Saulos Chilima appointed into council to fight hunger

Tom Sangala May 20, 2015

292 1 minute read

NO THROUGH ROAD—Malawi and Kenya players in the thick of things

Malawi stands a chance of being part of international decisions and strategies to help eliminate hunger following the appointment of Vice-President Saulos Chilima to serve on the Leadership Council of Compact 2025.

According to a statement from the Vice-President’s press office, the council under the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington DC, USA, believes that eliminating hunger is an accomplishable task just like Brazil, China, Thailand and Vietnam have done in less than 15 years.

Some of the members of the council include Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia; Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD; Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of WFP; Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development; Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture; M. S. Swaminathan, World Food Prize Laureate; and Kathy Spahn, CEO of Helen Keller International.

The statement further said: “The appointment is a positive development for the country as it strives to reduce hunger and eliminate malnutrition especially with the fact that despite years of food surplus in the country, malnutrition remains high among children below the age of five.”

To achieve results, members serve as global champions for ending hunger and undernutrition, provide guidance, share success stories and raise awareness because the centre believes that ending hunger is not only a moral obligation but also an economic one.

In an interview, Chilima’s Press Officer Pilirani Phiri said the Vice- President was grateful to President Peter Mutharika for the appointment, saying the President has offered his congratulations.

The appointment of Chilima to serve on the international body aimed at eliminating hunger comes at a time when Malawi is facing a looming hunger due to dry spell and also floods that affected 15 districts.

In February 2015, President Mutharika also appointed Chilima to be the country’s champion for the Construction Sector Transparency (CoST) to crack the whip against corruption and fraud in taxpayer funded projects.

The Vice-President also chairs the Public Sector Reforms Commission which is currently meeting heads of Southern Region parastatals who are outlining their reform areas to the Commission in a last-ditch attempt to revitalise the institutions.