LILONGWE, May 4, 2011 – The World Bank’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Mr. Justin Lin arrives in Malawi tomorrow on a three day visit to engage the State President and Senior Government Officials in policy discussions on critical economic development issues necessary to transform Malawi’s economy, in line with Malawi’s vision to be a producing and exporting nation.
“Agriculture modernization is one of the key areas that Mr. Lin will focus on. The discussions may also include sharing best practices on programs adopted by other countries that were successful in achieving sustainable economic transformation,” says Sandra Bloemenkamp, the World Bank Country Manager for Malawi.
In recent years Malawi has consistently achieved an economic growth rate above six per cent, and needs to transform the economy so that the growth further benefits more the poor, who are mostly smallholder farmers.
During his visit Mr. Lin will also meet with Malawi’s development partners, the private sector, financial institutions and civil society engaged in the agriculture sector. He will also visit an irrigation project financed by the World Bank in Lilongwe District.
The visit to Malawi is part of a tour of south and east African countries that the Chief Economist has been undertaking since April. On this subregional tour he is also discussing recent developments in the global economy that are affecting many countries. Malawi for example is affected by terms of trade shocks emanating from increases in international fuel and fertilizer prices. Mr. Lin arrives in Malawi after visiting Mozambique and Tanzania.
Mr. Lin joined the World Bank in 2008 as Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics. In this capacity, Mr. Lin guides the Bank’s intellectual leadership and plays a key role in shaping the economic research agenda of the institution. He took up his World Bank position after serving for 15 years as Professor and Founding Director of the China Centre for Economic Research at Peking University.
Mr Lin holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and is the author of 18 books including The China Miracle: Development Strategy and Economic Development and Transition: Thought, Strategy and Viability. He has also published more than 100 articles in refereed international journals and collected volumes on history, development and transition. Among the many international awards, he has the 1993 Policy Article Prize of the Centre for International Food and Agricultural Policy at University of Minnesota; the 1998 Sir John Crawford Award of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, and the 1999 Best Article Prize of the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
