Administration Government of Malawi President Malawi
Description of Work:

Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika was born February 24th, 1934. Mutharika was born in a Kamoto village in Thyolo Southern Malawi. Mutharika was the son of a primary school Headmaster.

 

Mutharika was born with the name Brightson Webster Thom; however, he changed his name to Mutharika and adopted the first name Bingu during the 1960s when pan-Africanism was sweeping across the continent.

 

Mutharika officially became the President of the Republic of Malawi on May 24, 2004.

 

Mutharika holds a PhD in Development Economics from the Pacific Western University, Los Angeles, USA. Mutharika has also earned a Master’s degree in Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Delhi, India.

 

Mutharika worked from 1990 until 1997 as Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) which is formerly known as Preferential Trade Area (PTA). As an authority on building regional infrastructure, Dr. Mutharika pioneered the establishment of several regional economic organizations such as the Association of African Central Banks (AACB), Conference of African Ministers of Finance, African Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (AFCCI), and Eastern and Southern Africa Business Organization (ESABO).

 

After serving in the Malawi civil service and also for a period of time in the government of Zambia, Dr. Mutharika joined the United Nations in 1978. One reason that inspired Mutharika to join the UN was his opposition to the regime of Malawi's self-declared "President for Life" Hastings Kamuzu Banda. After Banda was forced to liberalize his regime, Mutharika alleges he was one of the founders of the United Democratic Front, the party that won Malawi's first multiparty elections in 1994.

 

After working for the United Nations - where he rose to the position of Director for Trade and Development Finance and was responsible for 53 African countries - Mutharika became the Secretary General of COMESA.

 

Dr. Mutharika’s political involvement dates back to the early days of Malawi’s Independence. Dr. Mutharika was amongst those who opposed the authoritarian rule of Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda. Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda was Malawi’s first Head of State. Dr. Mutharika also opposed the introduction of the Banda administration of racial discrimination and salary differentiation based on the race in the civil service.

 

Mutharika’s opposition to such political movements eventually forced him to flee the country for Zambia. Mutharika was a supporter of the UDF leader, President Bakili Muluzi, but he soon became a critic of Muluzi's economic policies and left the UDF. He formed the United Party (UP) in 1997 and unsuccessfully ran against Muluzi in the 1999 presidential elections, taking less than 1% of the vote.

 

Mutharika dissolved the UP and rejoined the UDF after being offered the deputy governorship at Reserve Bank of Malawi. He was appointed Minister of Economic Planning and Development in 2002, and was then nominated by Muluzi as his successor.

 

Mutharika won about 36% of the vote in the presidential election on May 24, 2004. Mutharika earned more votes than John Tembo and Gwanda Chakuamba and took office a few days later. Very soon after taking office, Mutharika came into conflict with Muluzi, head of the UDF, over Mutharika's campaign against corruption. Mutharika is criticized for this ongoing dispute with Muluzi and it is believed that this dispute is causing an interference with governance.

 

On February 5, 2005, Mutharika announced his resignation from the UDF, saying that he had no support in the party because of his stand against corruption. There had previously been talk of expelling Mutharika from the party, and there had also been an alleged assassination plot against him by party members in early January 2005. Those accused were later pardoned by Mutharika, but he maintained the existence of the plot. Mutharika subsequently formed his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

 

In April 2005, Muluzi apologized to the country for choosing Mutharika as his successor "and imposing him on the country". Gwanda Chakuamba, who had been made minister of agriculture, was dismissed from the cabinet and subsequently arrested in September 2005 for making a speech predicting that Mutharika would be out of office by Christmas.

 

In 2006, the vice-president, Cassim Chilumpha, was arrested; he was accused of plotting Mutharika's assassination. It was reported in March 2005 that Mutharika was not sleeping in the state mansion because of suspicions that there were evil spirits in the mansion. A presidential aide was quoted as saying that Christian clergy had been asked to exorcise the spirits. This was subsequently denied, and journalists responsible for the story, including a BBC reporter, were arrested. Mutharika said that "I have not met any ghosts yet, I have never in my life been afraid of them".

 

Mutharika has upheld the memory of Hastings Banda as a national hero; in May 2006, he was present at the unveiling of a mausoleum for Banda that cost US$620,000. In October 2006, Mutharika stated his intention to seek re-election in 2009 as the DPP candidate.

 

Mutharika's wife, Ethel, with whom he had four children, died in May of 2007 after a long battle with cancer which led her to seek treatment in France and South Africa. Mutharika’s brother Peter Mutharika, holds a doctorate from Yale and is a prominent law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Dr. Mutharika has four children. He is a devout Catholic. Dr. Mutharika’s hobbies include playing golf, swimming, photography, writing books, fishing and listening to soft music.

Other Accomplishments:

Mutharika received the following awards:

•  The United Nations Special Millennium development Goal Award (2010) for success towards eliminating hunger by enhancing food security ahead of the 2015 MDG deadline (Goal 1 – ending poverty and hunger)
•  COMESA Distinguished Award (2010) for exceptional leadership and distinguished service to COMESA and the integration of Africa as Secretary General of COMESA form 1991 to 1997. The Authority specifically commended Mutharika for his contribution to the realization of the Abuja Treaty objectives towards African integration.
•  Southern Africa Trust Drivers of Change Award (2009) for changing Malawi from a country in perpetual food deficit to one that is entirely food-sufficient. “The boom in this sector has had a direct impact on millions of poor people. Under his leadership, poverty has declined from 58 to 42 percent in five years. Through his direct involvement in turning Malawi's future around, he is building new confidence and hope amongst the citizens of Africa in their governments.”
• 2009 Medal of Glory Awards – “President Mutharika was chosen for the award because of his bold reforms that have resulted in the Malawi green revolution, and Malawi's increase in its economic growth rate from less that 1 percent in 2003, before he took office to more than 9.7 percent in 2008, at the end of his first term office”
• The Most Excellent Grand Commander (MEGC) – Top most award of Malawi order of National Achievement conferred by the Malawi Civilian Honours and Decorations, 6 July 2009[citation needed]
•  Inaugural Food Agriculture and Natural resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) Food Security Policy Leadership Award (2008), “for his agricultural policy interventions which have transformed Malawi form a food deficit nation to a net maize exporter”[citation needed]
•  FAO's Agricola Medal (2008) in honour of “his substantial contribution towards transforming the country's economy form a state of food deficit nation to a net exporter of maize”
•  Louise Blouin Foundation Award for Exceptional Creative Achievement (2008) for making a positive impact on a global scale
• Danish Government Award of recognition for outstanding performances in promoting gender equality and women empowerment (2008).
• Mutharika has received several honorary degrees including Professor of Economics by East China Normal University, in April 2010; Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) Degree Honoris Causa by the University of Delhi in October, 2010; Doctor of Law (PhD Degree (Honoris Causa), Mzuzu University, in 2008 and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree (Honoris Causa), University of Strathclyde, Scotland in 2005.[citation needed]
• He is the founder and chairman of the Bineth Trust – a nonprofit organization promoting education; Founder of the Silvergrey International; and founder and Chairman of the Bingu Silvergrey Foundation of the elderly and retired persons. He is also the founder of the Malawi University of Science and Technology, the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources; University of Cotton Research at Bangula; the University of Marine biology; the University of Mombera and the University of Nkhotakota.

Source: Wikipedia