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1
Kalilani, Linda Vanessa Meshnick Steven R. "Malaria in pregnancy and drug therapies in Malawi." Chapel Hill, N.C. : University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/etd,718.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.Title from electronic title page (viewed Oct. 10, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Epidemiology." Discipline: Epidemiology; Department/School: Public Health.
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Faxälv, Olle, and Olof Nyström. "Biomass Briquettes in Malawi." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-9087.
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In Malawi 2.5 % of the forest disappears each year. The use of firewood and charcoal, deriving from forest resources,
accounts for about 99 % of the household energy demand in Malawi and is a cause to the deforestation. The Government of
Malawi recently launched a programme called Promotion of Alternative Energy Sources Programme (PAESP) with the aim
to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal. One of the fuels included in the programme is the biomass briquette. The aim
with this study is to evaluate the viability of biomass briquettes as a sustainable alternative energy source to firewood and
charcoal for households in Malawi.
Research for the study was carried out during three months in Malawi. Visits were made to a number of briquette
production sites to study the manufacturing methods and to collect briquette samples. The briquettes were tested using
various methods and then compared with results for firewood and charcoal.
At the moment various production methods are used in Malawi, with a high difference in technical complexity and cost.
Machines produced from wood using very basic mechanics can apply similar pressure as more advanced metal pressers.
They also seem to be better suited than those made of metal, in terms of price and availability.
The majority of the briquette producers in Malawi use waste paper as base material. Although the paper briquettes are good,
other raw materials will be needed if the production is supposed to be significantly increased.
The briquettes burn well using the most common stoves in Malawi, including the commonly used charcoal stove. While
firewood is cheaper to use than other available fuels, the briquettes seem to be able to compete with the fuel costs for
charcoal.
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Tegha, Gerald Loiswayo. "Detection and identification of plasmodium species causing malaria in Malawi using rapid diagnostic tests." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021240.
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Malaria represents one of the oldest documented diseases among humans and even today organisms in the genus Plasmodium kill more people than any other infectious disease, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. The four most common species which infect humans are Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malaria. Of these four species, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax account for 95 percent of infections globally. Microscopy has been used since early days for the diagnosis of malaria because this method is simple, does not require highly equipped facilities, and in most cases enables differentiation among the species causing malaria in humans when performed by skilled microscopy readers. However, this method has been misleading in identifying parasite species, especially in the case of low level parasitemia, a mixed parasite infection, or modification by drug treatment as well as in placental malaria. Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) have played a major role in malaria management; particularly in providing blood based diagnosis in remote locations where microscopy based diagnosis is unavailable. These diagnostic tests are fast and easy to perform and do not require electricity or specific equipment. As part of strengthening malaria diagnostics in Malawi, the Ministry of Health and Population strongly recommends the use of malaria RDT’s at all levels of the health care delivery system. However, malaria microscopy remains a gold standard test for malaria. All patients (regardless of age) with suspected uncomplicated malaria should have a confirmed diagnosis with malaria RDT before anti-malaria treatment is administered. Based on field performance evaluations that assessed performance, quality control and production capacities of the manufacturing companies of malaria RDT’s, the Ministry of Health and Population recommended two brands of Histidine Rich Protein 2 (HRP-2), RDT’s for use in Malawi. These are SD Bioline malaria Ag Pf and the New Paracheck malaria Ag Pf. All these RDT’s are able to detect only P. falciparum. However, other species have been reported to exist in the country and there is a need to find proper RDT’s which will be able to detect all other species including P. falciparum. The main aim of this study was to evaluate Paramax-3 Pf/Pv/Pan RDT (Zephyr Biomedicals, India), if used in Malawi, could be able to detect and identify the different species of Plasmodium causing malaria in Malawi. The study recruited a total of 250 adult and infants at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Study results showed that the overall sensitivity and specificity of the Paramax-3 RDT used in the study were 100 percent and 83 percent respectively. However, it was observed that the RDT test was not able to identify the P. ovale, and in some cases, the RDT test was positive for P. falciparum when the PCR identified the species as P. ovale. No P. vivax was detected both by RDT and PCR. This study was able to detect and identify the presence of P. malaria and P. ovale in Malawi apart from the P. falciparum. There were no significant differences between microscopy results compared to both the RDT and the PCR, with 94 percent and 98 percent sensitivities of R1 and R2 compared to RDT, as well as 94 percent and 96 percent sensitivities for R1 and R2 compared to PCR respectively. Both R1 and R2 had low specificities for example, R1 had 72 percent and R2 had 80 percent compared to RDT. Comparing R1 and R2 to PCR, the sensitivities were 64.9 percent and 67.2 percent respectively. However, the readers had difficulties differentiating the different species microscopically. The history of anti-malaria treatment had no significant effect on the outcome of the results in both the RDT and PCR.
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Goliati, Tiyamike Harold. "Desafios dos profissionais de saúde do Malaui sob a política neoliberl = migração e falta de enfermeiros no setor público de saúde do Malaui 1993-2008." [s.n.], 2010. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/285958.
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Orientador: Maria Alejandra Caporale MadiDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T06:48:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Goliati_TiyamikeHarold_M.pdf: 2154779 bytes, checksum: 95f480693dbcaaee8d66a7adb606380c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010
Resumo: A falta de enfermeiras do setor público de saúde de Malaui está afetando a habilidade das enfermeiras remanescentes para executarem seus deveres eficientemente. Essa escassez tem sido exacerbada pela existência de migração de enfermeiras e outros profissionais ligados à saúde. A deterioração do setor público de saúde combinada ao ambiente pobre de trabalho e salários reais em queda repele a migração de enfermeiras do setor público de saúde do país para organizações privadas e países desenvolvidos ao perceberem que têm uma boa remuneração e um ambiente de trabalho ideal para seus funcionários. A implementação de políticas neoliberais no país contribuiu com o declínio dos gastos sociais com a saúde e com outros serviços sociais que tem uma implicação direta no desenvolvimento social. Metodologia: A pesquisa visou entender a migração e a falta de enfermeiras no setor público de saúde no contexto de desafios contemporâneos para os profissionais de saúde em Malaui sob as políticas neoliberais. Ele empregou uma abordagem mista de desenho. Os dados foram analisados usando o pacote de estatísticas para ciências sociais (SPSS) versão 15.0 para Windows. Dados qualitativos foram feitos por análise de conteúdo e então, analisados posteriormente pelo SPSS. Resultados: As enfermeiras de Malaui encontram desafios multilaterais. Eles incluem baixos salários, baixos benefícios de aposentadoria, acomodação inadequada, nenhum acesso aos empréstimos do governo para enfermeiras de cabeceira, recursos/enfermeiras insuficientes, a sobrecarga de trabalho, as condições precárias de trabalho, as escassas oportunidades de treinamento, ambiente inseguro de trabalho. Conclusão: A situação, no entanto, está mudando lentamente devido ao crescente comprometimento do governo com relação ao setor de saúde, juntamente com medidas Keynesianas na economia. O desgaste das enfermeiras tem estado sob uma tendência descendente; as saídas de enfermeiras de instituições de treinamento têm aumentado; indicadores econômicos e sociais têm sido positivos; e o pacote de remuneração, as condições de trabalho e o ambiente de trabalho têm melhorado. Salários em termos reais têm subido em uma tentativa de reverter os salários reais em queda que balançaram o Mercado de trabalho desde que as políticas neoliberais encontraram seu espaço na política de Malaui
Abstract: Shortage of nurses in Malawian public health sector is affecting the ability of the remaining nurses to discharge their duties effectively. This scarcity has been exacerbated by existence of migration of nurses and other health-care personnel. Deterioration of the public health sector combined with the poor working environment and decreasing real wages repel the out-migration of nurses from the country?s public health sector to private organisations and developed countries perceived to have good remuneration package and ideal working environment for their employees. The implementation of neoliberal policies in the country contributed to decreasing social spending for health and other social services that have a direct implication on social development. Methodology: The research was aimed at understanding the migration and shortage of nurses in the public health sector in the context of contemporary challenges for health-care professionals in Malawi under neoliberal policies. It employed a mixed design approach. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15.0 for Windows. Qualitative data were done by content analysis and then analysed further by SPSS. Results: Malawian nurses face multilayered challenges. These include, low salaries, low retirement benefits, Inadequate accommodation, No access to Government loans for bedside nurses, insufficient resources/nurses, Work overload, Poor working conditions, scarce training opportunities, unsafe working environment. Conclusion: the situation, however, is slightly changing due to increased government commitment towards health sector coupled with Keynesian measures in the economy. Nurses? attrition has been on a downward trend; outputs of nurses from training institutions have been rising; social and economic indicators have been positive; and remuneration package, working conditions and working environment have been improving. Salaries in real terms have been rising in an attempt to reverse the decreasing real wages that rocked the labour market since neoliberal policies found its space in the Malawian policymaking
Mestrado
Economia Social e do Trabalho
Mestre em Desenvolvimento Econômico
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Alufandika, Dina. "Appraisal of community-based childcare practices in rural Malawi: the case of Malili traditional authority area, Lilongwe District." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005968.
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The government of Malawi established the community based childcare (CBCC) programme with the aim of addressing early childhood problems and achieve national development in the long run. The CBCC programme, as one of the approaches to early childhood development (ECD), is guided by the national early childhood development policy. It promotes some practices that somehow deviate from the traditional childcare ways that communities have always known. Experience has shown that programmes that have elements of conflict with commonly held beliefs are bound to meet with resistance in society. The study employed a mini survey, focus group discussion, observation and document review to understand how the CBCC childcare practices in Malili intersect with commonly held beliefs about childcare as well as how they reflect on the national ECD policy. The study also focused on understanding the perceptions of community members on the CBCC programme. The study revealed that while some aspects of CBCC delivery conform to commonly held beliefs about childcare in the area under study, others diverge from such beliefs. Such convergence and divergence appear to be in line with the propositions of transformalist globalisation theory- one of the perspectives adopted for the study. The study also found that care practices at CBCC are not a true reflection of the national ECD policy as community members’ perceptions, poor community participation, poverty and lack of caregiver training in ECD contribute towards poor quality of care in CBCC, contrary to what is defined in the national ECD policy. The study also found that while both CBCC caregivers and sampled community members perceived the quality of care at the centers as poor, caregivers had a more positive perception towards the CBCC than community members. The study indicated that CBCC are centres of desperation for low economic status communities. Findings from the research have revealed that cultural values and commonly held beliefs, and exposure to new knowledge through globalisation play a role in determining childcare practices as well as perceptions towards them. In this sense the study has indicated that meanings that communities attach to development interventions influence their actions and perceptions towards it.
