MANAonline
CCJP calls for promotion of women in 2025 polls
By Agatha Kadzinje
Blantyre, October 10, Mana: Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) has emphasized on the need for all religious groups to spread messages that encourage women to contest in the upcoming elections.
In an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), Thursday, National Coordinator for CCJP, Boniface Chibwana, said development cannot be achieved if a larger section of the population is not well represented
“The population of women in Malawi is slightly higher than men, with women making up to 52%. For this reason, it is imperative that the churches encourage women they congregate with to actively participate in decision making processes, including politics at local, constituency and presidential level,” he said.
Chibwana said religious groups should engage with traditional leaders and political parties to understand the importance of equal participation of men and women in leadership positions.
“Condemnation of women that have the passion to contest in leadership by religious leaders should be discouraged as this may lead to women dropping out and even violence against them from other quarters. Therefore, churches should start initiating conversations that appreciate women who have shown interest to contest in the 2025 elections,” Chibwana said.
He disclosed that CCJP has a project called ‘Women Participation in Politics’ which identifies and provides solutions to challenges that women face such as social-cultural barriers and stereotypes, when they want to contest in leadership positions.
In a separate interview with Mana, political analyst Victor Chipofya, emphasized that religion will continue to downplay the role of women in leadership positions unless churches shift from preaching about women’s submission.
“Religions that emphasize women’s submission tend to discourage women who want to pursue leadership positions because they fear being seen as rebellious. Religions should initiate topics that empower women,” he said.
Chipofya pointed out that the negative effect of religion on women participation in politics cannot be easily changed, but it is possible to change this perception with time.
“What would accelerate this change is women standing up themselves to take up positions of leadership and proving that they can excel,” he said.
He added that women should not expect power or positions to be handed to them rather they must fight and step up to get that power, only then change will be seen in upcoming elections.
Religion remains one of the key issues that play a role in shaping political participation and development in Malawi.
Minister applauds farmers for contributing K1.7 billion
By Andrew Mkonda & Mwai Kumanda
Lilongwe, October 10, Mana: Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, has applauded farmers from Lilongwe District Extension Planning Areas (EPAs) for prioritizing farming and being able to raise K1.7 billion for farm inputs for the 2024/2025 growing season.
Kawale made the remarks Wednesday at Phiri la Njuzi Primary School Ground in the area of Senior Chief Masumbankhunda in the district during the farmers’ resource mobilization and distribution ceremony.
He admired what the farmers have done appealing to other farmers across the country to emulate the initiative in order to curb hunger in the country.
“Today we are here to witness a game changer in the agriculture sector which is an extremely exciting innovative way of mobilizing resources to prepare for the next farming season.
“What the farmers have raised is quite a huge amount of money that has never been contributed by any group in the country in preparation for farm inputs. I, therefore, congratulate all the farmers who participated in the initiative. This is the way to go,” said Kawale.
He said the farmers’ initiative clearly demonstrates their commitment towards farming in the district and pledged the ministry’s support towards such initiatives.
Chairperson for Lilongwe District Agriculture Stakeholder Panel (DASP), Joyce James Chikakheni, encouraged farmers to continue working together in order to benefit from farming.
“I want to encourage my fellow farmers in all the EPAs to work together in unity and cooperation as we have done in raising this amount.
“If all the farmers across the country can start what we have done, then farmers can start enjoying benefits of farming,” she said.
Senior Chief Masumbankhunda urged his subjects to stop selling farm land saying it is counterproductive.
“We cannot talk of having high yields if we do not have land where we can grow crops. Selling farm land is contributing to hunger in the country,” said the chief.
Farmers Resource Mobilization Initiative will, among other benefits, enable farmers access improved farm inputs, cut transportation costs since they get direct deliveries and avoid purchase of counterfeit farm inputs.
Irrigation farmers appeal for subsidized farm input
By Stanley Nkhondoyachepa
Lilongwe, October 10, Mana: Irrigation farmers in the northern and southern regions have asked government to consider introducing subsidized farm inputs targeting them, saying the initiative can help the country attain food security.
The farmers made the appeal during a recent visit by Malawi News Agency (Mana) to various irrigation schemes in the northern and southern regions of the country where various crops are under irrigation.
Chairperson for Chakalamba Irrigation Scheme in Traditional Authority Nkhulambe in Phalombe District, Henry Tebulo said government should consider supporting irrigation farmers with cheaper farm inputs.
“I ask government to support irrigation farmers across the country at the start of our season in March with subsidized farm inputs, in the same way it does with rain fed agriculture farmers” he said.
Tebulo hailed government and some Non-Governmental Organizations for helping irrigation farming through revamping, maintaining and extending existing schemes as well as establishing new ones.
