By Tawonga Moyo

Mzuzu, April 12, Mana: The Malawi Electoral Commission’s (MEC) Regional Elections Manager for the South, King Norman Rudi has called on Malawians who wish to vote in the 2025 general elections to register with the commission and not necessarily rely on national IDs for voting.

Rudi made the remarks on Tuesday in Mzuzu at a district youth dialogue meeting which it conducted in collaboration with Youth and Society (YAS).

The meeting, which was conducted under the Malawi Support Elections Programme, was aimed at providing a platform for young people and various stakeholders to discuss electoral processes and law reform ahead of the 2025 general elections.

“In September 2024, we will begin the process of registering prospective voters. Many people think that because they registered with the National Registration Bureau and have national IDs, then it’s enough for them to go and vote.

“That isn’t registration of voters. You will be required to register in the voter roll when registration of voters start for you to be eligible for voting. We need the media and various stakeholders to help us in disseminating this information to people,” said Rudi.

He also disclosed that in the next elections which will be held on 16^th September 2025, people will cast their votes from 6AM to 4PM and that the day will be a public holiday.

In her remarks, Programmes Coordinator for Youth and Society, Mwandida Theu said as Civil Society Organizations, they have a crucial role to play in educating the masses on law reforms and to encourage them to take part in electoral processes.

“Through our project, we are also targeting young people because we understand that they have limited capacity when it comes to electoral processes. Once we educate them, it will help in ensuring a high voter turn-out,” said Theu.

Among others, Section 80 (2) of the Malawi Electoral Commission Act has been amended to provide for what should happen if the first poll does not yield a winner at the set threshold of more than fifty percent of valid votes cast.

By Leah Malimbasa

Chikwawa, April 11, Mana: Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance, Gladys Ganda, has said Shire Valley Transformation Project (SVTP) has potential to improve the economy of this country.

Ganda was speaking during the committee's supervisory visit to SVTP site in Chikwawa district on Thursday.

Ganda highlighted the project's alignment with President Lazarus Chakwera's vision to increase investments in agriculture, tourism, and mining as outlined in the State of the Nation Address.

“As the Budget and Finance Committee, our focus now is to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance to expedite this project. Accelerating this project will address foreign exchange challenges and reduce our dependence on imports, ultimately boosting our national energy levels,” said Ganda.

The Chairperson further underscored the importance of timely allocation and utilization of funds to ensure the project's successful completion within the projected timeline of seven years.

She then added that the benefits of the project would extend to all Malawians, emphasizing its broader impact beyond individual sectors or regions.

“This project is not just for our country; it is for every Malawian. It is important therefore to support it adequately and reap its full benefits,” she added.

In his remarks, SVTP Project Coordinator Stanley Khaila said the project is progressing well despite facing challenges.

“Despite Cyclone Ana setback, our progress stands at 63 percent, indicating significant strides in Phase 1.

“We anticipate completing this 1st phase by May 2025, although a couple of months’ delay is a realistic expectation, given the circumstances,” he said.

He added: “We need an additional 150 million dollars to overcome Cyclone Ana's impact and also to ensure that the first two farms commence irrigation by 2025.”

After inspecting the project, the committee visited Mwanaalirenji Cooperative, one of the cooperatives expected to benefit from the SVTP, where they interacted with members of the cooperative.

By Bishop Witmos

Mangochi, April 11, Mana: Minister of Mining Monica Chang’anamuno has urged district councils in the country to support her ministry in regulating the mining industry to arrest illegal mining, which she said is rampant in the country.

Speaking during an awareness meeting with members of Mangochi District Council and Mangochi Municipal Council on Wednesday, Chang’anamuno observed that some foreigners were operating small-scale mining in the country without authorization.

The minister said illegal mining benefits foreigners at the expense of local people who, by virtue of being Malawians, were supposed to be benefitting from the mining industry.

She said that while government is in the process of devolving Ministry of Mining to local councils, it is the duty of relevant sectors in district councils to take a leading role in preventing illegal mining and mineral trade.

“We have established that there has been a tendency of people coming from outside the country to do mining and some of them come here without licenses.

“As a result, so many foreigners are doing small-scale mining by extracting minerals in hotspot districts. This is illegal because it is only local people who are supposed to do small-scale mining,” she said.

Added Chang’anamuno: “Therefore, we would want district councils to be vigilant in making sure that they are following up on the issues that are happening in the hotspot areas. As a ministry, we cannot do this work on our own, and we would want every sector at district council to take their role.”

She further said that some investors are taking advantage of ignorance of local people on pricing by buying minerals at give-away prices.

Chang’anamuno therefore said that government will within this financial year establish a mining authority to bring sanity in the mining industry.

In his remarks, District Commissioner for Mangochi, Smart Gwedemula, commended the minister for the awareness meeting, saying it was timely.

“The coming of the minister is timely, as in Mangochi we have had so many concerns regarding the way mining activities have been operated. Indeed, mining activities must be owned by everybody, including those in rural areas, in order for us to benefit from these natural resources,” said Gwedemula.

Before visiting Mangochi, the minister toured Zomba where she ordered that illegal mining in Traditional Authority Mbiza should stop after observing the extent of land degradation and many social ills associated with the illegal mining in the area.

By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, April 11, Mana: Medical Assistant for Vibangalala Dispensary in Mzimba South, Wisdom Nyirenda, has described construction of Vibangalala Maternity Wing in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Mzukuzuku as a solution to challenges of safe motherhood expectant women face in the area.

