MANAonline
Parliamentary Committee on Local Authority commends Balaka Council for outstanding projects
By John Witness
Balaka, November 14, Mana: Local Authority Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, toured the Balaka District Council to appreciate various projects implemented under District Development Fund (DDF) and Governance for Enabled Service Delivery (GESD) support in the district.
Speaking after touring Balaka District Hospital guardian shelter and Rivirivi Extension Planning Area (EPA), the committee’s chairperson, Horace Chipuwa, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the projects saying they reflected development aspirations of people in the area.
“In the absence of the guardian shelter, l know that people were sleeping outside. New EPA offices have bailed extension staff from using old offices which were in very bad state. We will write a report and present to Parliament so that the house should appreciate.
“Construction of Rivirivi Extension Planning Area (EPA) office has shown a significant transition from old and dilapidated offices to new office,” he added.
Balaka District Director of Health and Social Services, Dr. Chimwemwe Thambo, said construction of the guardian shelter was ideal and timely but stressed the need for the speedy construction of additional toilets and a kitchen to provide conducive environment for the shelter users.
The council’s Director of Planning and Development (DPD), Chris Nawata, said the local authority was happy with the committee's sentiments on the DDF and GESD supported projects.
"We are impressed with their sentiments as regards to progress of the projects. The committee’s remarks are very encouraging,” he said.
Nawata said there was need to increase GESD funding to enable the council to implement more projects to satisfy people’s development needs.
“We adopted a package approach to ensure that each project has elements such as water, electricity and staff houses, and in our Annual Investment Plan we have a lot more projects that need to be done as soon as possible,” he added.
Agricultural Extension Development Coordinator (AEDC) for the Rivirivi EPA, Bexstor Soko explained to the committee negative impacts of working in an old and dilapidated office, saying the old office provided unconducive work environment for the staff.
“The structure was almost a death trap especially when it is raining and wind blowing. The new office is a game changer to us as well as the famers we serve,
“We can comfortably converge here with farmers because we also have a conference room within the building,” he added.
New Rivirizi EPA office was constructed using GESD funds while Balaka District Hospital guardian shelter was constructed with DDF
PMRA for stiffer punishment for illegal drug transaction offenders.
By Namon Chitukuta
Mzuzu, November 14, Mana: Director General for Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) Mphatso Kawaye has expressed dissatisfaction with some of the sentences that courts of law imposed on convicts of drug cases.
Kawayi was speaking on Thursday in Mzuzu when he opened a two-day sensitization workshop on drug related crimes for magistrates which was organized by PMRA in conjunction with the Association of Magistrates (AMA).
He said that most offenders are slapped with lenient sentences which can not deter those that are involved in drug related crimes from indulging in the vice.
“We therefore ask both the Malawi Police Services (MPS) prosecutors and magistrates mett deterrent penalties on such convicts so that drug related crimes are reduced,” Kawaye said.
He added that any illegal drug related act poses a threat to people’s health, hence the workshop involving the main players in addressing the malpractices.
Chairperson for Judicial Training Committee, Justice Violet Chipao said that there is need for collective understanding and enforcement of laws and regulations that govern pharmaceutical sector in the country.
“If sentences are not deterrent enough, the law loses its value as individuals who weigh the potential costs of the crime against the benefits of the crime before deciding to engage in criminal activity, hence they opt committing the crime as they see it beneficial,” Chipao said.,
It is expected that stakeholders will discuss various issues including risks associated with handling illegal drugs by the public, the difficulties the magistrates and courts encounter while handling drug related matters.
The workshop also provides a platform for promoting coordination among prosecutors, investigators and magistrates in handling drug related crimes.
PMRA has conducted a series of such workshops and the recent one was held in Lilongwe.
Mighty Wanderers Fires Head Coach
By Alinafe Kapatamoyo
Lilongwe, November 14, Mana: Mighty Mukuru Wanderers football club has terminated the contract of their head coach Meck Mwase, following an absence from duties for some days without notifying the team management.
Meck Mwase In a press release dated 15th November 2024, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers revealed that Mwase has been absent from his duties since November 4, 2024, and has been missing from Team trainings since the team lost to Silver Strikers in Airtel Top 8 semi-finals. Furthermore, the club says there has been no response from him despite multiple efforts to contact him.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers has assured fans that it is implementing arrangements to have an interim coach in order to ensure the Clubs continuity and maintain its competitive edge.
“We extend our gratitude to Mr Meck Mwase for his contributions during his tenure and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” states the press release.
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers is on position 2 in the TNM Super league with 50 points after playing 25 games.
