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
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 reduc

e 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