By Pempho Kantayeni & Pickson Chipeso

Lilongwe, January 28, Mana: Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism on Tuesday engaged Sovereign Metals Ltd to discuss overview of the Kasiya mine exploration.

Sovereign Metals Ltd estimates that it will take five to six years before they start mining rutile from the Kasiya mine deposit.

Speaking at Parliament Building, Chairperson for the committee, Paul Nkhoma, asked Sovereign Metals Ltd to minimize the time frame to at least two years in order to expedite the process to the benefit the country.

The Committee asked Sovereign Metals to share with them a report of the findings of the feasibility study.

“From the report, we will extract the timelines at which time they will require something from any government department, from where we will oversee those government departments. If the government credits are given to them on time, they will be able to start operations much earlier,” he said.

Sovereign Metals Ltd Social Performance Manager, Garth Lappeman, said structures required to enable the project to be mined typically takes between two to three years.

He said even when expedited, it is a huge undertaking which needs to be taken with caution.

“If all goes according to plan, we are looking forward to be moving the project into an operation phase in the next five to six years,” he said.

He added that government of Malawi wants this project expedited as it is an opportunity for a significant amount of development of Malawi’s economy with a substantial amount of benefits for the people of Malawi.

“As Sovereign Metal Ltd, our legacy is important. We are a company that cares about the impact that we are going to have on communities and the environment.

“So over the next nine months, up until the end of October, we will have teams of consultants and specialist working very hard to define the feasibility of the project,” he said.

He said once fully informed, they will move to seeking and applying for a mining license.

Kasiya deposit mine was discovered in 2019.

By Martha Rukunya

Lilongwe, January 29, Mana: The Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) requires approximately US$1.5 million to settle the balance for printing three national examinations administered in 2024.

Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee on Education on Wednesday, MANEB Executive Director, Prof. Dorothy Nampota, disclosed that the total cost for the printing service was US$2.7 million, but the board has only managed to pay part of it.

Despite successfully administering leakage-free examinations, the board faced several operational challenges, including late registration by schools, errors in entries, and delays in examination fee payments by parents.

This situation forced MANEB to reopen its registration portal to accommodate affected candidates.

Professor Nampota highlighted under funding as a major issue, revealing that MANEB is also struggling to meet its salary obligations.

“We are now looking for K600 million to pay the board’s employees for the remaining three months of the 2024/2025 financial year,” she stated.

The board is now seeking urgent financial intervention to ensure smooth operations and future examination administration.

By Tamala Kamanga

Dowa, January 29, Mana: Dowa has registered a low turnout on voter registration in the supplementary voter registration exercise which Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) conductede from January 27 to 28 in the district.

Speaking Tuesday after supervision of four registration centres, MEC Commissioner Dr Emmanuel Fabiano said this can be attributed to the fact many people had already registered during the major registration exercise which took place last year.

"As you know that this is supplementary voter registration, so the number we were expecting was very small. For example, in some centers we expected to register 80 people during this exercise.

"In one of the centres, the highest registration we have seen is 21; the centre was at a primary school and the majority that registered were learners for that school," said Dr Fabiano.

The supervision noted that some centres had recorded zero registrations while some registered only one.

By Rosalia Kapiri

Lilongwe, January 29, Mana: President Dr Lazarus Chakwera returned to Malawi on Wednesday after attending the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania, describing the initiative as a “tremendous boost” for the country’s energy and industrial ambitions.

Upon his arrival at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, President Chakwera was welcomed by government officials before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the Malawi Defence Force.

He later addressed the media, emphasizing the significance of Mission 300 in advancing Africa’s energy sector.

“For Mission 300, for Africa generally, it is a milestone. For Malawi, it is a tremendous boost,” Chakwera stated.

He explained that the initiative would help Malawi achieve its goals in power generation, transmission and usage, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, industrialization, mining, and value addition.

“It’s a boost because it will enable us to achieve our goals in terms of power generation, power transmission and the usage of the same for agricultural industrialization, production, value addition, all of the factors we need to have, and mining particularly, a sector that needs power,” he said.

Chakwera highlighted that the agreement provides nearly US$300 million to kick start the process, with Malawi playing a key role.

“I am happy that I was one of the signatories to this particular issue. Now, we have a stepping stone, as it were, to this M300, which is the essence agreement that we have, and we signed for that as well,” he said.

The president also expressed pride in Malawi’s recognition at the summit.

“And our team was commended as an example of which the World Bank, African Development Bank and Rockefeller Foundation desire to have for us as nations and countries on the continent,” Chakwera said.