MTI marks 25 years of empowering youths
By George Mponda & Ephraim Ngwira
Karonga, November 14, Mana: MIRACLE Technical Institute (MTI) in Karonga on Monday celebrated its 25th anniversary of empowering youths with vocational skills.
Since its inception in 1999, the Marianist Institute of Rural Artisans for Christian Life Education (MIRACLE) has been providing training and education to young people, equipping them with the skills necessary to succeed in various trades and industries.
Besides commemorating its 25th anniversary, 167 graduates were awarded certificates after successfully completing their vocational training programs in the informal, formal and commercial sectors.
Marianist Regional Supervisor of Eastern Africa Father Steve Wanyoike Mburu who was guest of honor at the celebration said God has walked with the institution for 25 years and there is need to show gratefulness for this.
"Catholic schools are built on the conviction that God exists and they are places where young people go to attain an education while at the same time learning how to love other human beings,” said Father Mburu.
Principle for MTI Wanangwa Sichoni said the school offers formal, informal and commercial programs to give room for everyone to have a chance to participate and acquire necessary skills.
“Many students who were coming to enroll with us did not have a qualification that can allow them to access the institute. We saw it necessary to incorporate them as well and they have proved to be more productive than the formal students.
“We are celebrating 25 years of success and growth. We began very small with three courses but now we have seven courses including two commercial courses. Since 1999, we have managed to train over 2000 youths with technical skills in the country,” Sichoni said.
Sichoni also said that they are working on plans to engage education stakeholders so that they can start offering degree programs.
Northern Region Manager for TEVETA, Joseph Chikopa hailed the Catholic Church for its efforts in providing quality education to Malawian youths through its various institutions.
MTI was initially intended for poor orphans but recently it has opened its doors to all youths in Malawi.
Balaka SCTP beneficiaries commends government for empowering households financially
By Andrew Phiri
Balaka, November 14, Mana: Beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) in Balaka District have commended Malawi Government for improving their livelihood through monthly cash transfers, which help them to meet their basic needs.
The SCTP beneficiaries expressed their gratitude on Wednesday when officials from Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare and Balaka District Council toured some of the beneficiary households to appreciate impact of the programme.
Melesiya Eliyasi, a mother of six from Ndoya Village, Traditional Authority Nsamala said she purchased 13 chickens, iron sheets to build a house such that her family has a decent accommodation after being enrolled in the SCTP which continue to provide monthly cash transfers.
She recalled that her family had poor accommodation and poor income base to keep them going before her enrollment into the SCTP in 2022.
“I am happy to own a decent house. My children and my husband are all living a purposeful life because of the money we receive through Mtukula Pakhomo,” Eliyasi added.
She therefore asked government to extend her period in the programme, expressing her commitment to improve her household livelihood more.
Another SCTP beneficiary, Jeany Eliyasi 45, from the same area also shared similar story saying apart from building a modern house, she provided her children with school necessities on top of purchasing a solar panel for convenient electricity.
“I joined Village Savings Loan (VSL) group. I could not join this group had it not been for Mtukula Pakhomo,
“People could not accommodate me into a group, they could not trust me because l had no reliable source of income to qualify me for a member of a VSL group," she explained.
Assistant Social Welfare Officer in Balaka, Richard Kalimwayi said the SCTP was meant to uplift lives of the poorest and labour constrained household, adding that over 10,000 households in the district were enrolled in the programme.
“The SCTP has three core objectives, to reduce poverty among poorest households, to reduce malnutrition among children and to increase their enrollment in schools. We therefore encourage households to prudently use K12,000 including bonuses they receive monthly.,” he added
Kalimwayi called for complementary interventions to the SCTP, saying that collective efforts from stakeholders will sustain beneficiaries’ livelihood.
The SCTP also known as Mtukula Pakhomo is one of the programmes under the National Social Support Programmes funded by Malawi Government, World Bank and Multi Donor Trust Fund targeting ultra-poor and labour constrained rural households in the country.
Low turnout persists in Rumphi voter registration
By Manasse Nyirenda
Rumphi, November 14, Mana: Five days into second phase of voter registration, figures we have accessed from seven of 168 centres show that turn out is still low since the exercise commenced on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
Figures from Kanyerere, Bumba, Saint Dennis and Mayembe Primary Schools, Rumphi Prison and Rumphi Magistrates Court in Rumphi Central Constituency and Chiwondora Primary School in Rumphi East show under 2500 had registered by Wednesday.
Rumphi District Chairperson for Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Kennie Mzembe says as a party they are working hard to get more people to register in order for them to vote in 2025.
"This coming weekend we will be joined by some senior party officials to help mobilize people to register," said Mzembe.
UTM Director of Youth for the North, Afike Mbewe says his party is also sensitizing people to register in preparation for 2025 General Elections.