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Chikunkhuzeni, Francis Chim'ndomo. "Towards an understanding of the role of commercialisation in programming at the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation from 1995 to 1998 : a case study." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002875.
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Competition in many market-driven media systems in advanced industrial countries can sometimes compromise traditional public service broadcast values such as programming for diversity, citizenship, minority interests and national identity. This study investigates the presence and effects of commercial-logic in a state-owned broadcaster in a developing country: the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation. Using indepth interviews and analysis of records on finance and programme schedules, the study finds overwhelming indicators of the presence of commercial logic, not driven by competition, but a commitment to provide a public service under deteriorating financial conditions. Distinguishing between the impacts of advertising and sponsorship markets on media output, the study finds contradictory effects of commercialisation. Some effects confirm some of the adverse effects of commercialisation such as heavy sponsorinfluence on programme content, self-censorship among programme producers who avoid injuring sponsors and producers paying more attention to sponsored programmes at the expense ofthe quality of some non-sponsored public service programmes. However, effects are not always contrary to public service broadcasting but may Indeed reinforce such broadcasting. Commercialisation in some instances has led to the sustenance of a range of non-sponsored public service programmes including programmes to promote culture and civic rights. In general, this study highlights the need to focus on what is realistically possible within the dynamics of the Malawi Society as a precondition for a proactive and elaborate strategy for commercialisation ofthe country's public broadcaster.
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Kakhobwe, Penelope. "How on-line publishing contributes to democracy, press freedom and the public sphere: a case study of Nyasatimes online and The Daily Times newspaper in Malawi." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002895.
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Since the demise of the Berlin Wall and communism, many African countries have adopted a Western-model democracy as a system of governance. However, the media has not been liberalised to reflect this new discourse as constraints in many African countries pertaining to press freedom still exist. The internet appears to have the potential to challenge the political power of governments (Tsagarousianou, 1998:167). It has been posited that it has the potential to offer more platforms for information especially in the case of restrictive media environments. This study set out to investigate the impact of on-line publishing in Malawi. It explored how the emergence of this new form of publishing through the internet has affected the public sphere, democracy and press freedom in Malawi. The main focus was the level of press freedom at on-line newspapers as compared to traditional newspapers. It used the public sphere theory and literature on the internet as a technology of freedom as its theoretical framework. Using a case study approach by focusing on two newspapers; Nyasatimes on-line and Daily Times, the study used the coup plot coverage in May 2008 in Malawi by both newspapers as reference for the measurement of the level of press freedom. The study used qualitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews as its research methods. The research revealed that Nyasatimes enjoys more freedom to publish and therefore appears to have more press freedom than its more traditional counterpart. However, Nyasatimes also faces some unique challenges. The findings also revealed that press freedom in Malawi is not only affected by government through legislation but other factors and players as well play a central role in determining the level of press freedom for traditional media. The study therefore concludes that despite the internet’s ability to transcend local regimes of authority and censorship pertaining to press freedom, the challenges facing traditional media still need to be addressed as it is the primary source of information for most people in Malawi with on-line newspapers being simply supplementary.
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Masangwi, Salule J. "Coexistence between malaria and diarrhoea in Southern Malawi using multilevel analysis methods." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2009. http://oleg.lib.strath.ac.uk:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=12771.
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Lembani, Samson Brown. "The influence of institutional arrangements on intra-party democracy in Malawi." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2006. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_9358_1182234535.
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This research study seeks to investigate how institutional arrangements impact on intra-party democracy in Malawi. Intra-party democracy is essential as it promotes party unity through reduced fragmentation and factionalism, encourages a culture of democratic debate and deliberation of critical issues within the party and therefore collective ownership of decisions. Further, it creates legitimate internal conflict management systems and finally, reduces opportunistic and arbitrary use of delegated authority. These are fundamental tenets of any functioning democratic entity. These elements of intra-party democracy are attainable if they are formerly stipulated and governed by the party&rsquo
s constitutional rules. Where such rules either do not exist or are not effectively enforced, major operational problems arise. These may include: non-inclusive candidate selection procedures, centralised coalition negotiation processes, unprocedural conflict management mechanisms and unconstitutional or illegitimate party conventions. Consequently, the resulting outcomes include party instability and factionalism stimulated by resignations and expulsions, declining electoral support and weak coalitions. These factors undermine the party&rsquo
s contribution to democracy. The next section gives the context and historical evolution of parties in Malawi.
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Nzunda, Matembo Simbeye. "The company law of Malawi." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.306562.
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Kumambala, Patsani Gregory. "Sustainability of water resources development for Malawi with particular emphasis on North and Central Malawi." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2010. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1801/.
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The world population regardless of location and development stage needs energy and water. According to the United Nations, the present world population stands at about 6.7 billion with an average annual growth rate of 1.3%. Population increase calls for increased allocation of water for domestic use, agriculture and industrial use. The increased water allocation among different sectors has always resulted in conflicts among users, and stress on freshwater environment. Therefore it is essential that water resources be developed in a sustainable manner to accommodate future generations to meet their water needs. In recent years studies regarding stress on water resources due to population increase have always been done without considering the effect of climate change while studies on the effect of climate change on river flows have always ignored the effect of population increase. An assessment of the sustainability of the water resources primarily of the Central and Northern highland river basins of Malawi is presented in this thesis based on basin hydrology, human health, environment and climate change. A complete hydrological data set is not readily available in developing countries like Malawi. That being the case, a method of estimating missing data in hydrological data records has been presented. Climate change predictions have been done based on United Kingdom (UK) Meteorological Office Hadley Centre HadCM3 experiments. All the river basins in the Central and Northern part of Malawi drain into Lake Malawi. Lake Malawi plays a major role in the provision of energy for the country and water supply to the southern part of Malawi through its outlet Shire river. Planning of alternative water resources schemes on river basins in the northern part of Malawi needs an assessment of the hydrological behaviour of the lake. In view of this, the report further explores the sustainability of water levels of Lake Malawi based on generated climate scenarios. A method of extending river flow records based on climate scenario is presented. In the proposed method a simple rainfall runoff model of Linear Perturbation Model has been used to extend flow records with inputs from HadCM3 experiments. The results showed a good correlation between predicted and observed series. Climate change prediction downscaled from HadCM3 general circulation models using statistical techniques were used to create 25 year river flow scenarios from 2001 to 2100. The thesis further reports a method of extending evaporation data based on climate change prediction since evaporation plays a major role in the development of irrigation. The future evaporation scenarios have been incorporated in the water balance model of Lake Malawi for the assessment of sustainability and future water levels of the lake. A method of formulating water resources sustainability index through the integration of knowledge from hydrology, human health and environment is presented. The Water Sustainability Index has been developed as a tool for assessment of multipurpose water resources development comparing one river basin with another in a sustainable manner. In conclusion the method proposed in this thesis can be used as a tool for assessing the strategic sustainability of water resources development as planned under the Malawi National Water Development Programme (MNWDP) phase II. The goal of MNWDP II is to develop a water resources investment strategy for Malawi by looking at the current available water resources and the impact of developing these water resources. Although it is hoped that the methods can be of benefit under MNWDP II, investigations into other techniques would be beneficial.
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Ntelela, Rashid Friday. "Assessment of the impact of service charters on service delivery in Malawi: a case of Southern Region Water Board." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/549.
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Malawi is divided into three regions, namely: Southern, Central and Northern regions. Each Region has an independent Water Board owned by Government to supply it with portable water. The Constitution of the Republic of Malawi 1994, Chapter 3, Section 13 recognizes public trust and good governance as some of the fundamental principles of National Policy and thereby promised to introduce measures which will guarantee accountability, transparency, personal integrity and financial probity and which by virtue of their effectiveness will strengthen confidence in public institutions. In order to improve service delivery and fulfill the stated constitutional imperatives, the Malawi Government issued the following statement in 2008, one of our cardinal agenda is reform aimed at changing the way things are done in the public service so that it becomes more efficient and responsive to the needs of all Malawians. As a Government we realize that no matter how brilliant plans and development agenda can be, they will be frustrated unless major reforms are initiated and implemented to facilitate required changes to support the development process. Major changes are necessary in values, beliefs, norms, attitudes and mindsets to help create an enabling environment for the effective management of reforms across the public service. We need to move away from the business as usual type of attitude and fully account for time that we are paid for from public funds if we are to join the prosperous nations (National Framework for Public Sector Management Reform, June, 2008).
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Pelletier, Bernard 1964. "Management practices, soil quality and maize yield in smallholder farming systems of central Malawi." Thesis, McGill University, 2000. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=37809.
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The effect of management practices used by smallholder farmers to improve soil quality and increase maize yield was examined in an 80 ha. micro-watershed of central Malawi. Because of the complexity inherent in smallholder farming systems, this research proposed the combination of participatory methods with analytical techniques developed in field ecology, such as multivariate and spatial analysis. During a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), farmers identified factors potentially influencing soil quality and maize yield. One hundred and seventy-six (176) plots were located in twenty-nine (29) fields and characterized for management practices and biophysical characteristics. Soil samples were collected at each plot and analysed for a suite of properties. The maize yield was measured for both 1996--97 and 1997--98 seasons. A formal survey was used to gather information on household characteristics. Results showed that management practices that were promoted by a previous extension project, such as alley cropping and the planting of grass on contour ridges, were strongly correlated and found mainly in fields located closer to house compounds. Farmers with a higher proportion of their land under wetland gardens tended to use less agroforestry. Food security was associated with households that were able to purchase inorganic fertilizers, had larger landholding size, and owned livestock and woodlots. The effect of management practices on maize yield and soil quality was partially confounded with characteristics of the plot, such as slope, degradation level, number of years under cultivation or pest damage. Higher maize yield was observed in plots that were better managed, as expressed by the combination of different management practices, lower pest incidence, fewer erosion signs and higher soil fertility. Some positive effects of alley cropping on soil quality were observed in plots that were cultivated for a longer period and located on flatter land. This study demo
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Mandala, O'Brien Mcniven. "Assessment of microfinance efficacy on poverty reduction in Malawi with reference to Dedza District." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011040.
