By Pempho Nkhoma and Benedicto Maguda

Blantyre, October 24, Mana: Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) on Wednesday engaged different sectors in Blantyre District to disseminate information about 2024-2025 rainy seasons forecasting of the district.

Deputy Director for Observation and Forecasting at DCCMS, Charles Vanya, said the forecast report indicated that Blantyre is expected to receive normal rainfall from October to December while in January the district will receive above normal rainfall.

“This season we are going to be affected by La Nina which is likely to bring a lot of rains. So different sectors within the district need to plan ahead in preparing for the coming of the rainy season,” he said.

Vanya emphasized on the importance of the meeting saying that the forecast that they had issued that Blantyre will receive normal to above normal rainfall from January to April implied that there will be a lot of rains in the district.

“We are going to have a lot of rains which may lead to waterlogging in low areas. At the same time, we have also mentioned that there may be dry spell of over a week which means some areas may be affected with have relatively dry crops,” Vanya added.

Deputy Director for Disaster Preparedness at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA), Fedson Chikuse, commended DCCMS for engaging them saying that the forecast will be useful in disaster preparedness.

“The information that they have shared is very important because it will give us a chance to prepare. For example, they said this year’s rainfall will be normal to above normal which obviously indicates that we will have issues about floods in the district,” he said.

Chief Agriculture Extension Officer at Blantyre ADD, Gertrude Kumwenda said that most farmers in the district depend on rainfall and the forecast will be useful.

“Most of the farmers here are smallholder farmers and they depend on rain feed agriculture. Therefore, this information will assist them to make informed decision when choosing the right variety of crop, they will grow to make sure that they have bumper harvest this year,” she said.

The 2024-25 rainy season for Blantyre District is expected to last for about 120 to 135 days.

By Wellington Sibale

Neno, October 24, Mana: Neno District Council is pinning its hope on Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project to improve the standards of the social services in the district.

The council's chairperson, James Chiphaliwali, said this, Wednesday, during a joint monitoring exercise of GESD projects by the Civil Society Organizations and council officials.

Neno District Council is implementing three GESD projects worth K380 million in the 2023/2024 financial year, namely, construction of Chidokowe Classroom Block and staff house in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mlauli, Rehabilitation of Nadzanga Classroom Block in T/A Chekucheku and construction of Mbemba Waste Yard in T/A Symon.

"Construction of classroom blocks will reduce the number of learners who learn under trees and when these classroom blocks are ready for use, we will also avoid injuries caused by natural disasters,” said Chiphaliwali.

He said shortage of teacher houses is a great challenge that makes teachers reluctant to come to the district which negatively affects the quality of education and hopes that the houses will motivate them.

Chiphaliwali therefore appealed to the communities to avoid vandalism of various development projects taking place in the district.

Lisungwi Ward Councilor, Mark Ngwangwa concurred with Chiphaliwali saying that the initiative will change the face of social services in the district.

"The waste yard which is being constructed will help reduce cases of the cholera pandemic in Neno. As a community, we will benefit more from this project," he said.

Ngwangwa pledged to work together with the council and the contractors in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness of the projects.

Chairperson for Civil Society Organizations in Neno, Russel Msiska commended the council for the significant progress made in implementing developmental projects under GESD.

He said successful implementation of the project will enhance education and sanitation infrastructure in the district.

GESD is a Government of Malawi initiative with support from the World Bank aimed at strengthening institutional performance of Local Authorities (LAs), their responsiveness to citizens and management of resources for effective service delivery.

By Beatrice Bangula

Blantyre, October 24, Mana: Stakeholders in the creative industry have called for increased government support and collaboration to drive sustainable development through arts.

Chairperson for the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA), Rev. Chimwemwe Mhango made the call Wednesday during the opening of a two-day conference on Chitoliro Music and Arts in Blantyre.

Mhango emphasized the need for government’s involvement in fostering initiatives that support the creative industry.

“Government and stakeholders need to make policies and programmes that focus on capacity building and investment in a serious way,” he said.

He stressed the importance of collaborations between artists, investors and policymakers to promote growth in the sector.

On his part, Director of Chitoliro Productions and Urban Music People (UMP) Festival, Ken Zizwa Limwame underscored the significance of the conference.