He emphasizing that Africa must move away from its past energy struggle and make sure that the continent is no longer a dark continent but is lit up.

The Mission 300 initiative aims to accelerate Africa’s transition to sustainable and renewable energy, with global partners supporting infrastructure development and energy access.

Malawi’s participation signals a strategic step toward boosting the country’s economic growth through reliable power supply.

By Bishop Witmos

Mangochi, January 29, Mana: Deputy Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Halima Daudi encouraged parents and guardians in Mangochi to enrol their children in Community Based Childcare Centers (CBCCs) saying early childhood development (ECD) is significant in building strong foundation for Malawi’s future.

 Addressing parents and guardians at Chindamba, Traditional Authority Chowe in Mangochi, during her familiarization tour on Tuesday, Daudi called for stakeholders' combined efforts in promoting welfare of children, stressing that investing in early childhood education was crucial for children’s growth.

Daudi said she was impressed with community members and Chindamba CBCC caregivers’ active role in providing early child education.

The Deputy Minister added that it was encouraging to learn that children attend school regularly and actively participate in learning activities.

‘‘I came here to Mangochi to appreciate how the district fare in terms of early childhood development. I have seen that children come to learn regularly and that they are being supported by parents who contribute money to promote early childhood development.

 ‘‘We are very excited about what is happening in Mangochi where we have 15 active early childhood development centres, but we still need more of these centres. We would like to thank the World Bank for supporting with infrastructure development in early childhood development centers,’’ added Daudi.

She added that Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare is committed to improving ECD by training CBCC caregivers, saying the initiative was already taking place in phases to ensure that all caregivers are provided with necessary teaching knowledge and skills for effective ECD.

After touring communities at Chindamba, the Deputy Minister also visited participating communities in Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), which she noted was improving livelihood of rural households in the district.

According to the Principal Social Welfare for Mangochi, Patrick Cholopi, this year, the number of households under SCTP increased from 18,000 to 28,000 households in the district.

In his remarks, Senior Chief Chowe commended government for improving ECD, saying the intervention was bearing fruits in Mangochi.

By Lesnat Kenan

Lilongwe, January 29, Mana: Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) student, Fortune Milanzi has died after battling with Plastic Anaemia for a long time.

Before withdrawing due to medical conditions, Milanzi was in his second year pursuing a Biomedical Engineering programme

According to his relative Boniface Milanzi, Fortune has been struggling with this disease for a long time and it is this year that the condition worsened and he was hospitalised for months until last night when he took his last breath while receiving treatment at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe.

Malawi Public Universities Students Union President, Gershom Nyirenda who was also one of the fundraising organisers for Fortune, also confirmed the development saying his death is a loss to his family, friends and the entire MUBAS community.

"We tried talking to well-wishers to provide enough resources for his medical treatment in India and some showed interest in helping until government took the responsibility of covering all expenses", said Nyirenda.

Milanzi failed to travel to India last week as he could not withstand the flight due to his condition and he will be laid to rest on January 30, 2025, in Nkhotakota.

By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, January 29, Mana: Minister of Labor, Vitumbiko Mumba emphasised the need for adequate awareness of labor laws in Malawi, saying ignorance of such laws contributes to gross human rights violations of workers in most workplaces.

He observed this on Tuesday, after inspecting Makandi Estate Conforzi Plantations Limited in Thyolo and Moon Puffs Limited in Limbe, Blantyre.

Speaking after the inspections, Mumba said that many factory workers in Malawi face harsh conditions due to a power and knowledge gap.

“Most factory owners have no relationship with the people who work for them, and there seems to be a great deal of fear. There is minimal communication, and many issues remain unaddressed, leaving workers to suffer in silence,” Mumba explained.

He added that there was a need for factory management to regularly check on the welfare of their employees and prioritise their well-being over profit-making.

The minister also urged factory workers to join trade unions to foster better relationships with owners so that the unions should act as intermediaries.

During an interactions at Makandi, the estate workers revealed issues, citing unfair practices by site managers on weighing scales.

“When the tea is weighed and the scale reads 30 kg, the managers tell us the actual weight is 20kg, claiming that the remaining 10kg accounts for the cloth that carries the tea,” according to the workers.

The workers also reported being forced to purchase raincoats which are deducted from the payroll, adding that the estate had no boreholes, prompting the workers to walk long distances to fetch drinking water, which is mostly unhygienic for consumption.

Following the inspection, the minister ordered the closure of Conforzi Estate for seven days to allow improvements for basic standards.