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Over the past two decades, various development approaches and strategies have been devised by policymakers, international development agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and others aiming at poverty reduction in developing countries. Microfinance is a strategy that has become a hot development topic and increasingly popular since the early 1990s. A considerable amount of multi- and bilateral aid has been channeled into microfinance programs in the Third World with varying degrees of success. Microfinance involves providing financial services in the form of savings and credit opportunities to the working poor (Johnson & Rogaly, 1997). The impression left by many of the defenders of this ‘faith’ is that here lies a magic bullet that can help to raise the living standards of the poor and help them climb out of poverty. However, the real world is not so simple and information is scarce and limited to confirm the poverty reduction benefits accrued by microfinance interventions. To this effect, it may be argued that overselling the benefits of microfinance runs the risk of misunderstanding what realistically can be expected from microfinance. This can lead to disillusionment when microfinance fails to live up to its expectations. However, like all development interventions, donors, governments, and other interested parties demand evaluations and impact assessment studies to ascertain the achievements and failures of microfinance programs. This research paper focused on the assessment of microfinance efficacy on poverty reduction. The study employs indicator-based method of evaluation and draws on a new cross-sectional survey of nearly 610 households, some of which are served by microfinance institution. The results unraveled microfinance efficacy on poverty reduction and offer another set of risk management and coping options in times of shocks and disasters. Households that have access to the MFI programs had increased consumption and durable assets than the control group of non clients. The study concludes that microfinance makes a meaningful contribution to poverty reduction, significant improvements in livelihood and enables the participants to escape poverty. Therefore, MFI client households are relatively better off than non clients in as far as poverty levels are concerned.
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Chizimba, Martha. "Sustainable agricultural development in the Malawian smallholder agricultural sector: a case of Lilongwe District." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/365.
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Even though agriculture is the backbone of Malawi‟s economy, food insecurity has remained a continuous threat among the poor. Until the 1980s, Malawi had been achieving national food security through an extensive system of agricultural inputs and marketing subsidies. However, these subsidies were removed and at the same time, the agricultural credit system collapsed. Consequently, agricultural productivity in Malawi remained low, poverty remained pervasive and food insecurity remains a main constraint to national and household food security. Therefore, the success of the agricultural sector in Malawi is very critical for raising the living standards and for food self-sufficiency. In this vein, the study hypothesized that Malawi can only achieve sustainable agricultural development if its agricultural policies are focused towards intensifying agricultural productivity through active participation of smallholder farmers. The major aim of the study was to contribute towards an improved understanding of how the issues of sustainable agricultural development have been addressed in Malawi and how they have influenced the lives of smallholder farmers. The analysis of the results revealed that even though what was implemented in the 1970s to early 1980s was financially unsustainable, but it provided some solutions to the fundamental challenges of smallholder development in Malawi. However, the liberalisations eroded whatever economic benefits achieved then. Never the less, the re-introduction of the agricultural input subsidies restored back the means of production leading to significant transformation of the country from a net importer to a net food exporter. On the other hand, although the agricultural input subsidy programme is being commended for having helped in achieving food security, the study revealed that the programme requires complementary services of credit, extension, research and market to support it. This will provide an exit strategy, which can enable the producers to sell their produce at higher prices sufficient enough for them to afford agricultural inputs without subsidies.
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Ewing, Victoria. "Access to appropriate malaria treatment among children in the Chikhwawa district of Malawi." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2012. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/11153/.
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Access to appropriate antimalarial treatment is essential to reduce the impact of malaria - a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Malawi. This study responds to recent calls to improve access to malaria treatment, by providing insight into existing barriers and making suggestions for improvement. It is among a limited number of studies which explore multiple dimensions of access. A mixed-methods approach was taken to investigate the influence of a number of factors on access to appropriate treatment among children in the Chikhwawa district of Malawi. Two cross-sectional household surveys enabled quantification of differences in health facility attendance between two study areas, which differed in terms of distance from health facility and ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Mean costs associated with childhood fever were calculated and compared between study areas. Qualitative methodologies provided insight into caregivers’ behaviour during treatment-seeking and after receiving antimalarials. The study found that individuals engaged in a three-phased approach to treatment-seeking. During Phase 1 caregivers assessed the illness in order to establish the need for care and appropriate action. Phase 2 involved seeking care outside of the home, in most cases from a health facility. However a number of barriers to health facility attendance were identified, including: geographic location, direct and opportunity costs; women's lack of decision-making and financial autonomy; and perceptions of available care. Health facility attendance did not guarantee appropriate treatment. Adverse events, such as vomiting; lack of understanding of the correct dosing schedule; and challenges associated with administering antimalarials to children impacted on adherence. Treatment failure led to Phase 3, which frequently involved returning to the health facility. However, repeated treatment failure, fear of receiving repeated antimalarial treatment, and advice from health facility staff led caregivers to seek alternative sources of care, such as traditional healers. This thesis provides a valuable addition to our knowledge of multiple dimensions of access to appropriate malaria treatment. Caregivers experience a number of barriers during treatment-seeking and utilisation of antimalarials, and equity of access remains a challenge. The issues raised within this thesis are specific and targetable, and the findings indicate the considerable potential impact of strengthening the existing community-based treatment and referral system, community based health education, and diagnosis and treatment at health facility level.
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Nhlane, Lusizi Franlin. "A critical analysis of decentralisation as a means of enhancing rural development in Malawi : a case study of Salima District Council." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020199.
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This study sought to find out the extent to which decentralisation has brought about development in the rural areas in Malawi, specifically focusing on Salima District Council. It sought the views from the local communities themselves and government officials at district level on decentralisation in relation to rural development. Although the study used both qualitative and quantitative approaches, it was predominantly qualitative. As such, it used mixed methods of data collection, which included in-depth interviews, direct observations, questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs) and documentary search. Qualitative data was developed into themes and concepts and was subsequently interpreted in a trustworthy manner so as to reflect the true meaning of the data. In other words, explanations were attached to each theme or concept in an attempt to give the meaning of the data. The study found out that decentralisation is effective in terms of rural development such that local people are able to demand for services of their choice from local governments but the main challenge or constraint is availability of financial resources to cater for all the demanded public services. Other major barriers to rural development include capacity deficiencies at district and grassroots level and tensions among key stakeholders competing to maximize their role in local governments. Basing on these findings, and financial resources being the major barrier to rural development, the study recommends that Government should make sure that enough financial resources are released and channelled to district councils to cater for the needs of the communities. The study also recommends that councils should strive to generate more local revenues to cope up with the demand from the communities. And finally, the study recommends that Government should recognize local governments as entities on which is bestowed a huge responsibility of improving socio-economic conditions of the rural areas where 87 percent of the population lives, therefore provision of resources and enabling legislation to enhance rural development should be the primary focus. Of course, these recommendations should be understood within the context of the studied district. Otherwise there is potential for different and expanded recommendations if one replicated the study to cover the entire country.
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Nampota, Tarsizius. "Emergent governance practices in the University of Malawi following reform implementation from 1997 to 2013." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019933.
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Higher education reform is an international phenomenon and one that greatly impacts on the form and function of Universities in society. I set out in this study to investigate the University of Malawi’s (UNIMA) experiences with governance reforms after observing that no comprehensive study of this process had been undertaken following the implementation of these reforms from 1997. I used Bhaskar’s Critical Realist Theory as my main theoretical framework because my intention was to understand the mechanisms from which such reforms emerged: the emergent governance practices and properties enabling or constraining governance reforms in UNIMA. I employed Archer’s Social Realist Theory in my research design and interpretation of the results, which entailed that I focus on issues of structure, culture and agency in UNIMA governance. I have established that the governance context in UNIMA in 1995 at the time the reforms were being considered was one that promoted the continuation of the status quo because the Malawi Government’s vested interest then was to exercise great control over UNIMA at system, institutional and disciplinary level of governance due to the political imperatives of the time in Malawi. However, this situation was frustrating to many in the University as it greatly impeded academic freedom. Furthermore, in 1995 the University relied heavily on Government’s financial structures. When these were subjected to structural reforms under the influence of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the early nineties the impact seriously undermined the University’s revenue base and threatened to challenge further the realization of the University’s objectives. This prompted changes in the administrative and academic governance structures and culture intended to improve utilisation of the available limited resources as well as to broaden the University’s revenue base. The governance reform measures that were introduced were mainly influenced by New Public Management (NPM) ideologies. Most of the reforms intended to transform the administrative structures and culture were successfully implemented. The study revealed that this was enabled by the interests of those operating at disciplinary levels who were frustrated by the previous constraining governance context and who viewed such reforms as bringing about the self-governance they lacked. However, the majority of the reforms that were mainly targeted at academic restructuring were resisted because they were construed as contradictory to the interests of those in the academy particularly those concerned with matters of academic freedom. The study further revealed that the academic reforms were constrained by a lack of agency for change management and weak leadership at the top senior level of the University. In addition, there have been delays in amending the UNIMA Act, which should have catalysed some of the reforms, a scenario that has perpetuated many aspects of the institutional level of governance. Consequently, compared to the situation before the reforms were introduced, governance in UNIMA at the time of reporting manifested two scenarios: (a) an elaboration in governance practices at systems level where Government machinery exercises control and at enterprise (college) level where faculties and academic departments operate promoting cultural morphogenesis, or changes at the level of ideas, beliefs and values, which in turn is exerting pressure on governance practices at institutional level; and (b) morphostasis, or lack of change, at institutional levels of the governance exacerbated by the lack of amendment of the UNIMA Act and weak leadership. The findings have also led to uncertainty regarding the unitary nature of the University. There are fears that once the UNIMA Act is amended the four colleges forming UNIMA might break away to become separate universities.
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Malata, Address M. "The development and evaluation of a childbirth education program for Malawian women." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2004. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/826.