“This conference brings artists together to evaluate our gaps and learn from each other. We have participants from different countries, which will have a lasting impact on our local industry,” said Limwame.

He added that there is need for formal institutions dedicated to arts education in Malawi.

“Art can be inborn but we still need schools to teach techniques and foster creativity which in turn will improve the quality of artistic work produced,” he said.

The conference aims at exploring the pivotal role of the creative industry in driving sustainable development under the theme: “evolutionary exploration of creative industries’ role for sustainable development.”

By Tisunge Mlenga

Chiradzulu, October 24, Mana: Centre for Alternatives for Victimized Women and Children (CAVWOC) has embarked on sensitization campaigns in Chiradzulu District to raise awareness on the dangers of wanton cutting down of trees.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (Mana), Tuesday, CAVWOC District Facilitator for Chiradzulu, John Sumani, expressed concern over the alarming rise in deforestation due to charcoal trade which has become a primary source of income for many people in the district.

"We organized this roadshow to sensitize the public on the importance of preserving our forests.

"Cutting down trees for charcoal is not only damaging the environment but also accelerating climate change, which is why our campaign focuses on 'climate justice,'" he said.

Sumani linked the recent increase in natural disasters, such as Cyclone Freddy, to rampant deforestation, urging community members to adopt sustainable practices.

"Our goal is to encourage tree planting and proper forest management while discouraging the harmful practices that lead to droughts, floods and low agricultural yields," he added.

He appealed to residents to explore alternative sources of income, such as small-scale businesses, instead of relying on charcoal production.

"CAVWOC is promoting the formation of Village Savings and Loans (VSL) groups to help locals save money, invest in businesses and pay for essential needs like school fees,” Sumani said.

Chiradzulu District Council Disaster Risk Management Officer, Patrick Mulinga commended CAVWOC for the initiative, saying mindset change is crucial to addressing deforestation and its impact.

"Raising awareness about the importance of tree planting and care is vital for mitigating the effects of climate change," Mulinga said, adding that the campaign also involves engaging local leaders to help spread the message.

By Benedicto Maguda

Blantyre, October 23, Mana: Women Fair Development (WOFAD) has distributed 190 goats to 95 women at Katete and Somba Villages, Traditional Authority Lundu in Blantyre as one way of empowering them to be productive in their respective families.

WOFAD Executive Director, Apostle Lindiwe Matanya, said recently that the organization will continue helping women by proving them with livestock and other requirements to improve their livelihood.

“Women need to be empowered and this is why we distributed goats to improve their income status at household level for better living standards,” he said.

WOFAD distributed 190 goats to 95 women such that each of the women received two goats through a programme called, Giving Machine with financial support from Mentors International.

“Our target is to help 350 women from both Traditional Authorities Kunthembwe and Lundu in Blantyre. We are doing this with funds from Mentors International,” she said, adding that WOFAD has put in place door to door monitoring mechanism to see impact.

The organization trained the recipients for two months in business management and how to care for the livestock before giving them the goats.

WOFAD Executive Director, therefore appealed to the women to take good care of the goats, saying the goats will provide a sustainable livelihood if well taken care of.

“It is unfortunate that some people abuse such kind of gesture. I man sure the women will not sell the goats because this will contribute a better livelihood,” she said, adding that WOFAD intends to discuss with Mentors International to introduce the programme to other parts of Malawi to empowering more women.

Mentors International, Country Director, Lameck Chisale said the organization partners very well with WOFAD because of similar goals as both seek to empower women.

Mentors international and WOFAD provide women with business management training to better empower women and youth for self-economic reliance, according to Chisale.

“Our aim is to ensure women and youth are living better life. We provide them with livestock such as goats and pigs so that they should improve their income for better living standards,

“This is why Mentors International thought of having partnership with WOFAD,” he said, adding that they were targeting to distribute over 2,700 goats to over 1,350 families in other parts of Malawi.

He said the goats’ dual purpose will achieve greater things at household level where recipients expect to use manure as alternative farm input.

“As they rear the goats, they will also able to secure manure that will be applied in their gardens for improved crop yield. They can also sell the goats once they are multiplied to improve household income.

