 
later became part of television coverage of the event. 
One female member of parliament greeted the attendants 
at the International Republican Institute booth with 
affection and enthusiasm saying, "I won my seat because 
of the tips I learned in your training workshop!" 
Malawi's flagship educational institutions were also 
represented, showcasing USAID's key role in investing 
in education and human resource development. 
 
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And the Winner is. 
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6.  The most charismatic project participants were, 
without question, two calves brought by Land of Lakes 
to exhibit its work in sustainable small-holder dairy 
farming.  The calves provided color commentary 
throughout the day, including when the President 
inspected them with his retinue.  Along with the rural 
woman accompanying them, they articulated an important 
economic message--by investing in a dairy cow and 
dedicating part of a quarter-hectare plot to 
maintaining it, a small-holder rural household can 
stimulate economic growth and diversification in the 
community, empower women, and promote health and 
nutrition. 
 
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Media Coverage 
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7.  A joint USAID-Public Affairs media strategy 
successfully obtained positive--and ongoing--coverage 
of USG programs in Malawi.  Mission Director Yochelson 
was the featured guest in a half-hour interview program 
on Television Malawi (TVM), Malawi's only television 
network.  The program was broadcast on the eve of the 
event and allowed the Mission Director to speak 
directly to Malawians about USAID's activities, and 
more importantly, about why the USG has invested in 
Malawi's development during the past 44 years.  Stories 
in national dailies, a radio interview on Malawi 
Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and the TVM program 
created strong media momentum before the event, 
focusing national attention on USAID's current and past 
programs and making the Anniversary a "hot ticket" for 
government officials and invited guests. 
 
8.  Public Affairs organized interviews during the 
event by TVM reporters with USAID's strategic objective 
team leaders and their implementing partners.  These 
were edited into a ten-minute national news story about 
the Anniversary.  Coverage on the day of the event 
included stories in major dailies and a broadcast of 
the President's speech in its entirety.  Stories in 
most of Malawi's national and regional print media 
filtered out in the days following the event and 
continue to appear as of October 26.  In an effort to 
reach the eighty-percent of Malawians who get their 
news from indigenous-language radio, Public Affairs 
organized a Chichewa language radio story with 
reporters from MBC and USAID's democracy and governance 
team leader.  The story featured interviews with 
paralegals working to educate Malawians in a village 
near Dedza about their legal rights.  Because the 
interviews were conducted in Chichewa, clients were 
able to tell how they benefited from this program 
directly to other Malawians. 
 
9.  Comment: The USAID Anniversary created the rare 
opportunity to focus national attention on the USG's 
development work in Malawi, and by all accounts was a 
tremendous success.  Because USAID does not provide 
direct budgetary support to the GOM, its work can tend 
to be undervalued by some ministers who do not feel 
that they benefit directly from USAID projects. 
President Mutharika's participation in the event, and 
the extensive media coverage of USAID projects, served 
as a healthy corrective to that perception.  The 
President also broke with precedent in attending a 
purely bilateral event, lending real weight to the 
assertion that he desires to strengthen bilateral ties 
with the U.S. 
 
GILMOUR