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Childbirth education provided to women is an Integral aspect of the childbirth experience. In Malawi, midwives face a major challenge because one of their major roles is to provide childbirth information to women. However, there are no existing Childbirth Education Programs to facilitate this process. The purpose of this study was, therefore, threefold. First, it explored childbirth Information needs of Malawian mothers from the perspectives of both mothers and midwives, as well as strategies that would be appropriate to disseminate this childbirth information to Malawian women. Second, it developed a Childbirth Educational Program (CEP) to meet the specific needs of Malawian women as previously identified. Third, the CEP was implemented and evaluated for it’s effectiveness in increasing Malawian women’s knowledge of childbirth. The study was conducted in three phases. In Phase One, childbirth information needs of Malawian women were determined using findings from previous studies, focus groups and individual interviews of Malawian midwives. In Phase Two, data obtained from Phase One was used to develop a CEP as well as pretest/posttest questionnaire. In Phase Three, a quasi-experimental study using sequential sampling was conducted to implement and evaluate the CEP. Participants Included pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics at the Ndirande and Limbe Health Centres in Blantyre (Malawi). Following informed consent, 125 women from the Ndirande Health Centre were Invited to participate in the study and recruited to a control group. Another 125 women were also recruited to an intervention group at Limbe Health centre. A pretest was administered to both groups of women to determine their childbirth knowledge prior to implementation of the study. Women In the control group were exposed to routine antenatal education from both hospital and traditional non-hospital sources. Therefore, an increase in childbirth knowledge was anticipated. Additionally, women in the intervention group were exposed to both routine antenatal education as well as a systematic and comprehensive CEP. It was anticipated the degree to which knowledge increased in this group would be higher than in the control group, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the CEP.
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Lembani, Martina Esinala. "Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of targeting methods in public works programmes in Malawi: the case of MASAF and CARE managed programmes in the central region of Malawi." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_7748_1183469275.
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This research was aimed at assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of community based targeting and self-targeting methods in the selection of beneficiaries in Safety nets programmes in Malawi. These methods have been chosen because they have been largely used for selecting beneficiaries in Safety net programmes. The focus was on assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods where effectiveness refers to the ability of the methodology to reach out to the poorest while efficiency is a measure of the costs that are associated with the identification of these people. In order to objectively assessed the challenges associated with these methods, the study concentrated on Public Works Programmes, which targets relatively high number of people compared to the other programmes and have used both methods for identifying beneficiaries.
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Waldorff, Pétur. "Conceptions of poverty and development in a Malawian village setting." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=99612.
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This thesis is the result of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Phalombe District in Malawi, Southern Africa, where I studied agricultural development projects in the village of Kachala. The focus of this investigation is on people's perceptions and ideas of development co-operation and the meanings of development and poverty in general. Perceptions of development and poverty among villagers in Kachala are compared to those of development agents working for development organizations in the area. These perceptions are also compared to the definitions of development and poverty found throughout development literature. This research demonstrates - through examples from Phalombe District and elsewhere - how notions of development are relative, diverse and context-specific, and therefore not static and universally applicable. Finally, participatory development ideals and the structurally unequal donor-recipient relationships, at the core of the current development system, are discussed. This thesis illustrates how the common portrayal of development as an oppressive, disempowering industry, characterized by top-down interventions, does not always apply.
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Mtelera, Prince. "“Exploring barriers to citizen participation in development: a case study of a participatory broadcasting project in rural Malawi”." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016360.
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In Malawi, as in many newly-democratic countries in the developing world, donor organisations and NGOs have embarked on projects aimed at making reforms in governance which have generated a profusion of new spaces for citizen engagement. This thesis critically examines one such project in Malawi against the backdrop of a democratic nation emerging from a background of dictatorial regime. For thirty years, until 1994, Malawi was under the one-party regime of Kamuzu Banda which was characterised by dictatorial tendencies, in which participatory processes were non-existent and development was defined in terms of client-patronage relationships between the state and society (Cammack, 2004: 17). In 1994, however, Malawi embraced a multiparty system of government, paving way to various political and social reforms, which adopted participatory approaches to development. Drawing on a number of literatures, this thesis seeks to historicize the relationship which developed during the pre democracy era between the state and society in Malawi to underscore its influence on the current dispositions displayed by both bureaucrats and citizens as they engage in participatory decision making processes. This is achieved through a critical realist case study of a participatory radio project in Malawi called Ndizathuzomwe which works through a network of community-based radio production structures popularly known as ‘Radio Listening Clubs’(RLCs) where communities are mobilised at village level to first identify and define development problems through consensus and then secondly engage state bureaucrats, politicians, and members of other relevant service delivery organisations in making decisions aimed at resolving community-identified development problems (Chijere-Chirwa et al, 2000). Unlike during the pre-democracy era, there is now a shift in the discourse of participation in development, from the participation of ‘beneficiaries’ in projects, to the more political and rights-based definitions of participation by citizens who are the ‘makers and shapers’ of their own development (Cornwall and Gaventa, 2000). The findings of this thesis, however point to the fact that, there remains a gap between normative expectations and empirical realities in that spaces for participation are not neutral, but are themselves shaped by power relations (Cornwall, 2002). A number of preconditions exist for entry into participatory institutions as such entry of certain interests and actors into public spaces is privileged over others through a prevailing mobilisation of bias or rules of the game (Lukes, 1974: I)
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Lapani, Ng'ombe Henry. "Le rôle, les conditions du fonctionnement et le financement des entreprises publiques au Malawi." Grenoble 2, 1986. http://www.theses.fr/1986GRE21014.
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Javdani, Marie S. "Stop the Bleeding, Heal the Wound: The Role of Fertilizer Subsidies in Food Security, Zomba District, Malawi." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10060.
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xiv, 126 p. : ill., map. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.The government of Malawi is being lauded internationally for having ostensibly eliminated hunger within its borders through a subsidy that makes available chemical fertilizers to smallholder farmers. Development scholarship and policy have recently turned toward promoting a "new" Green Revolution in Africa for the establishment of food security and the advancement of economic development. Many view the increased use of chemical fertilizer in Malawian agriculture and the resultant rise in maize yieldsdescribed by such publications as the New York Times as the "Malawi Mirac1e"-as evidence that the prescribed NGR is indeed a recipe for success. This thesis places the subsidy in its historical and theoretical framework and discusses the extent to which production-end strategies accomplish the goals of food security. Also discussed are nonproduction measures that are essential to creating a reliable and accessible food system.
Committee in Charge: Peter A. Walker, Chair; Derrick L. Hindery
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Okumu, Christopher. "The social ecology of Malawi orphans." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape10/PQDD_0016/MQ43001.pdf.
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Phiri, Chimimba David. "Agricultural policy in Malawi : 1971 - 1987." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.334280.
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Mutalima, Nora. "Infections and childhood cancer in Malawi." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2007. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9d0c9045-34eb-426c-acec-9c1ffa269417.
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The causes of childhood cancers are not well understood. That infections are believed to play an important role in childhood cancer development is of particular interest in sub-Saharan Africa, where infectious diseases are common. The objectives of this thesis were to identify childhood cancers associated with HIV, malaria, EBV and HHV-8, and to investigate child and maternal factors associated with Burkitt lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma. In Blantyre, Malawi, 305 children diagnosed with cancer and 212 of their mothers, were recruited. Risk factor data were collected using a brief questionnaire and blood samples tested for infections. Case-control analyses were conducted to compare 148 Burkitt lymphoma cases and 22 Kaposi sarcoma case with a control group comprising 104 children with cancers other than those known to be associated with HIV. The prevalence of HIV was 6% among children with Burkitt lymphoma and 2% in controls (OR=12.4, 95% CI 1.3 to 116.2). Tumour risk increased with increasing litres of antibodies against EBV and malaria. In comparison with those who had low titres against both EBV and malaria, the highest risk of Burkitt lymphoma was among those with high titres against both infections (OR=13.2, 95% CI 3.8 to 46.6). Reported use of mosquito nets was protective against Burkitt lymphoma. The prevalence of HIV was 81% among children with Kaposi sarcoma (OR=762.7, 95% CI 44 to 13376), and risk increased with increasing HHV-8 antibodies. Prevalence of infections was also examined among children with other cancer types and no associations were identified, although the number of cases was small. Few maternal factors were found to be associated with cancer in children. This research demonstrates that infections play a particularly important role in increasing the risk of Burkitt lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma in children in sub- Saharan Africa. Prevention or early treatment of these infections may be vital in the control of childhood cancer.
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Genner, Martin Jones. "Coexistence of Lake Malawi cichlid fishes." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.302317.
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Davies, Simon. "Essays on remittances in rural Malawi." Thesis, University of Bath, 2008. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.500687.
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After discussing the Malawian context and summarising the remittance research, I focus on remittances in rural Malawi. I follow remittances from the giver’s motivations through to the receiver’s view of remittances and how the receiver uses them and finally to their impact as a means of moderating the effect of negative shocks on the receiving household. Results show that parents remit to respondents for altruistic purposes, or for insurance motivations (e.g. to help out the respondent if they are sick). Respondents remit to parents for altruistic motivations and inheritance. There is strong bi-directionality in the remittance flows. Children remit to respondents as an “insurance premium”, and for inheritance motivations. Altruism motivates respondents to give to their children. There is strong evidence of co-insurance between respondents and their siblings with both insurance payouts and premiums being paid. Respondents and their siblings also remit to each other for altruistic motivations. There is strong evidence of “mental accounting” amongst both male and female headed households. Remittances exhibit a much lower MPC than salary and farming income. Male and female headed households differ in their use of income from different sources, however one result is consistent: remittances are used for education. Probit models indicate that households are more likely to receive remittances from local areas if someone in the household is sick (local remittances insure a health shock). Households that suffer from drought are more likely to receive remittances from more distant areas (other districts, a city, abroad). Drought has a major negative impact on consumption levels but distant remittances insure affected households who suffer from these. Local remittances, which make up most remittance flows, are unable to insure these community shocks. Only around 10 per cent of households receive remittances from outside their home district however. Remittances help to insure household consumption against health shocks, but only food consumption is insured.
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Lombe, Felix Benson. "Liquidity and agricultural lending in Malawi." Master's thesis, Faculty of Commerce, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30390.