He noted that schemes are playing a major role in alleviating hunger amongst many households in the country.
“Before our irrigation scheme came into existence, we experienced hunger year in and out especially when rains fail, now we can boast of having enough food for ourselves and surplus for sale” he said.
Tebulo noted that currently farmers under irrigation in the area have acquired assets such as houses, motorbikes and cars, among others.
He however observed that with the prevailing prices of farm inputs on the market, irrigation farmers are facing serious challenges accessing the inputs, which puts irrigation farming at a disadvantage.
Concurring with Tebulo, President for Zombe Irrigation Scheme in TA KampingoSibande in Mzimba District, Joyce Kanyaso, said irrigation farming can thrive in the country if inputs are accessed cheaply.
“If government considers to extend the Affordable Input Program (AIP) to irrigation farmers in our season, then be assured that hunger will become history.
“We have water sources and idle land our area which can be utilized but the rising cost of farm input is betraying us. Government needs to come in with support” she said.
Kanyaso hailed government recent effort to promote irrigation farming through renovations of schemes and training of farmers, noting this will gradually lead to food sufficiency.
She said with effects of climate change currently being experienced, rains have increasingly become unreliable and that irrigation farming is the way to go.
Deputy Director of Irrigation Services at the Department of Irrigation, Engineer Anderson Mbozi said the irrigation potential in the country stands at about 407 862 hectares.
He said as at 30 August, 2024, 40 636 hectares was under irrigated crop production representing 60. 5 percent of total developed area and 70 percent of targeted area of scheme utilization.
Mbozi said currently the department provides support to smallholder farmers to ensure maximum utilization of the irrigation schemes by facilitating farmer mobilization groups, reorganization and monitoring of groups, among others.
The visit took Malawi News Agency to irrigation in Mzimba, Nkhata-bay, Zomba and Phalombe districts.
Area 50 WUA concerned over increased meter theft affecting operations
By Leonard Masauli
Lilongwe, October 10, Mana: Area 50 Water Users Association (A50-WUA) has expressed concern over the growing trend of meter theft, which is negatively impacting the organization’s operations.
The issue was discussed during the association's Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lilongwe, where members reflected on the association’s performance.
A50-WUA Vice Board Chairperson, Solomon Zulu, revealed that the association’s revenue had declined, with K235 million collected in the 2022/2023 financial year compared to K210 million in 2023/2024.
He attributed the reduction in revenue to an increase in meter theft and the illegal sale of water by individuals in local communities.
“At today’s AGM, we reviewed our performance over the past year. Unfortunately, the rise in meter theft and tampering has severely impacted our operations.
“Additionally, individuals selling water privately are contributing to our revenue loss. We are urging Water Board and the police to assist us in addressing these issues,” said Zulu.
Maliya Ward Councillor, Patrick Makumba, thanked members at the AGM for identifying key areas that need improvement.
“I am impressed with the progress report from A50-WUA. Despite the revenue drop compared to last year, illegal water sales and meter theft are major challenges that are affecting our revenues. However, we are working hard to combat these practices,” said Makumba.
He mentioned that the association plans to diversify its operations by constructing private toilets as an additional source of revenue, beyond just selling water.
Rampant increase in defilement cases annoys Mchinji Police
By Majona Jabesi Mnjuzi
Mchinji, October 10, Mana: Mchinji Police has expressed dissatisfaction with the alarming increase in defilement cases in the district this year.
This has been revealed through in a recent report presented on Wednesday during the Station Executive Forum (SEF) meeting.
The report indicates a troubling spike in incidents with a 32.2 percent increase between January and September, 2024 compared to 22.2 percent within the same period year lastr year.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police who is also Officer in Charge for Mchinji Police Station, John Nkhoma, attributed the increase to the culture of silence where many cases remain unreported.
“We have a big problem of defilement, especially in villages. So, I advise chiefs and the community that these are police cases and are not supposed to be handled by traditional courts but reported to police,” he said.
Senior Chief Dambe, and other local leaders, echoed Nkhoma’s sentiments stressing the importance of mutual relationship and collaboration in addressing such crime in society.
“There is need for collective responsibility to safeguard the safety of our community. We need to foster an environment where safety and protection will be granted. So, we should be vigilant and play a watchdog role in our community for proper handling of various criminal cases in the district," said Senior Chief Dambe.
Mchinji District Council representative, Wilfred Gambatula, pledged to enhance collaboration with the police and all community stakeholders to ease the challenges.
While commending the police for their effort to reduce other crime rates in Mchinji, Gambatula urged the police to put an extra gear to address crimes.
Among other issues, the report revealed that from January to September 2024, Mchinji Police Station registered a decrease in reported criminal cases by 2.5 percent from 736 cases registered in 2023 to 717 cases registered in 2024.
