The Southern Africa Famine Early Warning System (Fewsnet) has forecasted rainfall in Malawi to remain between average and above average for rest of the season, boosting hopes of improved crop harvests in the country.

About 25,000 jobs are said to be on the line following government's decision of centralised procurement of stationery and office supplies as part of expenditure control measures, putting off some companies that traded with the government.

British Airways as well as Qatar and Emirates airlines have expressed interest to start flying into Malawi, a move that could improve air transportation as well as reduce air ticket fares and boost tourism for the country.

Press Corporation Limited (PCL) board chairman Dean Lungu who has served the corporation since 2001, has resigned from his position and has since been replaced by Press Trust Chief Executive Officer Clement Chilingulo.

One of the country's renowned economic commentators has said Malawi is full of selfish leaders at all levels who are heavily into consolidating their personal positions than developing the country.

Escalating maize prices on the local market have led to a boom in maize flour business as consumers are finding already processed maize flour cheaper as compared to dry maize.

A tender for the supply and installation of irrigation and fuel storage equipment in Malawi, which requires that bidders should be of Indian origin only, has irked local entrepreneurs' groups which have described it as discriminatory.

The country's foreign reserves have improved by the beginning January when the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) recorded a total of US $443 million in both official and private sector-held reserves.

A psycho-social service firm, Global Psychosocial Consultancy, has pledged to boost education system in Malawi by intervening on social, psychological and academic challenges which the firm says hinder learning and lead to various indiscipline cases at school.

The issuing of minimum farm gate prices for 2012/13 agricultural season by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has surprised the Farmers Union of Malawi (FUM).

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde is confident that the ongoing reforms in Malawi will turn the economy around.

Nedbank Malawi has announced the retirement of its long-serving Managing Director Anderson Kulugomba effective December 31, 2012, a development that has resulted into several key changes in the bank's management structure.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, had to temporary turn herself into a civic educator to convince women entrepreneurs she visited at Chief Chitukula's area in Lilongwe on Sunday about the importance of economic reforms Malawi is implementing with advice from her fund.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, who was in the country over the weekend, granted the Times Group's Editor for Business Thom Khanje an exclusive interview Excerpts:

Reserve Bank of Malawi Governor, Charles Chuka, has said the current inflation rate at 33.3 percent could be much lower and suspects that there is a problem in the way the figures were computed by the National Statistical Office (NSO).

Motorists would no longer have to pay for vehicle licence fees at the Road Traffic Directorate as the government was by Thursday expected to start levying the fees through pump fuel prices.

Government is expected to earn over US$15 million in taxes and concession fees per year from the Vale Railway project contract.

The Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) has accused some leaf merchants in the country of delaying foreign exchange earnings and transfer pricing in the export of tobacco.

Malawi needs to trim the powers sitting Presidents have in as far as granting of licenses to prospective miners are concerned to avoid a resource curse, the Institute of Policy Interaction (IPI) has said.

The Malawi kwacha exchange rate to the United States dollar closed the year 2012 at an average price of K346, down from K167 on December 312, 2011, The Daily Times has established.