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Malawi’s agricultural sector has remained the mainstay of Malawi’s economy since independence. Ironically, agricultural production and productivity are observantly below 50% of their respective potentials. This is partly explained by low lending levels towards the agricultural sector by financial institutions. However, just as elsewhere, commercial banks in Malawi are under international obligations of ensuring financial stability by undertaking liquidity management framework and measures. One such liquidity management intervention is the liquidity reserve requirements (LRR). This study departed on the theoretical understanding that quantitative tightening through LRR affects the liquidity position (and funding needs) of the banking system which consequently affect lending levels towards the economy (Alper et al., 2016) and by induction, the agricultural sector. It is on these premises that this study sought to examine the impact of liquidity on agricultural lending levels in Malawi. The study employed secondary data from 6 commercial banks that have been in operation in the opted data period of between 2007 and 2017. Besides estimating total liquidity creation, three sets of relations were tested: the impact of LRR on Total Liquidity Creation (TLC); the impact of liquidity levels on Agricultural Lending Levels (ALL); and, the determinants of Total Credit (TC) in Malawi. To test the relationship between liquidity and lending the Malawian Banking sector, the study adopted the panel regression framework while fixed effects and random effects models were using in the estimations. The control variables included bank capital, bank asset growth, bank deposit growth and loan to deposit ratio. From the empirical analysis, the study shows that banks created liquidity of about 1.2% of total industry assets over the study period. For the period under observation, LRR positively affected TLC. Similarly, the impact of liquidity levels on ALL was positive. In general, TC was positively determined by Bank Deposit Growth and Loan Deposit ratios while LRR, TLC and Bank Capital affected TC negatively. This could imply that an increase in TLC does not automatically result into an increase of TC. The findings further indicate that LRR had a negative effect on ALL. In periods where LRR went up, ALL went down, possibly implying that banks shift to other sectors considered less risky even amidst rising liquidity levels.
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Amanze, James Nathaniel. "The Bimbi cult in southern Malawi." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 1986. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29031/.
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The Bimbi cult in Southern Malawi is a territorial cult, one among a number of other regional belief systems among the Chewa of Southern Malawi. As a religious system the Bimbi cult has a distinctive unwritten theology, elaborate liturgical observances, an organized inherited priesthood and a charismatic leader - the Bimbi - from whom the cult's name derives. The thesis begins by examining the life and structural position of the Bimbi who is, in all aspects the most representative and living symbol of the cult as a moral force. It then looks into the question of the call to Bimbiship and the processes of succession events which are believed to be divine acts from beginning to end. This is evidenced by the fact that succession to Bimbiship cuts across the principles of matrilineage of succession to headmanship among the Chewa. The third chapter of the thesis discusses the religious, shrine and political organizations of the cult which give it its territorial nature and enhance both the legitimacy of the Bimbi and the impact of the cult in the region. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters set forth to answer the questions, "what is the faith and prayer of the cult?" and "how do the followers understand God, the social and the natural orders in the universe?" To this purpose the thesis examines the rituals, prayers, symbolisms, beliefs and practices of those who adhere to the cult. The seventh chapter of the thesis probes into what is remembered of the earlier history of the cult and the role which the title holders of Bimbiship have played for the past hundred years. Finally an attempt has been made to examine the nature of the interaction between the cult on the one hand and Christianity and Islam on the other.
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Gausi, Hambani Adamson. "Effects of the brittle national information policy framework on information services in Malawi." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005989.
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The aim of the study was to explore the effects of the absence of an overarching national information policy on information services in Malawi. The objectives of the study were to: find out the effects of the absence of an overarching national information policy on information access in Malawi; establish factors impeding the development of an overarching national information policy in Malawi; find out the extent to which the absence of an overarching policy has affected capacity building in information services in Malawi; and identify the legal and regulatory framework implications of the absence of such a policy in Malawi. The study adopted an exploratory research design. Data were collected using document analysis, observations and in-depth interviews. Eighty-two face-to-face interviews were conducted with policy makers in government, Members of Parliamentary committees on legal and media issues, information scientists, information service providers, academicians, legal experts and information users. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. An interview guide comprising closed and open ended questions was used to interview respondents. Data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings of this study may be used by Government in developing relevant national information policies that would enhance free access and utilisation of information. Furthermore the study is significant in identifying factors that may impede the development of a national information policy. The study revealed that Malawi has a brittle national information policy framework for the provision of information services. Malawi doesn’t have an overarching policy framework for the sector and as a result, there is no policy guidance to drive the development of sectoral policies and supporting legislation. Policy development in Malawi is more reactive to issues than systematic and very slow. Consequently, access to and utilization of information is low; capacity building is low in terms of competencies and infrastructure and; the legal and regulatory framework for information services is weak. The study also revealed that factors impeding the development of an overarching national information policy include: motivation for the development of sectoral information policies; lack of an institutional framework to guide the development of policy; lack of finances and technical capacity; lack of sustained political will; level of economic development; existence of overarching government development plans; international trends; and the diverse nature of the information sector. The general recommendation emanating from the findings of the study is that Malawi needs an overarching national information policy which would articulate and address issues regarding access to information, capacity building in terms of skills and infrastructure, and the legal and regulatory framework. Information is a cross-cutting issue requiring an all-encompassing policy. However, specific recommendations from the findings of this study are that government should expedite the development of policies and enactment of relevant pieces of legislation which are not yet in place to enhance free access and utilisation of information and ICTs; government should speed up the introduction of information literacy in the school curriculum starting from primary school level to university; government should develop a library policy to promote the development of school libraries in both primary and secondary schools, and public libraries in all towns, district assemblies and rural growth centres which should be well resourced including Internet facilities; and government should constantly review and harmonise policies and legislation in the information sector so that they are in line with current trends.
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Manjawira, Ellard Spencer. "Becoming a business journalist in Malawi: a case study of The Daily Times and The Nation newspapers." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007440.
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In the past few decades, the proportion of business news compared to general news has increased tremendously across all media platforms in Africa. While the critical role played by business journalism is recognised, little is known about the people who write and report such news. Most studies on business reporting have tended to focus on analysing the content of business news, rather than the specific processes through which business journalists are socialized and trained. The findings of this study are drawn mainly from in-depth interviews with business reporters and editors at two leading newspapers in Malawi, The Daily Times and The Nation. Three major findings emerge trom the study data. First, business journalists vary in their educational and professional backgrounds, as well as the reasons for working on this beat. Second, the majority of them have no prerequisite formal education and training in business journalism and, therefore, have little knowledge and skills about what constitute good business journalism. Third, professionalism in the sub-field is constrained by a host of factors, influence of advertisers being the critical one. The study recommends that business reporting become an integral component of journalism education and training programmes to adequately prepare future generations of business journalists. In addition there is need for media houses to devise strategies to counter obstacles that business journalists face for them to effectively contribute to political economy debate.KMBT_363
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Munthali, Spy Mbiriyawaka. "An institutional analysis of community and home based care and support for HIV/AIDS sufferers in rural households in Malawi." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002719.
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Standard economic models often emphasize inputs, outputs and an examination of the structures in order to conduct an economic performance evaluation. This study applies the Institutional and Development Framework (IAD) in the broader context of New Institutional Economics (NIE) in order to examine the transaction costs of delivering Community and Home Based Care and Support (CHBC) to HIV/AIDS sufferers. For purposes of unveiling the empirical reality guiding decision making processes in the CHBC service delivery, comparative qualitative research techniques of normative variable and concept formation have been adopted to draw out the relative institutional influences from the HIV/AIDS national response partnerships. The study identifies the conflict between the predominantly standardized and more rigid formal management techniques adopted by key members of the national response and the informal cultural techniques familiar to the rural communities, and a lack of motivational incentives in the CHBC structures as the key factors against CHBC capacities to draw external funding for service delivery. CHBCs are also weakened by incoherent governance structures at the district level for facilitation of funding and information flow exacerbating the community vulnerability. Rationalization of the institutional arrangements and a clarification of roles from district to community levels, a shift of focus to facilitation of informal techniques and an integration of performance enhancing incentives are the critical policy insights envisaged to spur CHBCs to work better.
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Mleta, Prince W. C. "An analysis of groundwater in Mjinchi District of Central Malawi." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/366.
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Groundwater resources is the major source of potable water in Mchinji District of Central Malawi and globally. Although the total amount of water on and under the earth‟s surface is generally assumed to have remained constant, the rapid population boom coupled with extension of agricultural farmland and industrial development are putting pressure and stress on the quality and quantity of water resources. In principal therefore, „use and discard‟ philosophy in water resources cannot be subscribed (Lloyd, 1999). The situation ultimately calls for rational management of water resources to ensure its sustainability. Water intended for human consumption must be free from organisms that are the causative agents of diseases and must not contain chemical substances at concentrations that may be hazardous to human health. In addition drinking water should be aesthetically acceptable, free from unpleasant taste, color, odor and turbidity. Drinking water should also be free from bacteria and viruses whose presence would indicate fecal contamination. Some are known to be toxic and their concentrations must be below acceptable value, taking into account that drinking water is but one of the several pathways by which substances enters the body. ix Due to perceived concerns of over extraction and rapid water resources depletion, optimal management of groundwater resources are now receiving much attention. Their associated literatures have taken quite different approaches both philosophically and operationally to the analysis of how groundwater should be managed, allocated and cared for spatially and temporally. This study investigated the spatial and temporal fluctuations of concentrations of chemical and biological substances in groundwater such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, iron, fluoride, manganese, chloride, sulfates, sodium and fecal coliform in Mchinji District of Central Malawi. Through examination and analysis of static water levels as an indicator of water table fluctuations, groundwater availability was also measured. It was found that anthropogenic activities on the landscape can impact the quality and quantity of the water resources in this area and this impact on the various sectors of the inhabitant‟s livelihoods. Groundwater in Mchinji is composed of a number of chemical and biological elements whose origin is either from the material in which it percolates through, or stored before exploitation. Anthropogenic activities in this area plays a role in the quality and quantity of groundwater through land use and land cover change as evidenced by comparisons of Landsat Thematic x Mapper™ satellite images over different time scales. In Mchinji no regular groundwater monitoring is being done indicating a deficiency in sustainability interventions of the resource. This study calls for integrated and sustainable water resources management and coordinated efforts amongst water users, local councils, regulatory authorities and environmental policy makers. Of far greater importance in groundwater sustainability analysis is the issue of groundwater monitoring. It is imperative therefore to preserve the resource while preservation is still possible. Groundwater is now turning into „blue gold‟ and becoming a highly sought-after commodity. It should, however, be utilized sustainably to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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Johnson, Jessica Amanda. "Chilungamo? : in search of gender justice in matrilineal Malawi." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.608279.
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Munthali, Simon Muchina. "Ecological interaction between the introduced and native rock-dwelling cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi National Park, Malawi." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005110.