Road accidents also decreased by 10.2 percent from 39 in 2023 to 35 in 2024 within the same period.
VP Usi Upbeat on Morocco/Malawi Agriculture Pact
By Emmanuel Munthali
Vice President Dr. Michael Bizwick Usi has hailed the memorandum of understanding between Malawi and Morocco on Agriculture as crucial in opening many avenues of cooperation between Lilongwe and Rabat.
The Vice President said this yesterday when he met Dr. Mohamed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests on the sidelines of the African Consultation meeting ahead of the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. The conference has ended.
Malawi and Morocco signed the agreement recently to enable the two countries to cooperate on areas of agricultural development and modernization.
“It is pleasing to note that relations between the two countries continue to grow from strength to strength. We will take opportunity of this visit for our technical team to further discuss with your technical teams on our cooperation,” said the Vice President.
The Vice President lured Morocco for investment opportunities, saying the agriculture sector accounts for 80 percent of the country’s exports for Moroccan investors to explore.
Taking his turn, Dr. Sadik said Morocco was more than ready to cooperate with Malawi on a number of areas in the agriculture sector.
“Mr. Vice President, there are a lot of areas that Malawi and Morocco can work together. These areas include training, capacity building, research, and preservation of natural resources.” He said.
Forum commends Dowa on paediatric HIV response
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, October 10, Mana: HIV and AIDS Malawi Partnership Forum (MPF) has commended Dowa district for strides being made in paediatric HIV response and integration of HIV and AIDS related interventions.
National AIDS Commission (NAC) Director of HIV and AIDS Programmes, Chimwewe Mablekisi, made the remarks in an interview during a joint visit to Dowa District Hospital and Madisi Mission Hospital, ahead of the 2023/2024 Joint Annual Review of the Health Sector and National Response to HIV and AIDS.
She said as a platform that annually reports, takes stock of progress and appreciates challenges and lessons learnt in the health sector including HIV Programming.
"We meet at the central level and only get reports. So, this visit was for the MPF to have a hands on feeling of what is happening on the ground on HIV response, particularly paediatric HIV response and integration of HIV and AIDS to other health services like Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and mental health.
"Dowa is one of the districts that is doing very well in pediatric HIV response, in case finding, initiating children on treatment and ensuring that viral load tests are taken and results are provided in good time," she said.
However, Mablekisi, noted the need to increase number of HTS counsellors and train more health workers to provide STI and HIV testing and related services in the district.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Dr Nertha Semphere Mgala, encouraged male involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and also to fight the stigma surrounding Antiretroviral Therapy to improve drug adherence.
She called for pediatric HIV response for a multi-sectoral approach towards HIV and AIDS response.
"The fight against HIV and AIDS is not a one-sector fight; we cannot win like that. We need all sectors to be actively involved and collaborate if we are to make progress," she said.
Dowa District Hospital Senior Medical Officer, Dr Mallen Machika, said of the almost million people in the district, only two percent are living with HIV and AIDS.
She said the positivity yield after testing is also less than two percent.
Machika said this has been achieved because of interventions targeting the reduction of transmission.
"If we have undetectable levels, where the viral load of HIV positive patients is suppressed, we will minimize the chances of transmission.
"This is something we also thrive on in the prevention of mother to child transmission programme. An HIV positive pregnant woman adhering to drugs lowers her viral load, therefore the child to be born is less likely to get infected. This results in very few vertical transmissions," she said.
World Vision donates bicycles to savings groups
By Richard Kagunda
Kasungu, October 10, Mana: World Vision Malawi on Tuesday donated 60 bicycles to community volunteers who are supporting Village Savings and Loans (VSLs) groups in the area of Senior Chief Chulu in Kasungu District as a way of mitigating mobility challenges for them.
Speaking during the handover ceremony that took place at Chulu Trading Centre, World Vision’s Programme Manager for Kasungu, Arnold Tsalayekha, said they decided to provide the pushbikes to ensure that volunteers are serving all the VSLs with ease.
"Each volunteer is covering several groups and that means a large geographical area and with mobility problems, their work cannot be as effective as required.
"VSLs are self-sustainable but we decided to come in and assist people in the communities in terms of financial literacy and we are trying to equip the volunteers to be getting in touch with the groups quite often for us to achieve our goal," Tsalayekha said.
According to Tsalayekha, the organization has spent almost K20 million to purchase the bicycles but was optimistic that the outcomes will surpass the cost.
Chairperson for Chulu Area Development Committee, Jacob Kawaza expressed excitement for what he described as a timely donation from World Vision Malawi.
"We are extremely excited to have received these bicycles. It is something we have always wanted to have and will encourage us to work hard and make our VSLs grow," Kawaza said.