Supervisor at St Dennis Primary School Centre at the Boma says he is optimistic that numbers will improve as registration progresses.
Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) and others are on the ground sensitizing people to register in order to be able to vote in 2025 General Elections.
Registration in the district started on November 9 and is expected to wind up on November 22, 2024.
Government commits to ensuring access to safe water - Chakwera
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, November 14, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has said government is committed in making sure all Malawians have access to safe water as one way of ensuring healthy lives for Malawians.
He was speaking Thursday to multitudes gathered at Chezi trading centre in Dowa southeast constituency during a whistle stop the president is conducting in the district.
Chakwera said as government is implementing various developments, one priority area is provision of clean and safe water to people.
"We want all Malawians to have safe water and that is why we are intensifying installing piped water systems like what we are doing here at Chezi. We are also constructing dams to make sure we have adequate water for all. The idea is to in the future, do away with boreholes
"We are doing all this to reduce risks of diseases like cholera because we do not want a repeat of what happened a few years ago, so it is our responsibility as government to put in place efforts to ensure a healthy population," he said.
The president also said government will continue with food distribution exercises to people around Chezi and Dowa as a whole.
"Farmers here are hardworking and produce a lot and they feed the country as well.
"But we experienced food shortages because of erratic weather trends. As government, we will continue with maize distribution and enroll other beneficiaries on the program so that all are saved from hunger," he said.
On this, he added saying government will also make sure of availability of fertiliser so that all may be able to access the commodity.
He then committed to providing more development to improve lives of people in Dowa. But the president asked people to go and register in large numbers so that they may be able to vote in the forthcoming elections.
In her remarks, parliamentarian for the area Halima Daudi who is also deputy minister of health said the president deserves to be applauded for the various developments he is implementing in the country.
"You have done a lot of which others have failed in more than 20 years. You are trying your best to give us food, schools, bridges and roads. In terms of fertiliser, people here have already started purchasing in readiness of this growing season.
"The only way we can show our appreciation is to make sure we all register and vote for you in the 2025 elections,”said Daudi.
Traditional Authority Nkukula speaking earlier said people from the area appreciated the coming of the president as this indicated the love the president has for the people in the area.
He described the area as stronghold for the president, and said people are ready for the 2025 elections.
He then thanked the president for maize distribution initiatives but asked that more young people are included on programs like NEEF.
Two little girls die as wall collapses on them in Chikwawa
By Willy Kadewere
Chikwawa, November 13, Mana: Two little girls died after the wall of a dilapidated house fell on them this week at Gola at Traditional Authority Chapananga in Chikwawa District where the bodies were discovered in a rubble after some hours.
Chikwawa Police Public Relations Officer, Sergeant Dickson Matemba confirmed the incident and deceased children were identified as Vanessa Madandaulo, 4 and Esnart Stonard, 5.
According to Chikwawa Police the two were left home while their parents went out to do some activities within the area and it was believed that in the course of the play, the wall of an abandoned house fell on them.
Sergeant Matemba added that in the evening, the parents discovered that the children were missing thereby prompting them to start searching within the neighbourhood.
“Later, they discovered two lifeless bodies under the rubbles in one of the houses that the children used to play,” he added.
Police and a medical team rushed to the accident scene and after conducting postmortem, it was discovered that the death was due to suffocation after the rubbles had covered them, according to the Police PRO in Chikwawa.
The police in the district therefore warned parents to closely monitor movements of their children to avoid similar incidents.
Word Alive International Ministries to host Salvation Concert
By Hope Chimwala
Blantyre, November 14, Mana: Word Alive International Ministries has organized a free entry gospel salvation concert that will take place on Saturday in Blantyre as a way of reaching out to lost souls and confirmed that all is set at the Word Alice City Church, Off Mandala Road in Blantyre.
Special Events Coordinator, Cecila Bakuwa told Malawi News Agency (Mana) Wednesday that there would be no entry fee to the gospel salvation concert, adding that concert would be open to all.
She added that gospel music will reach out to all people across the generations and for all walks of life.
“The church shall go out for placard evangelism in the streets at 9am and from 1pm to 5pm that’s when we shall come together to celebrate and also reach out to the many,” Bakuwa said.
The Special Event Coordinator confirmed that all was set for the event with artists such Frank Chimpazi, Simplice Bless, John Fire and Word Alive Worship team in attendance,
One of the gospel artists, Simplice Bless confirmed his presence saying that he was set for the concert.
“People should expect the move of God because where his children are gathered, He always manifests Himself and fulfills the purpose of the gathering,” he said.