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More than twenty years ago, over twenty species of the rock-dwelling cichlid species (Mbuna) were translocated from the northern Lake Malawi, where they are endemic, to Thumbi West Island, Lake Malawi National Park, in the southern part of Lake Malawi. Among these species, Cynotilapia afra, Pseudotropheus callainos and Pseudotropheus tropheops 'red cheek' are strongly territorial, and have increased substantially in number and are widely distributed, particularly in the three to seven metre depth band of the rocky habitats at the Island of Thumbi West. It is feared that the increase in population density of translocated species (hereafter referred to as introduced species) may be at the expense of ecologically equivalent native species which could be eliminated. In this thesis the following key hypotheses have been tested: (i) that the introduced species having originated from a region of Lake Malawi which is generally poor in nutrients and introduced in an area which is richer in nutrients, would cope better than the native species during periods of nutrient scarcity which occur frequently, often seasonally in oligotrophic lakes, such as Lake Malawi; (ii) that the introduced species are fitter than their ecologically equivalent native species in the acquisition of territorial space in which they breed, feed and seek shelter, and (iii) that introduced and native species coexist by utilizing different microhabitats. Results show that: 1. the introduced species, P. callainos and P. tropheops 'red cheek' may have responded positively to enhanced nutrient availability, as they were found to have better condition factors and fecundity indices at Thumbi West Island than at sites of their origin, in the northern lake Malawi. Cynotilapia afra, P. callainos and P. tropheops 'red cheek' also maximise their life-span fecundity by starting to reproduce at relatively smaller size than the native species with which they overlap in microhabitat requirements. Similarly, their breeding peaks precede the breeding peaks of the native species with which they overlap in microhabitat requirements. Consequently, due to priority residence effects, the offspring of introduced species may have a competitive edge in the use of essential resources, e.g., refuge over the offspring of the native species whose peak-recruitment occurs later in the year. 2. There is an overlap between the introduced and native species in their microhabitat requirements. Consequently, interference competition between them for territorial sites occurs. The choice of optimal territory sites is constrained by the fact that females preferentially mate with males that defend significantly smaller holes, or crevices among the rocks, probably as a means of minimizing egg predation during spawning. 3. The population of territorial males of introduced species seems to grow exponentially, depending on the availability of suitable microhabitats, and an equilibrium between them and males of the native species may be reached. Competition for optimal territory sites seems to intensify, once the carrying capacity in a particular area has been reached, and it is at this stage that some territorial males of the introduced and native species with similar microhabitat requirements, e.g., C. afra and P. zebra, or P. tropheops 'red cheek' and its sibling native species, P. tropheops 'orange chest' displace each other. However, it seems unlikely that any of the native species which were compared with the introduced species would be driven to extinction because: (a) there is a considerable interspecific territory turn-over between the introduced and native species that overlap in microhabitat requirements. (b) Even in situations where some of the native species occur in microhabitats that are not of their preference, they occupy patches of suitable sites and are capable of breeding. (c) It has been suggested that since introduced and native species breed throughout the year and are polygamous and have intraspecifically shared paternity, they are capable of fertilizing many gravid females of their own species. Therefore, the population of native species may not be detrimentally limited by the presence of introduced species. (d) The introduced and native Mbuna species that prefer small rocks coexist in the same microhabitats, partly by feeding at different sites with different intensity and they also feed at different heights in the water column. 4. The following studies have been recommended before any management intervention, such as culling is adopted: (i). interaction between the introduced and native species in the shallow and deep rocky habitats; (ii) space utilization and survivorship of juveniles of the introduced and native species; (iii) laboratory studies to confirm the role of different nutrient regimes on the fecundity of Mbuna; (iv) the possibility of hybridization between the introduced and native species; (v) monitoring of population growth and distribution of the introduced species around Thumbi West Island should continue in order to detect their long-term effects on the native species.
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Manda, Levi Zeleza. "Gender discourse and Malawian rural communities: a study of the meaning the people of traditional authority Likoswe of Chiradzulo make from human rights and gender messages." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002910.
Full textAbstract:
Contrary to earlier beliefs and media theories such as the hypodermic needle or magic bullet, the audience of public communication is not a passive homogenous mass that easily succumbs to media influence. The audience is active, that is, it makes an effort to interpret media content. Depending on predisposing cultural, political, religious, or economic factors the audience makes different meanings from media texts. Media messages are not wholly controlled by producers, although the producers have their preferred and expected readings. Using qualitative research techniques associated with ethnographic and cultural studies (notably focus group discussions), this study sought to explore the meanings rural people in Malawi make out of human rights and gender messages broadcast on radio and through music. Interpreted against Stuart Hall's (1974b) Encoding and Decoding model, the study concludes that while rural communities understand and appreciate the new sociopolitical discourse, they take a negotiated stance because they have their own doubts and fears. They fear losing their cultural identity. Additionally, men, in particular, negotiate the messages because they fear losing their social power over land, property and family.
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Chikafa, Kondwani Watson. "The efficacy of agricultural subsidies as social protection measures in rural Malawi." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021173.
Full textAbstract:
Social protection measures are poverty reduction interventions implemented to assist in reducing poverty shocks of communities. This study considered the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) that has been implemented in Malawi with the aim of reducing poverty amongst subsistence farmers by providing them with subsidized farm inputs. The study was conducted in the rural area of Lilongwe District, under Traditional Authority Kabudula. The study mainly focussed on the outcomes of implementing the FISP and it entails whether or not the poverty reduction intervention is really achieving its goals. Thus, the study greatly evaluates the effectiveness of subsidizing farm inputs in reducing poverty amongst households in rural communities characterised by subsistence farming. This study was mainly qualitative in nature and data was collected through interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Some quantitative data for specific trends of national indicators was collected through document. Mainly, content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data and descriptive statistical analysis with the aid of Microsoft Excel was engaged to analyse the quantitative data. The study found that that FISP assist in household food security only in the short term. Among the reasons cited, the package size received by households has become smaller with sharing tendencies that have been devised to help households that do not receive the inputs or qualify to receive them. This practice is compromising the agricultural productivity in terms of quantities as it lasts only in the short-term before the next harvest. When households’ food reserves are depleted, households become food insecure and poverty sets in again. The study thus reveals that FISP implementation is not operating as a sustainable programme as its intended goal is not being achieved in the long-term. The study also found that coupled with the fact that there is no clear policy guidelines on graduation and that there is continued benefitting of the same beneficiaries, FISP is nowhere close to its phasing-out stage in social protection perspective.
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Chibwana, Atanazio Gabriel. "An assessment of the implementation of the national decentralisation policy in Zomba District Council in Malawi: (2009-2010)." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/542.
Full textAbstract:
This study was aimed at assessing the implementation status of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council in Malawi given the current situation where the council is operating without ward councilors. It also undertook an exploration of factors affecting the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council and made recommendations which can positively contribute to the effective implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council. Using both qualitative and quantitative research design, data for the study was collected using interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. The study found that the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council during the period under study was unsatisfactory. The major challenges to the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy in Zomba District Council were largely linked to the absence of councilors in the current council setup, violation of legal instruments governing the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy by the incumbent leadership, lack of political will among the ruling elite to see full implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy, poor performance of structures operating in place of ward and council committees and inadequate finances at the disposal of Zomba District Council. The study concluded that Zomba District Council needed ward councilors to fully implement the National Decentralisation Policy. However the study also observed that it would be impossible to attain the objectives of the decentralization policy if there was no political will on the part of the incumbent leadership to see the National Decentralisation Policy implemented in full at Zomba District Council.
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Mwendera, Chikondi. "Development of a framework to facilitate malaria research utilisation for policy development in Malawi." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/64038.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Malaria has remained a major public health burden in Malawi despite recent global progress in its control. Children under the age of five and pregnant women are among the groups most affected by the disease. Malaria research has been identified to provide vital evidence that contributes to addressing this burden through the development of evidence-based policies. One of the challenges however, is the lack of a systematic mechanism through which malaria research can be fully utilised for policy development. Unless research is commissioned by the government, individual researchers often do not know the pathway through which they can engage with policymakers. While some institutions or elements that promote health research in policy development exist, they remain fragmented and overwhelmed by the totality of health research in the country. This study aimed at developing a framework for promoting the utilisation of malaria research for policy development in Malawi. The framework seeks to encourage the engagement of researchers and policymakers, and to increase visibility and coordination of the existing elements presently promoting research utilisation for policy development.
Methods: The study utilised both quantitative and qualitative methods depending on the study objectives. Several specific approaches were employed towards the development of the framework. The first step described the type and amount of malaria research conducted in Malawi, and its related sources of funding from 1984 to 2016. Its approach included an online systematic literature review in the Medline/PubMed database for Malawian publications, and the extraction of approved malaria studies from two Ethical Committees. The second approach assessed the research contribution to malaria policy development and the understanding of policy formulation process in Malawi. This step was done through case studies that adopted systematic literature search, in-depth interviews with key informants and relevant stakeholders, and record review. The third step examined the facilitating factors and barriers to utilisation of malaria research in the policy development process and involved in-depth interview with key informants, and review of records. In addition, the assessment of challenges to the implementation of malaria policies in Malawi was conducted through in-depth interviews with key informants and key stakeholders.
The development of the framework was then guided by the lessons from the case studies and findings from the assessment of facilitating factors and barriers while being informed by literature of existing research-to-policy frameworks. In addition, a rigorous iterative approach with stakeholders was conducted for validation and applicability of the framework.
Findings: The research revealed that clinical and basic research in the fields of malaria in pregnancy, severe malaria, and vector and/or agent dynamics dominated the publications while morbidity studies, severe malaria, and health policy and systems research dominated the approved studies. The results show that malaria research output increased steadily from 1996 to 2016 and this was attributed to the establishment of the College of Medicine and its research affiliates. However, the major malaria research funding came from external sources. The case studies showed that primary research was instrumental in changing the malaria treatment policies and in some cases Malawi was the first country to adopt these changes. Policy development process was found to follow the established process that involves agenda setting, policy formulation, and policy implementation. Many factors were identified as facilitating the utilisation of malaria research in policy development and these included the government commitment through the ministry of health, by reviving the policy development unit and the establishment of the office for the director of research, the knowledge translation unit, and academic and non-academic research institutions. Specific tools that support these institutions are the national health research agenda, guidelines for policy development and analysis, and guidelines for evidence use in policy-making. Barriers to the utilisation of malaria research included, the lack of knowledge by researchers to involve, collaborate and communicate their research findings to policy makers. Other barriers included lack of platforms for researcher-public engagement, politics, funder driven research, unknown World Health Organization policy position, and the lack of a malaria research repository. Challenges to the implementation of malaria policies included inadequate resources, unavailability of trained staff, poor supervision and mentorship, politics, parallel implementation of policies, lack of a platform for engagement with communities, top-down approach in policy development, lack of understanding of socio-cultural factors affecting policy uptake by communities, and incomplete stakeholder analysis during policy development. Lessons from the case studies and the assessment of facilitating factors and barriers contributed to the development of a contextual knowledge-to-policy framework which proposes an integrated approach to knowledge translation between malaria researchers and the government, through the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), which is considered as the main user of research knowledge.