One of the volunteers, Peter Phiri said the bicycle he got would enable him get hard to reach places.
He appealed to men in the area to join the VSLs and change their mindset that these groups are meant for women.
World Vision Malawi is implementing a 15-year project called Mtchenda Livelihoods and Resilience in the area of Senior Chief Chulu in the district, which among other objectives seeks to promote an entrepreneurial culture that would help communities graduate from poverty.
The project which is funded by World Vision USA commenced in 2013 and is expected to phase out in 2028.
Chikwawa’s SP-GEAR project drives economic empowerment with strong male involvement
By Leah Malimbasa and Willy Kadewere
Chikwawa, October 9, Mana: Social Protection for Gender Equality and Resilience (SP-GEAR) project, currently being implemented in Chikwawa District show promising results as both men and women actively participate in the project’s social-economic development interventions.
Chikwawa District Council, Gender Officer, Victoria Nkasala, told Malawi News Agency (Mana) Tuesday that SP-’GEAR project aims to economically empower the most vulnerable women and girls and that it has already begun showing significant impact through activities such as Village Saving and Loans (VSLs).
The interventions were designed to build economic resilience of women and girls while addressing existing gender inequalities in the district, according to the Gender Officer.
“Through the SP-GEAR project, we are not only empowering women but also encouraging men to participate actively in economic interventions such as VSLs, where they have traditionally faced resistance. This project is addressing those barriers,” Nkasala said.
She further explained that the project is tackling gender imbalances in decision-making at household level, division of labour, apart from access and control over resources.
“The SP-GEAR project emphasizes on issues of power imbalances within households, ensuring that both genders have equal opportunities to contribute to and benefit from economic activities, she added.
As part of the implementation, Chikwawa District Council has identified over 200 gender champions tasked to advocate for the economic empowerment of women and encouraging community-wide participation in the development processes.
Hastings Malenga, a gender champion from Group Village Head, Chikhambi in Traditional Authority Kasisi, said the champions’ efforts are focused on ensuring that women engage in small-scale businesses.
“We are also working closely with men to make sure they play their part in addressing gender inequalities that still exist in our communities,” he said.
The SP-GEAR project, also known as Amai Titukuke, is running for three years with a funding commitment of $26.5 million (about K46 billion) from UNICEF, the European Union, and the Governments of Ireland and Malawi.
Apart from Chikwawa, the project is being implemented in Mzimba, Ntcheu, Balaka, Mulanje, Mwanza, Neno, Nsanje, and Zomba.
Mangochi communities urged to observe closed fishing season
By Ernest Mfunya
Mangochi, October 10, Mana: Mangochi District Fisheries Office has urged communities in the district to adhere to fishing rules and regulations as the district is observing closed fishing season in Upper Shire River and on Lake Malombe.
Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Assistant Fisheries Officer, Kelvin Mkwinda said closed fishing season in the Upper Shire River and on Lake Malombe started from October 1and will finish on December 31 this year.
He said the closed fishing season is crucial to the fisheries industry as it enables fish species to breed, for sustainable fisheries within the ecosystem.
“The closed fishing season is a process and not a one-time initiative. It enables fish to breed and thrive, contributing to sustainable biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of fishing communities.
“The season was mainly instituted to protect the Chambo species but we also recognized the significance of the other species which helps in boosting the economic growth of the country and development of our communities, as such, we are urging communities in Mangochi to adhere to this,” he added..
Mkwinda said use of banned mono-filament nets and other illegal gear along the shores is also prohibited during the closed fishing season.
“Fishing activities done close to the beach or the shore is prohibited in the ecosystem. However, off shore type of fishing is allowed for example those that use Chilimira gears which catch fish like usipa and other small fish, hand line, mono and gill nets of good mesh," the Assistant Fisheries Officer added.
He therefore encouraged community leaders and structures such as Beach Village Committees (BVCs) Fisheries Associations (FA) and other stakeholders to be in the fore front sensitising people in the district on importance of managing fisheries resources.
Speaking in a separate interview, Chairperson for Malombe FA, Molson Thomas, said a lot of people fail to understand the reason behind the fishing closed season hence the need to for concerted efforts in order to enlighten communities on importance of sustainable management of fish species on Lake Malombe and Upper Shire. .
“"As Malombe FA, one of our tasks is to ensure that fishers and communities are aware of the rules and regulations that the department put in place. We also make sure that guidelines are being followed.
We however lack resources for effective enforcement such that we need collaboration with other stakeholders to protect fish in the lake," said Thomas.
Mangochi has three water bodies namely; Upper Shire River and Lake Malombe and Lake Malawi.
Closed fishing season on Lake Malawi is observed from November 1 to December 31st each year.
