American pop icon Madonna is expected to be back in Malawi next week for a final court ruling on whether she can adopt a child from the country, media reported today.

According to a senior official at Lilongwe International, Modonna's jet was cleared for landing from April 8 and she was expected around that time.

The pop superstar was praise by Malawian Information Minister Patricia Kaliati for her efforts to rally support for orphans in the southern African country.

He also said it would be wrong if the government denies her adoption of a child there.

Madonna is in the process of adopting a Malawian boy, David Banda, whom she met in a local orphanage in 2006.

The kid has been living with Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in London.

The adoption has drawn controversy, with critics accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi.

There are an estimated 1 million orphans in the impoverished country, which has been badly hit by the AIDS epidemic.