Conclusion: Malaria research provides the relevant evidence for policy decision-making to address the malaria burden in Malawi. The developed framework offers a basis for the identified factors and their linkages to promote a coordinated approach to malaria research utilisation in policy making. Its applicability and success would, however, hinge on its wider dissemination and ownership by the government through the NMCP. It is important for the government to support health policy and systems research that seeks to explore bottlenecks in the delivery of health services within the health system. This evidence should provide solutions to challenges of policy implementation.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC) and MRC Collaborating Centre for malaria research
School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH)
PhD
Unrestricted
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Chanza, Alfred Witness Dzanja. "An assessment of the motivational value of rewards among health professionals in Malawi's Ministry of Health." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020330.
Full textAbstract:
The assessment of the motivational value of rewards in the world of work is interesting but difficult to understand. Variations in research reports and inadequate comprehension of the efficiency and motivational value of rewards have brought about confusions, controversies and contradictions among authors, researchers, consultants and practitioners in the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology (Mangham, 2007; Muula, 2006; Muula & Maseko, 2005; Palmer, 2006; World Bank, 2004). As a consequence, organisations are applying theories and models of motivation selectively depending on their beliefs, ideological framework of values and assumptions (Dzimbiri, 2009). The study was therefore carried out as a positive contribution to the existing knowledge and debate on the motivational value of rewards for health professionals in the public health sectors of the developing countries. Through a systematic sampling method, 571 health professionals were sampled for the study. Data were collected through the use of a self-administered questionnaire which was composed based on the data collected from desk research/literature review, focus group discussions and interviews. The findings of the study revealed that the Malawi‟s Ministry of Health (MoH) is failing to attract, motivate and retain health professionals; there is perception of inequity of the rewards among the health professionals; health professionals develop coping strategies to supplement their monthly financial rewards; health professionals engage in corrupt practices to supplement their monthly financial rewards; and there is erosion of industrial democracy in the Malawi‟s Public Health Sector. While the statistical testing of the hypothesized model proved a lack of fit between the variables, the statistical testing of the re-specified model suggests that there is a positive relationship between financial rewards and reward-related problems being faced by health professionals in the Malawi‟s MoH. Through the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) exercise, an inverse (negative) relationship between financial and non-financial rewards was deduced, and scientifically and graphically demonstrated. Both the re-specified and graphical models symbolize a pragmatic departure from the theoretical model whose authors (Franco, Bennett, Kanfer & Stubblebine, 2004) are largely inclined to the use of non-financial rewards and suggest that financial rewards should be used with caution. These findings also reject the Herzberg‟s two factor theory (Herzberg, 1960) which claims that financial rewards (salaries) are not a motivator. The major recommendations of the study are that the Franco et al.‟s (2004) model should be adopted and adapted in the Malawi‟s MoH with the view that the value of both financial and non-financial rewards (as motivators) varies from individual to individual due to individual differences and prevailing factors/forces in both the work environment and wider society in which the MoH operates; a hybrid reward system combining the strengths of time-based, performance-based and competence-based reward systems should be developed and implemented; the results of scientifically testing the re-specified model and the inverse (causal) relationship established between financial and non-financial rewards (as demonstrated in a graphic model) should be re-tested with other samples in the public health sectors of the developing countries; and the motivational value of non-financial rewards should be scientifically established and compared with the motivational value of financial rewards used independent of each other in business organisations to make an objective conclusion on the rewards-motivation debate.
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Chilipunde, Rodrick Lengama. "Constraints and challenges faced by small, medium and micro enterprise contractors in Malawi." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1220.
Full textAbstract:
Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are an important sector of any construction economy. The need for efficient SMMEs is well documented and cannot be over-emphasised. SMMEs are vital in their contribution to employment creation and value reorientation. However, their in process operations are not well understood and have rarely been addressed. The aim of this research was therefore to establish a base level of understanding of the operational core-face of SMMEs in Malawi. The methodology used included an extensive literature review and field survey conducted on 52 SMMEs. The field survey used the questionnaire instrument and random sampling. The critical findings from the literature were that there are binding constraints in the operations of SMMEs. The field survey confirmed the issues raised in the literature and posited the operational challenges as lack of finance, training and business skills; limited skills in Construction Information Technology (IT), and prevalence of unethical conduct amongst some of the stakeholders. The findings make an invaluable contribution to the search for solutions to the problems faced by construction SMMEs in Malawi and provide insight for further research in institutional weaknesses and policy issues regarding in this part of the world. The implications of the findings are that unless the limitations named above are resolved, SMMEs in Malawi will continue to experience poor growth and competitiveness. The recommendations include the developing of training programmes in business management, introduction of sector specific financing programmes and the provision of an appropriate regulatory and legislative framework. By establishing the core issues affecting the operations of SMMEs in the Malawian construction industry, the research has contributed to the enhancement of the understanding of this elusive subject.
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Mabomba, Annie Chisomo. "Examining Malawi's administrative reform and its impact on service delivery." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1001249.
Full textAbstract:
The advent of multi-party democracy in 1994 spearheaded different reforms in the Malawi public sector. One prominent reform is administrative reform. The new government that was ushered into power instituted a policy on civil service reform and institutional development. The reforms that were introduced aimed at improving performance and enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of services. Accordingly, a Public Service Act was promulgated that constituted the clarification of the role of the civil service; equal access to public employment; merit based recruitment and promotion; and increased accountability and transparency in the policies and practices of the public service. This study therefore seeks to examine administrative reforms in Malawi and assess their impact on service delivery. The research further endeavours to explore factors which block the successful implementation of reform programmes, and seeks to come up with areas of improvement which would ensure successful implementation of reform programmes in future. The scope of this research is limited to the current civil service reform programmes and is mainly based on primary and secondary sources of information. The study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. However, findings reveal that reforms had a negative impact on service delivery since no significant change in the delivery of services was registered. The Malawi civil service continues to suffer from unprofessionalism, inefficiency, corruption and a host of other problems. The study shows the gap between rhetoric and reality of civil service reform programmes in Malawi.
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Phiri, Mthakati Alexander Rabson. "L'inflation et la dévaluation au Malawi : exemple de la filière du tabac." Montpellier 1, 1990. http://www.theses.fr/1990MON10026.
Full textAbstract:
La crise economique actuelle au malawi, comme c'est le cas dans la plupart des pays de l'afrique subsaharienne, a ses racines dans les annees 70. Les deux chocs petroliers (1973 et 1979), la baisse de la demande mondiale des produits primaires et de leurs prix, la hausse des taux d'interet surtout sur les euro-dollars sont les facteurs principaux qui ont provoque un ralentissement de la croissance economique dans ces pays. Les programmes d'ajustement structurel, dont la devaluation figure comme une politique maitresse de ceux-ci est tres controversee. La reussite d'une devaluation ne depend non seulement de la structure de production et de consommation du pays, mais aussi de ce qu'il achete et vend a l'etranger. Donc, pour les pays comme le malawi caracterise par un marche national tres petit, exportant des produits agricoles dont les elasticites de la demande et de l'offre sont tres faibles du moins a court terme, cette politique nous semble mal placee. Son resultat principal est l'aggravation de l'inflation interne, erodant ainsi le pouvoir d'achat d'agriculteurs, et de citadins surtout pour la categorie du bas revenu. La question que l'on peut se poser est de savoir si oui ou non d'autres politiques ne seraient pas mieux adaptees aux problemes actuels du malawiThe current economic crisis in malawi, as is the case in most subsaharan african countries originated in the 1970s. The two petrol chocs (1973 and 1979), the fall in world demand for primary products and their prices, the rise in interest rates mainly those of eurodollars are the major factors that have contributed to the slow down in economic growth in these countries. Devaluation, which is the central policy of structural adjustment programmes, geared towards the regeneration of economic growth is a very controversial issue. The success of a devaluation does not depend only on the national demand and production structures, but also on the type of products the country imports and exports. Therefore, for countries like malawi with a very small national market, exporting agricultural products, whose demand and supply elasticities are very small, mainly in the short run, this policy can be considered inappropriate. Its main result is the worsening of the general price level in the country, thus eroding even further the purchasing power of the producers (mainly farmers) and the consumers mainly that of the low income category. The question one would ask is to know
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Mpasa, Ferestas. "Management of endotracheal tube cuff pressure in mechanically ventilated adult patients in intensive care units in Malawi." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/19673.
