ANNEX B: VISITS MADE IN THE COURSE OF
THE INQUIRY
Overseas Development Institute, London: Tuesday
25 May 2004
The Committee held discussions with Simon Maxwell,
Director of the Overseas Development Institute, John Humphrey,
Fellow of the Institute of Development Studies, Professor John
Harriss, Director of the Development Studies Institute, Dr Camilla
Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for Environment
and Development, and PJ Greeves, Overseas Development Institute,
on a wide range of issues, particularly the challenges currently
being faced by UK-based international development research institutions.
The Committee was also briefed by Simon Maxwell, Elizabeth Cromwell,
Robert Tripp and Rachel Slater, all from the Overseas Development
Institute, on food security in Malawi.
Malawi: Wednesday 16 - Saturday 19 June 2004
Wednesday 16 June: Lilongwe
Evening: DFID, British High Commission and British
Council
The Committee received a briefing on FCO, DFID and
British Council activities in Malawi, hosted by Norman Ling, the
British High Commissioner, at his residence in Lilongwe. DFID
was represented at the briefing by Roger Wilson, Head of Mission
in Malawi, Dr Harry Potter, Rural Livelihoods Adviser, Susan Mshana,
Health Adviser, and Paul Spray, Head of the Central Research Department.
The British Council was represented by David Martin, Director
Central Africa.
Thursday 17 June
The Committee divided into two parties to visit agricultural
and health projects respectively. The agriculture team was accompanied
by Dr Harry Potter, and the health team by Susan Mshana.
Morning
Agriculture team: International Centre for Research
in the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Chitedze, and village visits
The Committee met researchers from ICRISAT and the
Centre for International Tropical Agriculture and the International
Centre for Research on Maize and Wheat. The Committee also visited
a local village, where discussions were held with local farmers.
Health team: National AIDS Commission and Equi-TB
Knowledge Programme
The Committee was briefed on the Malawi national
HIV/AIDS research agenda at the headquarters of the National AIDS
Commission and then visited the ward for AIDS patients at the
Lilongwe Central Hospital and the 'Lighthouse' Voluntary Counselling
and Testing and Anti-Retroviral Drug Distribution Centre.
The Committee was briefed on the Equi-TB Knowledge
Programme at the Community Health Sciences Unit before undertaking
a field visit to a research project in the Kauma settlement area.
Afternoon: National Commission for Science and
Technology and British Council (both teams)
The Committee met with the Head of the National Commission
for Science and Technology and the National AIDS Commission and
the Principal Secretaries of the Ministries of Health; Agriculture,
Irrigation and Food Security; Education; and Water Development
to discuss the role of science, technology and research in Malawian
development.
The Committee then visited the British Council offices
and held discussions about British Council activities in Malawi
with David Martin, Director Central Africa, and other British
Council staff based in Malawi.
Evening: British High Commission
The British High Commissioner hosted a reception
for the Committee, attended by Malawian Ministers, Members of
Parliament and Senior Civil Servants, as well as alumni of the
Chevening Scheme.
Friday 18 June
Morning
Agriculture team: Forestry Research Institute,
University of Malawi
The Committee held discussions with researchers from
the Forestry Research Institute and saw examples of research on
water hyacinth, woolly aphids and medicinal bark.
Health team: Ntcheu District Hospital and Banja
La Mtsogolo Clinic
The Committee visited the Ntcheu District hospital
to hear about the Essential Medical Laboratory Services Project.
The Committee then toured the Banja La Mtsogolo Clinic in Ntcheu
and watched a performance by young people to communicate messages
about sexual and reproductive health to other young people and
children.
Afternoon
Agriculture team: Centre for Social Research and
Banja La Mtsogolo Clinic
The Committee met with researchers from the Centre
for Social Research at the University of Malawi before visiting
a Banja La Mtsogolo Clinic to learn about the sexual and reproductive
health programmes undertaken there.
Health team: Honorary British Consul and Malaria
Research Projects in Blantyre
Following a lunch hosted by Krishna Savjani, Honorary
British Consul in Blantyre, the Committee visited a series of
Malaria research projects at the Zingwangwa research clinic, the
Malaria Alert Centre and the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust laboratory
at the College of Medicine and Queens Hospital.
Evening: Ku Chawe
The agriculture and health teams reconvened in Ku
Chawe to discuss their observations with Norman Ling, Roger Wilson,
Paul Spray, Susan Mshana, Harry Potter and Dr Colin Gourley, DFID
Transport Adviser.
Saturday 19 June: Blantyre
Morning: President of Malawi and Blantyre Polytechnic
The Chairman, together with Norman Ling, the British
High Commissioner, and Roger Wilson, DFID's Head of Mission in
Malawi, met the President of Malawi and held discussions about
the Government of Malawi's approach to science and technology.
The rest of the Committee attended a presentation
at Blantyre Polytechnic to learn about the Higher Education Links
with Strathclyde University in the UK.
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