“With improved income at household level, they should also be able to pay school fees for their children,” Chisale added.

Sarah Chinsewu from Katete area said was grateful for receiving the goats, adding that this was the beginning of another way of living,

She said the goats were an asset and also looked forward to make compost manure out of goat droppings for improved crop production.

By Zenak Matekenya

Dedza, October 24, Mana: Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja has expressed satisfaction with the 2025 General Election voter registration turnout in Dedza district.

She made the remarks Wednesday, a day after National Initiative for Civic Education and the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice called for more voter registration awareness in the district after being concerned with low turnout.

“We have generally good turnout. In some centres, the numbers are very huge. We have had to deploy extra operators just to ensure that people are not queuing for too long,” she said after touring several centres in the district.

Justice Mtalimanja said MEC is confident that at the end of 14 days, Dedza district and all the phase one districts will have good registration.

The MEC Chairperson said though there were a few challenges with the deployment of materials, all centres were able to open by 8 o'clock in the morning.

She added that a contingent plan to ensure the availability of fuel for running generators also contributed to the effective implementation of the exercise.

Mtalimanja then downplayed claims that some people were sent back due to identification failure but pointed out that the challenge with QR code scanning on Monday was resolved by National Registration Bureau (NRB) technicians and everyone was able to register.

“No person has been sent back because of the challenge with an ID number. So far we have had no challenge that has affected the exercise,” she said.

She added that the new equipment is able to capture people faster and able to record bio-metrics which is critical for the credibility of the voter register.

NRB Principal Secretary, Mphasto Sambo said the bureau’s role in the registration process has started successfully.

He said the bureau has deployed at least an officer to each and every voter registration centre and has a pool of standby staff.

Sambo added that NRB’s role as stipulated by the law is to provide proof of identification right at the centre as the law requires only those with National Identity from NRB as eligible to register and vote in the general election.

“Anyone who registered with NRB is in our database. When someone has an issue they go to the NRB desk to report the matter.

“Such issues could be a broken ID or an ID which is not working with MEC equipment or maybe lost ID and many other things concerning the ID,” he said.

There are 266 registration centres in Dedza where registration for the 2025 General Election started on Monday, October 21, 2024, and is expected to close on November 3, 2024.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, October 23, Mana: The National Child Commission (NCC) has called for collaborative efforts in child protection interventions saying a nation that does not invest in children does not have solid foundations for the future.

NCC Chairperson, Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa, made the remarks Wednesday in an interview with the Malawi News Agency (Mana) after an extraordinary District Executive Committee meeting held to introduce the NCC and its Commissioners to the council and its stakeholders.

He said if efforts in child protection are to bear fruits, there is need for collaboration at all levels.

“This meeting is aimed at bringing awareness to the council about the newly instituted NCC. Also, council coordinates and works with various players, institutions organizations in child protection. And for us to monitor, supervise and coordinate these players up to the grassroot level, we need this council as an entry point.

“We also wanted to appreciate the status and map out how the NCC can work with the council, and enhance coordination and collaboration in child related issues in the district,” he said.

Mwakhwawa highlighted that this effective collaboration can lay good pillars in protecting children and a strong foundation for the future of this country.

He said the meeting also provided a chance for stakeholders to provide what he said was advice to the NCC.

“Some of the takeaway points include that we should not take this as business as usual. But we should adhere to independence and avoid outside influences, be aggressive and innovative, and work in our mandate as people are waiting for a lot from the commission,” he said.

Amongst other things, he said the NCC will enhance monitoring to bring discipline, accountability and transparency in child protection related activities.

Mwakhwawa said the NCC was working towards resource mobilization to work and support institutions and also setting up structures to fully institutionalize the commission.

Chief Administrative Officer for the council, Mathews Mkandawire, said the meeting was fruitful as it adds an extra gear in child protection related activities.

“What all of us here want is to improve the lives of our children, whether in education, health, their rights and other issues. This meeting opens doors to better engagements between the council and its partners, and the NCC.

“Above all, you are also welcome in the district at any time to monitor our activities which we do in regard to protecting, supporting, developing and investing in our children,” he said.