The Global Fund promotes medication testing for safer Malawi
By Priscilla Phiri
Lilongwe, November 12, Mana: In a breakthrough, Malawi’s Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) has joined the global elite in medicines and medical supplies testing, ensuring safer healthcare for millions.
With a hefty sum of K276 billion grant from the Global Fund, PMRA’s laboratory has earned an ISO 17025 accreditation, which puts PMRA on the global map as a trusted authority in medicine testing.
Through this accreditation, PMRA can now perform thorough and precise tests on medications, ensuring they meet the highest safety and efficacy standards.
Director General for PMRA, Mphatso Kawaye, the journey began with a critical self-assessment in 2015 when an audit revealed key challenges that PMRA had.
“This assessment identified four key issues which were insufficient laboratory space, inadequate equipment and unqualified staff as well as the absence of a proper quality management system,” he said.
Realizing the impact of the outcomes of the assessment in the operations of the authority, PMRA went further to address some of the challenges through construction of the state-of-the art laboratory and office space with funding from Malawi government and Global Fund.
Beyond just constructing the building, PMRA needed to resolve equipment and quality management deficiencies. To do this systematically, the authority proposed a Laboratory Capacity Building Project to the Global Fund which was approved under the NFM3 in 2018.
According to Kawaye, this project has been implemented until 2024 culminating PMRA’s accreditation.
With this grant, PMRA now has a high-end gear procured at a tune of USD 728,000 with funding from the Global Fund which has also covered maintenance service expenses for the equipment realizing that the advanced equipment requires specialized companies for servicing.
Among other equipment that PMRA procured are: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Microbial Testing Equipment, Fourier- Transform Inferred Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).
Additionally, the initiative included an extensive training for PMRA’s analysts, equipping them with the skills needed to operate the new equipment.
The training was done by USP-Ghana, a renowned expert in pharmaceutical regulation and quality assurance in Africa.
This development marked a significant milestone for PMRA in positioning it as a key player in the global effort to ensure quality and safety of pharmaceuticals.
“As we speak, now PMRA’s National Quality Control Laboratory is ISO17025 accredited, and we can give reliable results.
“Just by getting this accreditation we are qualified to be testing medicines that are bought by UN organizations or even Global Fund itself whose quality assurance policies clearly states that you cannot test products bought through its systems in a lab that is not accredited or World Health Organization (WHO) qualified,” said Kawaye.
PMRA’s well known Chief Medical Analyst, Steven Chapima, highlighted the impact of the accreditation.
“Before the accreditation, when we test medicine and find that they are of poor quality, the suppliers would challenge our tests. This would leave us with no choice but to send the results to other reference labs for verification.
“This process took too much time and could not allow our clients like the Central Medical Stores Trust to distribute the medicines to hospitals and it could not allow them to dispose the medicines and in so doing patients were kept waiting for the medicines.
“Now that we are ISO 17025 certified, our results stand on their own which has reduced the time spent between testing of the medicine, distribution and patient use,” Chapima said.
He revealed that the new equipment has also built PMRA’s capacity to test most essential medicines like ARVs among others and perform critical checks of medicines before their registration and distribution.
Mixing Analyst, Moses Sondashi, who is among PMRA’s seven analysts that benefited from the USP Ghana mentorship, hailed the training saying it has helped him stay updated with pharmaceutical technicalities, ensuring quality aspects and good laboratory practices
In addition to its laboratory accreditation, PMRA has made significant strides in pharmacovigilance.
The authority said has established a robust system for monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions, enhancing patient safety.
With PMRA’s upgraded capabilities, Malawians will benefit from enhanced medicine quality control, reduced risk of substandard medicines, improved patient safety, and increased confidence in the healthcare system.
Notably, the prevalence of substandard medicines in Malawi is currently estimated at 4 percent, below the global average.
According to WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, access to quality medicines is a fundamental right and there is need to ensure that all medicines meet the highest standards.
Global Fund’s investment in PMRA demonstrates the power of collaborative efforts. By supporting national institutions, the Global Fund contributes to strengthened health systems, improved access to quality medicines, and enhanced capacity for disease prevention and treatment.
This achievement showcases the Global Fund’s transformative impact on healthcare systems worldwide. By empowering institutions like PMRA, the Global Fund saves lives, improves health outcomes, and strengthens global health security.
As PMRA continues to grow and develop, its impact on Malawi’s healthcare system will be profound. Safer medications, improved patient safety, and enhanced health outcomes will be the hallmarks of PMRA’s success.
With this achievement, Malawians can trust that their medications are safe and effective. The country’s pharmaceutical landscape has been forever changed.
Global Fund is a financing institution that works in a partnership and achieves success by supporting implementer governments, affected communities and other stakeholders in the country to have the tools that they themselves determine are needed to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
