Report says 65 percent of population living in poverty

An official report released on Friday said at least 65.3 percent of Malawians still live below the poverty line, PANA reported on Monday. The report by the National Statistics Office (NSO), said poverty was more acute among women than men. Charles Machinjiri of the NSO said of the 65.3 percent of poor Malawians, 29 percent are so poor that they were barely surviving. “These live in very deplorable conditions,” he said, adding that government would have to spend at least US $325 million or about 19 percent of Malawi’s gross domestic product (GDP), to improve the lives of the poor. Launching the report at a ceremony in Lilongwe on Friday, vice-President Justin Malewezi said there was a need for political will to end poverty in Malawi. “We must facilitate opportunities for poor people to reduce their poverty,” he said.