By Maria Tembo

Ntchisi, January 17, Mana: Participants to the World Bank-funded Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) in Banja micro-catchment in Senior Chief Nthondo, Ntchisi district have applauded the project saying it has brought developmental benefits.

One of the participants in the micro-catchment, which falls under Kavuma catchment area, Tiberia Nsungwi, told Malawi News Agency (MANA) during a media tour over the weekend that apart from the 10,000 tree seedlings that are meant to restore forest cover, the locals were also provided with fruit seedlings which have been transplanted in households of all the 99 participants.

“We have so far transplanted at least three personal paw-paw trees for each household some of which, when they are fully grown, will be consumed by our families while some will be sold and ordered out to other fruit selling business people. We have all hope that this will economically empower our households.

“We plan to plant more varieties of fruit trees through the same initiative and we believe that, going forward, more people will benefit from the same,” said Nsungwi.

A foreman for Kavuma catchment area, Angel Sauzande said, through the project, participants are able to support their families with basic needs through the monthly K28,000 payments they get for their participation.

Sauzande said when the tree nurseries grow into forests, they will serve multiple benefits in the catchment area including reversing climate change woes that have hit the district in the recent past due to land degradation.

“We have also suffered demolition of houses due to strong winds that often hit our catchment area and the forest will serve as a wind breaker to shield our houses” explained Sauzande.

The CW-EPWP is a government initiative being implemented in ten district councils by the National Local Government Finance Committee to enhance climate resilience.

By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, January 17, Mana: Standing in a hard to reach area and at a distance of about 56 kilometers from Dedza Boma, Chiitana is a full primary school under Group Village Headman Mwenje in Traditional Authority (TA) Kasumbu and boasts about over 800 learners.

The school, with insufficient desks, has only two temporary classroom blocks which were made possible with support from community members and other well-wishers of Indian origin.

The rest of the classrooms are improvised grass thatched posing threats to learners especially when the weather is not favorable. No wonder, for the past two academic years, when it turned into a full primary school, no learner has been sent to a national let alone a district secondary school.

Malawi News Agency (Mana) photojournalist, Steve Chirombo, captured the highlights.

By Rose Cross Mahorya

Mzuzu, January 17, Mana: National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust has asked its volunteers to step up civic education activities as part of civic and voter education in readiness for elections.

Speaking on Tuesday during an orientation meeting at Bwengu in Mzimba North, NICE District Civic Education Officer for Rumphi, Mzimba North and Mzuzu City, Freency Mapanga said as elections are approaching, para-civic educators need to intensify civic education efforts so that more people register to vote.

“This meeting was held as a refresher for our para-civic educators specifically on their roles and duties as elections approach. They are key in disseminating information and governance messages hence the meeting was organized to ensure that messages on registration are sent across,” she said.

Aida Mdolo, a para-civic educator from Chizaula in Mzimba North appreciated NICE for the training which she said served as a timely reminder to their roles.

“It has been a while since we got a similar training. The refresher is timely as it comes at a time when registration for general elections is almost nigh,” she said.

According to recent electoral calendar released by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), phase 1 of registration for the 2025 general elections is expected to begin in September, this year.

By Martha Simchimba

Lilongwe: January 17, Mana: Communities in Traditional Authority (TA) Kalumbu in Lilongwe have expressed excitement over the distribution of relief maize by government saying it will ease the challenges faced in the lean season.

Speaking on Tuesday during a maize distribution exercise at Mtenthera food distribution point, Group Village Head Funachina thanked government for the initiative saying the area is experiencing hunger as communities did not harvest much last year due to dry spells.

“I am happy to see this exercise happening in my area today. This will go a long way in reducing the problems people were facing, especially women and children,” he said.

Funachina, therefore, called on his subjects to use the maize donation for the intended purpose and not sell to vendors saying anyone who will be found doing that will face the law.

In his remarks, one of the beneficiaries Mtima Lyson assured government that they will use the relief maize received for the intended purpose and not sell.

“My family has suffered a lot in this lean season and I cannot make a grave mistake to sell this relief maize. I am so thankful to government for bailing us out from this dilemma,” she said.

Lilongwe District Risk Management Officer, Anganile Kalonga said government, through Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), will make sure that they reach all the vulnerable people in all TAs in the district.

About 1,419 beneficiaries received 50 kilogram of maize at Mtenthera food distribution point.

The project will run for four months. DoDMA is targeting 4.4 million beneficiaries across the country to receive relief items like maize and money.

By Chilungamo Missi

Chiradzulu, January 11, Mana: Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale says government is committed to promote tobacco farming in all regions of the country as there are more markets internationally that are set to buy Malawian tobacco.