At Moon Puffs in Limbe, a factory producing soya pieces and snacks, workers revealed various challenges, including being physically assaulted by some staff members if caught taking their lunch.

The workers also disclosed that they are not allowed to take a lunch break despite working from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on top of being paid K3,500 per day with K300 deducted daily as “tax" by some individuals believed to be part of the factory administration.

In response, Moon Puffs Managing Director, Touffice Bilal Limbada, stated that the administration does not receive complaints from workers, leading to the assumption that there were no challenges.

However, Limbada assured that conditions at the factory will be improved in line with the seven-day ultimatum notice issued by the Ministry of Labor.

The minister began labor inspections in the southern region on Monday, January 27, with a visit to Mapeto (DWSM) Limited at Makata industrial site in Blantyre.

By Linda Likomwa

Phalombe, January 29, Mana: Minister of Health Khumbize Kandondo Chiponda on Tuesday opened Maoni Health Post in Phalombe District, one of 900 health posts the government is constructing across the country.

In an interview after the official opening of the health post, Chiponda said almost 200 health posts have been constructed, adding that this will help shorten the distance people walk to access health services.

“The health post also has two staff houses and communities around Mauzi have welcomed the development because this is the first-ever government health facility in the area," the minister added.

The ministry will consider the construction maternity wing to ensure all health posts provide antenatal services on top of offering under-five clinics.

Paramount Chief Kaduya therefore thanked the Ministry of Health for introducing the health post at Maoni, saying the area had no health facilities, prompting people to walk 20kilometers to Rev. John Chilembe Hospital or Nazombe Health Center to access health services.

The Paramount Chief asked the ministry to construct a maternity wing at the facility saying that pregnant women will still be struggling to access antenatal services.

Member of Parliament for Phalombe Northeast, Dennis Namachekecha said village head signed Social Contract on March 21, 2014, to express their development priorities.

“After signing the Social Contract, I presented the issues in Parliament asking government to consider upgrading Nambazo Health Centre to a rural hospital and to construct health posts at Namalima, Maoni, Mambala and Mtemanyama. I am now proud to report that all four health posts have been constructed,” he added.

The health newly opened Maini Health Post will be providing all services except maternal services.

By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, January 29, Mana: Minister for Higher Education, Dr Jessie Kabwila, has hailed the Malawi School of Government (MSG) for its outstanding work by playing a crucial role in capacity development, fostering collaboration and enhancing governance thereby contributing to growth and development.

She was speaking at MSG Kanengo Campus in Lilongwe on Tuesday during a familiarization tour to the institution.

She said the tour was not only a chance for her to witness the outstanding work at the institution but also an opportunity to discuss ways to enhance collaboration.

“We can guarantee that MSG continues to be a centre of excellence, producing graduates who are not only well informed but also prepared to address the urgent challenges of our era,” she said.

MSG Director General, Prof. Asiyati Lorraine Chiweza, emphasized MSG’s primary objective of enhancing leadership, management and governance through specialized training programs, workshops and seminars.

“These initiatives are carefully designed to equip individuals with the expertise needed to excel in their roles,” he said.

Chiweza believes that the minister’s wealth of experience and vision will provide the necessary support for the institution to overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

By James Mwale

Blantyre, January 29, Mana: Ntchisi District Council on Tuesday presented its 2025/2026 fiscal year budget pegged at K2.5 billion to the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC).

Speaking during the annual budget review meeting at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre, Ntchisi District Commissioner, Lusizi Nhlane, said the 2025/2026 budget would prioritise infrastructure development in the health, education, security and portable water sectors among others.

He said among means to live up to the budget, the Council would set up strategies to boost locally generated revenue saying the district had already made strides in previous fiscal years on the same.

He said: “We have been setting targets for our revenue collecting staff where those who meet their targets or at least collect more than their colleagues get more commission.

“This has created competition among revenue collectors which has, in turn, had a boost in the council’s locally generated revenue.”

The Council plans to invest in mega farms as one way of further boosting locally generated revenue.

Previously, the Council had suffered low income in revenue due to communication gaps between officials and locals but the misunderstandings were ironed out through community engagement and intensive sensitisation campaigns.

Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture Principal Secretary, Esmie Kainja, was impressed with the way councils are performing throughout the review sessions but advised that budgets should be realistic for council’s to meet set targets.

She also advised that development projects should align with government’s development agenda.

Meanwhile, the budget estimates are pending ceiling after being scrutinised and refined at the review meeting.