Recent Fuel Shortages in Mzuzu are witness to the dire Forex shortage in Malawi. When we consistently consume more than we produce, ultimately the chickens come home to roost. Short term "bail out" loans can only do so much and they are... well, temporary measures. We need to solve the root cause problem sooner or later - increase exports and the can afford our imports. Alternatively sooner or later we will be forced to severely cut our imports, which will be a hard pill to swallow for sure. #fuelcrisis #forex #malawi

Another fuel crisis in Malawi. These are a part of daily life now. The price is secondary when there is no product. For those that have fuel, it is a bliss to drive on the uncongested roads, the others have to wait in line or buy from questionable sources. Productive life energy wasted sourcing fuel... #malawi #inflation #forex

It is fascinating how Africa is still a white space on the World Map. Or have we come full circle and are ahead now? We have another fuel crisis in Malawi. #malawi #africa

When you run out of fuel without chigubu 😛

This Daily Times clipping mandates a maximum price of K0.27 for a beer. Today the same beer costs about K4,000 in a hotel. Apparently even in this distant past, the government knew better and thought it wise to interfere with the economy, yet the price of a beer has increased by a factor of 14,815 since then. If anyone knows which year this may have been from, it would be interesting to calculate the average annual inflation for this period. 🍻 #malawi #inflation

Ethiopian Airlines has suspended ticketing in Malawi (again). The financial situation is progressively deteriorating in the country due to the unsustainable trade deficit. #malawi #forex #trade #iata

The staple food in Malawi is refined white maize. It's price increase is more moderate than that of imported goods, as it is locally produced and often at a subsistence (read labour intensive) level. More than half of Malawi's CPI is made up of food (most of which is likely maize). It is quite possible that the poorer half of the population spends this percentage on food. Contrast with the US CPI weight where food only has a 13% representation. This shows how very personal inflation is and how the number might be manipulated to fit a narrative. #inflation #malawi Winston Chruchill famously said: "I only believe in statistics that I doctored myself". Sources: 📊.xlsx 📊.xlsx