Full textAbstract:
Patients who are critically ill get often admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). The majority of these patients require support with their breathing and are thus connected to a mechanical ventilator. One aspect to consider in the mechanically ventilated patient is endotracheal tube cuff pressure (ETT) management. The management of ETT cuff pressure entails that nurses working in ICUs have the responsibility of ensuring that ETT cuff pressure is kept within normal range of 20-30 cmH20 for the safety of the patients in order to avoid complication of over and under inflation. Poor management of ETT cuff pressure places the mechanically ventilated patients under risk of tracheal injury. Tracheal injury may also be caused by over or under inflation of the ETT cuff. Over inflation of the ETT cuff can lead to the occlusion of capillaries lining the trachea at the cuff site, tracheal stenosis, and can also lead to the death of mucus membranes around the area, just to mention a few. On the other hand, under inflation of the ETT cuff, can lead to air leaks as well as aspiration of gastric contents into the tracheal tree. Therefore, in order to maintain ETT cuff pressure within normal ranges, evidence-based guidelines related to the management of ETT cuff pressure should be used. However, in Malawi the management of endotracheal tube cuff pressure in mechanically ventilated adult patients by nurses in ICUs is not well explored and it is not clear whether this practice is based on evidence-based guidelines. Furthermore, strategies on how to implement evidence-based guidelines in the ICU might not be known and poorly defined because of the complexity of the context. The study is therefore aimed at implementing and evaluating the effect of an evidence-based guideline on the management of ETT cuff pressure in mechanically ventilated adult patients by nurses in ICUs in Malawi using active (printed educational materials and monitoring visits) and passive (printed educational materials only) implementation strategies. The research study used a quantitative approach with multi-designs. Four phases were used in order to achieve the four objectives that were set. Phase one was the pre-test and used a survey design, two was the expert panel review of the evidence-based guideline, three was the implementation of the reviewed evidence-based guideline using a randomised controlled trial design and phase four was the post-test which used a survey design. The RCT included 25 participants from the control and 27 from the intervention group. Each group had three ICUs of which one in each group was from a private hospital and the other were government. Data collection in phases one and four was by a hand delivered pre-and post-questionnaire. In phase two the expert panel members with experience in critical care used the AGREE II Instrument to review the evidence-based guideline that was implemented. In order to gather data during the monitoring visits, the researcher recorded field notes. The applications that were developed by the University statistician consultant using visual basic applications in excel were used to analyse data. Two different implementation strategies were used to implement the evidence-based guideline. The control group used passive implementation strategy which was printed educational materials thus the evidence-based guideline and algorithm. The intervention group used both active and passive implementation strategies which was the printed educational materials thus the evidence-based guideline and algorithm plus monitoring visits by the researcher. In order to establish the effect of the implemented evidence-based guideline on the nursing care practice for the management of endotracheal tube cuff pressure an evaluative posttest survey was conducted in phase four of the research study. The results revealed that the majority of participants had gaps in both groups regarding nursing care practice for the management of endotracheal tube cuff pressure for the mechanically ventilated adult patients in the pretest but improved in the posttest. In the control group 52% had very low knowledge score, 16% had low score, 28% average, and 4% high score while in the category of very high score there was nobody. However, in the posttest those in the very low score were only 44% while the percentage in the low score remained 16%. There was an improvement in the average scores in the posttest such that only 44% were in this category. There was no one in the high and very high score in the pretest. On the other hand, in the intervention group, 78% had a very low score, 9% low score, and 13% were in the category of average score, while in the high and very high score category there was zero percent in the pretest. However, there was also an improvement in the posttest such that only 44% a very low knowledge score. But 19% had a low score, there were 37% in the average category and no one was in the high and very high score. Statistical analysis revealed that the results were not significantly different between and within groups. Improvements were observed in the two groups regarding the scientific knowledge scores for the nursing care practices in the posttest. Upon qualitative analysis of the data from the open-ended question, two main themes emerged thus the need for documentation of endotracheal tube cuff and the process of implementation the evidence-based guidelines. Sub themes such as lack of documentation; no part of routine care and monitoring not done at all were identified under the main theme of the need for documentation of ETT cuff pressure. The Guideline itself need to be clear; implementation strategies; follow up; incentives; supervision; incentives; time factor; resources or equipment required for successful implementation; nurses buy-in critical for the implementation; training detrimental to EBP implementation; nurses attitude crucial to implementation of EBGs and knowledge of nurses for guideline essential for the implementation were the sub themes identified under the main theme of the process of implementing the evidence-based guideline. All appropriate ethical considerations such as principles of autonomy and self-determination, confidentiality and anonymity, voluntary participation, right to receive treatment, informed consent, were adhered to throughout the research study. The research study was unique in nature because it was the first of its kind in Malawi and it contributed to the awareness of the recommended practice for management of endotracheal tube cuff pressure in the ICUs in the country by implementing an evidence-based guideline. The unique contribution of the study is that it is a challenge to implement evidence-based guideline in poor and resource constraint countries like Malawi.
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Kadangwe, Samual Ronald. "The relationship bewtween the value chain and project success in the Malawian construction industry." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020053.
Full textAbstract:
The construction industry in Malawi plays a vital role in developing the infrastructure of the country that is in need of improvement. Thus, in order to improve the quality of infrastructure in Malawi, the construction industry has to perform better than the status quo. The construction industry is characterised by a complex value chain that comprises of clients, consultants, contractors, and material manufacturers, suppliers, financing institutions, knowledge organisations and regulatory authority. This research looks at the relationship between construction value and project success in the Malawian construction industry. A qualitative research method was used for compiling the primary data for the study. Twenty-nine (29) participants were interviewed. These participants represented clients, consultants, contractors and material suppliers. The findings reveal that value creation in Malawi is characterised by lack of harmonised standards and specifications, inconsistent project management practices, existence of non-value adding activities, corrupt practices, lack of a skilled labour force, and lack of commitment to best practices in H&S as well as environmental management. Further, logistical problems affect the supply of construction materials to the country; while an unfavourable economic environment makes pricing of materials a challenge in the country too. Poor communication and limited use of information technology (IT) is very common in the industry and project implementation is also affected by a poor road network, an intermittent power supply, and a lack of cooperation from other service providers. In terms of supply chain structures in use, the research revealed that the traditional procurement method that is based on the lowest bidder / price is the most dominant method in use and very few members of the construction industry are conversant with other procurement methods. The method is also the preferred procurement method used by public sector clients. The performance of the traditional procurement method largely depends on the competence of the project design and supervision team, the adequacy of the documentation, and the capacity of the contractor. However, in most cases the system has failed to perform due to the poor contract management skills of the supervising consultant and the lack of timely guidance from the public sector clients. The findings also revealed that most of the suppliers or subcontractors are engaged on project based relationships, and members of the industry are unwilling to engage in long terms relationships due to mistrust and greed among members of the industry, and also largely due to lack of proper frameworks that can support such relationships. It is therefore recommended that other procurement methods should be explored and the engagement of the lowest price bidders should be discontinued on small and medium scale projects. The criteria for upgrading contractors to higher categories should equally be revisited to eliminate incompetent contractors. The NCIC should take a leading role in harmonising the various standards and specifications in use in the country. Promotion of the usage IT services should be encouraged to facilitate faster information dissemination. Usage of risk management in construction and evaluation and monitoring of projects should be encouraged and benchmark best practices. Finally, the members of the industry should take up the responsibility to take leading entities in the industry to task, if fundamental changes are to take place in the industry.
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Kankuwe, Hector Master. "Comparison of the prevalence of HIV infection in circumcised and uncircumcised men from Salima District in Malawi." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/462.
Full textAbstract:
The overall objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between male circumcision status and HIV infection in men from Salima district in Malawi. A cross-sectional survey-based study of men aged 15 years or more was conducted at three sites in Salima district, each of which targeted 90 participants, half of whom were circumcised and the other half uncircumcised. These participants had already decided on their own to visit HIV Testing and Counseling centres at these sites to know their HIV serostatus. Consenting men were drawn into the study using quota sampling, interviewed through a structured questionnaire in local language and tested for HIV during January and March 2011. Measures of association were performed using analysis of contingency tables and Pearson’s chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact tests for comparison of proportions in STATA version 11.0 and PASW Statistics 18.0 software. Unadjusted odds ratios were used to approximate the direction and strength of association. Further, a multivariable logistic regression model was fit to determine which other variables were significantly associated with HIV infection. The study was approved by University of Fort Hare Interim Research Ethics Committee and National Health Sciences Research Committee in Malawi. The overall prevalence of HIV infection was 11.5 percent. However, it was less than half in circumcised males (7.4 percent) compared with uncircumcised counterparts (15.6 vi percent). While Fisher’s exact test revealed a borderline statistically significant association between male circumcision status and HIV infection (p 0.055), Pearson’s chi-square test showed a stronger significant association between the two variables ( p 0.036). The strength of the association was manifested by the odds of HIV infection being roughly 0.43 times lower for circumcised males than their uncircumcised counterparts with a 95 percent confidence interval of (0.20 0.96). Although the association was maintained after controlling for some variables, it lost statistical significance when adjusted for other variables. A multivariable logistic regression revealed that three other variables had significant associations with HIV infection and these were: falling in the age group of 25 years or more (OR 4.69; p 0.020), having had sex with an HIV positive partner (OR 12.15; p 0.000) and having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (OR 3.25; p 0.032). Male circumcision status is significantly related to HIV infection. Although the study involved a small sample size and undertaken in one district in Malawi, the finding is consistent with existing clinic-based findings in literature that indicate a lower risk of HIV infection in circumcised males than in uncircumcised males. Consequently, male circumcision could be considered if it can prove to be a public health intervention in the Malawi context aimed at reducing the risk of uncircumcised males becoming infected by HIV.
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Mbisa, Derby Morton John. "Politique de développement et structures d'intervention : le cas de l'A.D.M.A.R.C. [ Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation ] au Malawi." Montpellier 1, 1985. http://www.theses.fr/1985MON10018.
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Mulonya, Rodrick K. A. R. "The political economy of development aid: an investigation of three donor-funded HIV/AIDS programmes broadcast by Malawi television from 2004 to 2007." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002926.
Full textAbstract:
Development aid in most of the developing countries can sometimes compromise the principles of public service broadcasting (PSB). This may be true when reflected against the tension between donor financed programmes in Malawi and the mandate of Television Malawi (TVM). Although the donor intentions are noble, the strings attached to the funding are sometimes retrogressive to the role of PSBs. A case in point is how donors dictate terms on the HIV/Aids communication strategies at TVM. Producers receive money from donors with strings attached on how the money should be used and accounted for. If producers deviate they are sanctioned through withholding funding, shifting schedules and reducing the funding frequency. The donors also dictate who to interview on what subject, how to conduct capacity building. Some scholars have researched much on the impact of commercialisation of the media. This study is a departure from these traditional interferences; it interrogates the interest of philanthropy tendencies by international donors in the three chosen HIV/Aids programmes broadcast by TVM. The study investigates the extent of pressure exerted by donors on the producers of HIV/Aids programmes in Malawi. Thus, the study seeks to illicit specifics in the power relationship between the donor and the producer hence the study employs the political economy of development aid as applied to the public service broadcasting and communication for development. The study employed qualitative research methods and techniques (in-depth interviews, case study and document analysis). The study reveals how donor ideologies dominate the Aids messages-content output of the texts constructed. The study argues that cultural alienation of the Malawian audiences retards efforts of donors in combating HIV infection rate.