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday during a media tour of the area, Nyirongo said the wing, which M’mbelwa District Council has constructed using funds from the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD), will help cut costs and medical expenses families used to incur to travel to other medical facilities to access help.

‘‘Here at Vibangalala dispensary, we only run outpatient department as well as antenatal clinic. But, when it comes to delivery, we refer expectant women to other medical facilities such as Embangweni Mission or Mzimba District Hospital.

“While at Embangweni Mission Hospital people pay to access services, services are free of charge at Mzimba District Hospital but they have to foot costs for the travel. So for expectant women around the area, the construction of the Vibangalala maternity wing will help lessen those challenges as we will be helping them right here,’’ said Nyirenda.

He said over 15 expectant women come for antenatal services at the dispensary per week.

Grace Jere from Chimombo Jere Village in T/A Mzukuzuku said it has been costly to deliver in far-flung areas.

‘‘Because of the absence of a maternity wing in the area, most women deliver in other facilities located far away. Two of my kids were delivered at Embangweni Mission Hospital. So the construction of this wing will help cut costs associated with delivering in other hospitals located far off,’’ said Jere.

According to Emmanuel Nkuna, who lives in Andrea Village in the area, there is need to ensure the maternity wing, completed in 2023, is opened.

In a recent interview, M’mbelwa District Council chairperson Morgan Tembo said the council would look for funds to furnish the maternity wing with all necessities for it to open this year.

Speaking on Monday during a review meeting of GESD projects, M’mbelwa Council director of planning and development, Walter Chikuni, said the council will use part of GESD funding that the council has received for the 2023/2024 cycle to buy materials needed for all completed projects under GESD Cycles 2 to be operational.

GESD is a US$100 million World Bank project meant to strengthen district councils’ institutional performance, responsiveness to citizens, and management of resources for service delivery.

By Innocent Chunga & Wongani Mkandawire

Nkhotakota, April 11, Mana: In an effort to protect and address the effects of climate change, Nkhotakota District Council has committed to continue providing technical support in the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSEPWP) for smooth implementation of the project in the district.

Speaking after a catchment supervision visit of the programme in the areas of Senior Chiefs Mwansambo, Mphonde and Mwadzama on Wednesday, Desk Officer for CSEPWP in the district, Arthur Chiwayula, said the project aimed at addressing climate change, environmental degradation and sustainable development to communities in the district and so needs expert technical support.

Chiwayula said beneficiaries in the district are conserving soil and water resources through various activities which are being implemented to achieve the project's goals, such as making swale and tree planting, among others.

“We will continue to assist target beneficiaries in the district, as the structures have helped them to restore their land and improve yields as these projects reduce soil erosion in some parts in the district," said Chiwayula.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency, Agriculture Extension and Development Officer (AEDO) for Mwansambo Extension Area (EPA), Grace Phiri, said before introduction of the programme, her catchment area was affected by running water, leading to low yield of crops as well as degraded soil fertility in the area.

“Our beneficiaries here have seen improvements in yields in all catchment areas as these projects reduce soil erosion, helped communities in protecting natural resources and adopt climate smart agricultural techniques,” said Phiri.

Chairperson for Thanga Catchment Management Committee (CMC) in the area of Senior Chief Mwansambo, Stanley Benjamin, has since asked for more support from officials, as the project continues in its third cycle, to teach them to incorporate environmental conservation technologies in addressing challenges related to climate change.

“We are doing various activities here at Thanga, including planting trees and making swales to control surface run-off and the programme has helped us a lot in improving soil fertility,” he said.

Another beneficiary, a member of the Mandowa sub-catchment area, said government should continue supporting the project to vulnerable communities, citing that it is enhancing lives of people in the area.

The multi-billion kwacha programme is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihood Programme (SSRLP), a Government project implemented through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) and funded by the World Bank and the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

By Patricia Kapulula

Salima, April 10, Mana: Challenges such as inadequate access to inputs such as seed has hindered the potential of cotton production in Malawi, as well as Southern Africa, making farmers shun growing the crop.

Department of Crop Development Deputy Director, Martin John Gausi, made the remarks in Salima on Tuesday during a field day on cotton seed multiplication.

He expressed concern that cotton production hactarage is going down as there are less farmers in the field hence the need for partnerships so that farmers can access inputs at affordable prices.

“In the cotton sector, one of the challenges is availability of seed. Mostly, farmers access hybrid seed which is imported from India and is expensive. So the field day showcased alternative seed varieties such as OPV which farmers can also buy and grow the crop,” he said.

He said in the uncertainty future of tobacco amid the global anti-smoking initiatives, cotton emerges promising to meet both local demand and contribute to export earnings.

Regional Head of Programmes for Solidaridad Southern Africa, Humprey Nxumalo concurred with Gausi saying issues of access to seed is very crucial in as far cotton is concerned.

He said in order to increase production, his organization has partnered with Cotton Council of Malawi, Masapa and Kvuno to establish seed that can be available to farmers at an affordable price.

Regional Operations Lead for Kvuno, Lydia Banda, described partnerships as important to enhance seed availability among smallholder farmers.

“Kvuno supports seed multiplication to ensure that farmers are accessing it at affordable prices as well providing alternative solutions to purchasing the seed such as loans and credit schemes,” she said.

The field day, which was held under the theme ‘Fair and Sustainable Cultivation of Cotton for all’ was done to celebrate OPV cotton varieties and demonstrate recommended agronomic practices.