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Members from various media houses in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu had a chance to interact with teams from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the Millennium Challenge Account –Malawi (MCA-M). The interactions were carried out through media seminars and were organized to enlighten editors and business reporters on the MCC compact and the process the Malawi Government is undertaking to develop the compact.  Fifty seven journalists attended the media seminars in the three regions which were conducted in March 2010. Opening the Blantyre media seminar, MCA-Malawi National Coordinator and Point of Contact Sam Kakhobwe said he hoped the seminars would improve the accuracy of information that will be disseminated to the general public and other stakeholders. “You are the key group in the communication sector and you need to understand how the compact program is being developed, how it will be implemented and its importance in stimulating economic growth and reducing poverty in the country,” said Kakhobwe. The objectives of the media seminars included a formal introduction of the work and responsibilities of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Millennium Challenge Account Malawi (MCA-M) and the facilitation and fostering of communication on the Compact development process between MCA-M and the general public. Opening the Lilongwe seminar, US Ambassador to Malawi, Peter Bodde said the investment that the United States is hoping to make in Malawi through the MCC is crucial to its development. 
Bodde encouraged the participants to take advantage of the seminar, adding that most Malawians may never realize just how much the investment could help develop their nation and that it was the duty of the journalists to tell the story. “Your job is to shed light on the things that people may not see on their own. That is what you are so very good at,” said Bodde. The journalists were taken though the roles and responsibilities of the MCC and MCA-Malawi, the MCC Compact development process, the energy project and the studies being undertaken in the Compact development. A question and answer session provided a chance for the journalists to get clarifications on various issues connected with the MCC Compact. Questions touched on the specific activities to be undertaken under the project, the vote Government uses for financing MCA-Malawi and whether the project will give consideration to consumers to get lower electricity tariffs. Journalists who attended the three seminars were drawn from thirteen print and electronic media houses in the country.
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Concept Papers