Kawale made the remarks in Chiradzulu on Wednesday when he visited one of the tobacco fields in Traditional Authority (TA) Sandiraki to appreciate how tobacco farming is fairing in the district.

He said his ministry is committed to continue supporting farmers and working with buyers to offer good prices for the farmers to realize good profits hence his visit was aimed to understand the challenges facing the growers.

“Ministry of Agriculture works with small, medium and large-scale farmers to find out how we can support them in the tobacco industry. In the field we visited today, the family has been growing tobacco since 2001 and over the years they have been meeting challenges which we have been addressing.

“Most of the issues which they had have been addressed in the recent tobacco bill that has just been passed and the reason we came is to assure the farmers that government is taking care of the problems raised,” he said.

Kawale, therefore, encouraged farmers to embrace tobacco farming saying tobacco can be grown anywhere in the country adding his ministry is yet to embark on a massive campaign to encourage farmers to grow more tobacco since there is plenty markets.

Speaking in an interview, a tobacco farmer whose field was visited, Wyson Komwa said he has been growing tobacco for 21 years but has been realizing low profits due to low prices.

He added that climate change effects have also been affecting the farming.

In the previous growing season, Komwa realized about K4.7 million.

He said, with support from government together with his fellow farmers, he can do even more in the tobacco industry and continue contributing to the country’s development.

He, therefore, hailed the minister for finding time to visit farmers and hear their problems, a gesture described as courageous to farmers as well as those who aspire to start tobacco farming in the area.

By Bishop Witmos

Mangochi, January 11, Mana: Minister of Lands, Deus Gumba has commissioned a research vessel on Lake Malawi which will be used for scanning resources that are found below the surface of water including generating maps for navigation of ships that sail on the lake.

The vessel, which is called Timber, was assembled in 1989 but has been off lake for 17 years since 2006 after it broke down.

Speaking during the commissioning of the vessel in Monkey Bay, Mangochi on Wednesday, Gumba said the ship will help enhance hydrographic surveys on the lake as well as improving economic status of the country through revenue generation.

“This vessel will enable us conduct more research within the blue economy because it has equipment which is able to scan and measure anything below the surface of the water.

“The development will, in one way, provide us an opportunity to boost revenue. For instance, right now, we have people from England, who have come to do some research on Lake Malawi. They have already borrowed it for three months, to pay us K1,650,000 per day; the revenue that we have been looking for,” said Gumba.

Gumba said there was a gap during the time the vessel was off water as other important services within his ministry were not adequately done.

Government has managed to buy two engines that have enabled the vessel to bounce back with full force.

In his remarks, Surveyor General under the Department of Survey in the Ministry of Lands, Masida Mbano, said the vessel has been maintained with state of the art equipment so that it can also be used by other security bodies for marine services.

“Inside it, we have an equipment called multi-beam equal sounder which scans the depth of water on the lake and produces maps that are used for navigation of ships that sail on the lake. This can enable security agencies to operate marine services,” said Mbano.

By Leah Malimbasa

Chikwawa, January 10, Mana: Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Micheal Usi has said fish farming has potential of contributing the country’s economy and become a significant forex earner for Malawi.

Usi made the remarks on Wednesday during a familiarisation tour at Kasinthula Aquaculture Centre in Chikwawa district.  

“For Malawi to develop, we need to export more, and fish is one of the products we can be exporting,” he said adding fish farming industry is already making strides.

“We have been importing fish feed, but we are now producing feed in Malawi, meaning fish production will also grow and today we are here discussing plans to establish an aquaculture park at Kasinthula to grow our economy," he said.

On how to address obstacles to achieve these plans, Usi said bureaucracy should not hinder development.

“There will be investors coming in, so we do not expect an officer to sit on a document and delay progress just because a document is not signed, within two years, the country should improve productivity in terms of fish,” he added.

"We are also learning from other countries that are doing well in this industry and we are assessing ourselves to see how the country can be more attractive to investors. The country has resources in terms of land and water, but we need the investors' financial muscle,” said the minister.

Usi further revealed that plans are under way to establish eight Aquaculture mega farms in the country.

In his remarks, Deputy Director of Fisheries in the department, Brino Chirwa said Kasinthula has about 300 hectares of land and this land is fully utilised through a fish mega farm saying over 3000 tonnes of fish can be produced from Kasinthula Aquaculture Centre alone.

Chirwa described Kasinthula Aquaculture Park as an enormous game-changer project.

“Government is investing a lot through infrastructure development and at the park we will have a step of the fish hatchery, laboratories for research, and a training centre to build capacity of fish farmers,” said Chirwa.

He then concurred with Usi that fish production has the potential of bringing in forex.

“In countries like Philippines, fish business is doing well and Malawi can also do well,” he said.