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Malawi to feed poor with cash from selling president's jet
Source: Reuters
Malawi to feed poor with cash from selling president's jet
By Mabvuto Banda
LILONGWE | Thu Sep 5, 2013 8:01am EDT
(Reuters) - Malawi plans to use the $15 million it gained from selling its presidential jet to feed the more than 1 million people suffering chronic food shortages, the Treasury said on Thursday.
Malawi angered Western donors, whose aid typically accounted for about 40 percent of the budget, when the government of late President Bingu wan Mutharika bought the 14-passenger Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft in 2009.
President Joyce Banda, who took over after Mutharika died of a heart attack in April 2012, made selling the plane a priority as she sought to repair the damage left by the previous president, who picked costly fights with donors that left the economy a shambles.
"The $15 million we got from the sale of the presidential jet will be used to purchase maize locally to help feed the suffering masses and some of it will go towards legume production," Treasury spokesman Nations Msowoya said.
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By Mabvuto Banda
LILONGWE | Thu Sep 5, 2013 8:01am EDT
(Reuters) - Malawi plans to use the $15 million it gained from selling its presidential jet to feed the more than 1 million people suffering chronic food shortages, the Treasury said on Thursday.
Malawi angered Western donors, whose aid typically accounted for about 40 percent of the budget, when the government of late President Bingu wan Mutharika bought the 14-passenger Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft in 2009.
President Joyce Banda, who took over after Mutharika died of a heart attack in April 2012, made selling the plane a priority as she sought to repair the damage left by the previous president, who picked costly fights with donors that left the economy a shambles.
"The $15 million we got from the sale of the presidential jet will be used to purchase maize locally to help feed the suffering masses and some of it will go towards legume production," Treasury spokesman Nations Msowoya said.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/05/us-malawi-jet-idUSBRE9840GO20130905