In 2002, Malawi was a developing nation with a population of around 11 million people. The economy was largely based on agriculture and small-scale industry, with the majority of the population living in rural areas and relying on subsistence farming as their primary source of income. The main export commodities were tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton and groundnuts. In terms of infrastructure, the country had limited access to roads and telecommunications networks. Education was also limited with approximately 50% of the population being illiterate. Despite these challenges, Malawi had been making progress in recent years in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction. According to computerannals, the government had implemented several economic reform measures such as reducing trade tariffs and increasing foreign investment which had helped to boost the country’s economy. In addition, efforts were being made to improve health care services and access to education for all citizens. However, much remained to be done in order for Malawi to reach its full potential as a developing nation.

Yearbook 2002

Malawi. Disaster conditions were announced in February, when up to 70% of the population was under acute starvation. As in other countries in southern Africa, this year’s crop had been destroyed by floods and droughts. According to Countryaah website, national day of Malawi is every July 6. The government appealed to the rest of the world for 700,000 tonnes of food.

But the government received harsh criticism for the famine being partly self-inflicted. In 2001, the state had sold the entire corn reserve of 160,000 tonnes, and it now emerged that the majority had ended up with high politicians, who sold the corn further on the open market when food shortages pushed the price high.

Most major donors cut off all financial support for Malawi, except for purely humanitarian efforts, due to the corruption and harsh political climate. At the same time, they warned President Bakili Muluzi to further aggravate the political situation by trying to get elected to a third term. The country’s bishops joined in the criticism when, in a shepherd letter on Easter Day, they blamed the government for food shortages, corruption, political violence and the AIDS epidemic.

In July, Parliament rejected Muluzi’s attempt to amend the constitution so that he could stand for re-election when his second term expires in 2004. The president was first said to have accepted the defeat but shortly thereafter made another attempt to have the proposal adopted. He also rejected a court ruling that he violated the Constitution when he banned demonstrations against the re-election plans.

Malawi Country Overview

Visas
Finns need a valid passport and a visa when traveling to Malawi. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the trip. A Malawi single entry visa costs USD 75. Visas are obtained from the authorities upon arrival in the country. Note! Visa policies and rates are subject to change without notice due to local authorities.

• According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, MWI stands for Malawi.

If the trip to Malawi is via South Africa or Botswana Please note that in addition to the passport, minor children must present an original birth certificate in English (extract from the population information system obtained from the local register office).

A minor child traveling without one or both guardians must present the consent of the absent guardian before the flights and possibly also in South Africa. If the minor has only one legal guardian, a court decision on sole custody or the death certificate of the other guardian must be presented.

We will not be held responsible if access is denied due to missing travel documents.

Insurance
Every person participating in the trip must have a valid travel insurance that covers medical expenses in the event of illness or other similar need. Please check the validity of your own insurance and the terms and conditions of the insurance cancellation cover.

Please take into account the possible special nature of your trip and check the coverage of the insurance in that respect as well. In many locations, the insurance must also be valid when moving at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, in which case it also covers mountain sickness.

Many hiking or diving trips require more extensive insurance, which covers, for example, diving or moving on a glacier. Please check the contents of your insurance with your insurance company.

Vaccinations
Check that your basic vaccinations according to the national vaccination program are valid. In addition, hepatitis A and B vaccination is recommended. Vaccines obtained on the basis of a risk assessment include cholera and typhoid. Malaria occurs in Malawi, and it is a good idea to discuss the need for malaria medication with your doctor.

If you arrive in Malawi from the yellow fever area, you must present an international vaccination card for yellow fever vaccination. According to the World Health Organization, a single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides lifelong protection against yellow fever. However, to avoid possible ambiguity, we recommend that a medical certificate in English be sought for a yellow fever vaccination certificate that is more than 10 years old, stating that vaccination provides lifelong protection.

When traveling to Malawi from a destination outside the yellow fever area, no vaccination certificate is required. However, there may be unexpected changes in flight routes that may also affect vaccination requirements. Due to such situations, we recommend that you always carry a valid vaccination certificate with you.

We will not be held responsible if access is denied due to a missing vaccination certificate.

Currency
The Malawian currency is the Malawian Kwacha (MWK), although the United States Dollars (USD) are also fairly well accepted as a means of payment. You can use a credit card in some places, but especially in smaller places or in more remote places, cash is the safest method of payment.

Tips
Service charges for hotels, lodge and restaurants are usually not included in the price. For waiters and restaurant staff, you can leave about 5-10% of the final bill. It is recommended that bag carriers in hotels and lodge be given about 0.5 usd / bag. The lodge has a tip recommended to leave the staff to share, and the indicative amount is about 5 usd / guest / night. For safari drivers or at the end of long journeys, it is recommended to give about 3-6 usd / day / person when there are 4-6 people in the car. If there are only 1-3 people in the car, the tip’s recommendation is about 8-15 usd / day / person. The tip is given for good service, and the guidelines presented should be applied according to the service experience received.

Time difference
The time difference between Malawi and Finland is -1 hour in summer. There is no time difference in winter.

Electric current
The electric current is 230V. For Finnish devices, you need a British adapter.

Mobile phones
Please check with your operator for the coverage of your mobile phone. The area code for Malawi is +265.

The climate
in Malawi has large altitude differences, so the weather varies in different places depending on the season. Most of the country has a tropical monsoon, meaning winters are dry and summers are humid. The Shire Valley is located 180 meters above sea level. Mountain areas are the wettest, and the rainy season usually begins in November and lasts until March. The highest rainfall usually comes between November and April. The warmest season is usually November, with temperatures ranging from about 20 to 23 degrees in mountainous areas and about 28 to 30 degrees in valley areas.

Food & beverage
Malawi’s staple food is nsima, which is made from ground corn. Nsima is served with sauce, meat and vegetables. Lots of fish are caught in the lakes of Malawi, usually served with french fries. Traditional desserts include mbatata biscuits made from cinnamon and sweet potatoes and nthochi banana bread. Malawian tap water is not potable. All water and beverages must be industrially bottled. Salads and vegetables should also be rinsed with bottled water. Heated or tablet-purified water can be drunk.

Languages, ethnic groups and religion
There are several ethnic groups in Malawi (Chewa 32.6%, Lomwe 17.6%, Yao 13.5%, Ngoni 11.5%, Tumbuka 8.8%, Nyanja 5.8%, Sena 3, 6%, Tonga 2.1%, Ngonde 1%, other 3.5%). English is the official language and chichewa is commonly used. Other languages ​​include chinyanja, chiyao, chitumbuka, chilomwe, chinkhonde, chingoni, chisena, chitonga, chinyakyusa, and chilambya. More than 80% of the population are Christians and about 13% are Muslims.

Security In
Malawi, for example, pickpocketing and robbery are possible and moving at night in certain areas can be unsafe. General caution within common sense is desirable throughout the journey.