MANAonline
Malawi hosts first-ever Africa Senior Enlisted Leader’s summit
By Elia Chibwe
Lilongwe, September 10, Mana: U.S. Charge d’Affaires Amy Diaz on Tuesday underscored the significance of hosting the Africa Senior Enlisted Leader’s Conference (ASELC), saying it will assist in building strong relationships and collaboration and encourage Non-Commission Officers (NCO) to be the backbone of the militaries.
Speaking during the conference in Lilongwe, which was held under the theme, Diaz said the conference would enable addressing challenges across the African continent and wars that occur across the world.
“High global conflicts like terrorism issues in Mozambique, civil wars, conflicts across the African continent as well as wars like the invasion of Ukraine and conflicts between Israel and Gaza have put more pressure on militaries and security forces around the world which is why it is even more important that we forge strong relationships and promote security collaboration,” she said.
She said the theme of the conference encapsulates the essential qualities that define outstanding NCOs and highlights their shared commitment to leadership, excellence and collaboration.
“The NCOs we welcome today are the backbone of our military forces. They are the bridge between strategic vision and operational success. Their ability to lead, mentor and inspire is essential for maintaining the readiness and effectiveness of our forces.
“The capable NCO is a skilled practitioner who translates training into tangible results. The competent NCO brings a depth of knowledge and dedication that drives operational excellence and the credible NCO earns respect through unwavering integrity and reliability,” she said.
US African Command (US AFRICOM) Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Sergeant Major Michael Woods, said the conference plays a key role in resilience, reliability and trustworthiness among countries.
“This is where we come to collaborate, the goal is to come here and give as much as we should take, so we can go back to our countries, more reliable, more resilient, more trusted. So I would say that the level of importance we put on this is absolutely good,” Woods said.
Commander for Malawi Defense Force, General Dr Paul Valentino Phiri highlighted that the event is significant in venturing and forging an understanding of enlisted members from Malawi Defense Force and across the country.
“The conference is going to venture and forge an understanding of our enlisted members that are from MDF and across Africa on issues that obtain in the management of soldiers, specifically during peacetime and also during the conference over and above that to also understand the dynamics of conference and region and also beyond as continent,” Phiri said.
He said the conference would address issues to do with conflict management, the approach to the management of troops in terms of what they obtain in the battlefields and also standards that should be adhered to during peacetime.
In his speech, Phiri urged attendants to use the event as an opportunity to exchange insights, share best practices, and develop strategies that would enhance their collective security efforts.
The conference was organized by US AFRICOM under the theme “The Capable, Competent and Credible NCO”.
Education Ministry sounds SOS
By Steve Chirombo
Dedza, September 11, Mana: Secretary for Education, Mangani Chilala Katundu on Tuesday called for support from various development to help some struggling institutions that are in hard-to-reach areas.
He made the call when Deputy Minister of Education, Nancy Chaola Mdooko, visited Lulwe Community Day Secondary School in Nsanje located in the mountainous area not less than 20 kilometres from Marka, under Traditional Authority Ndamera.
The school which is among many other struggling education facilities in the country has serious water challenges among others.
“We are working hard and giving our best effort to have such challenges like that of Lulwe dealt with. We call upon well-wishers, individuals and our partners to render their support wherever possible. We hope that our efforts at the ministry will bear some fruits,” Katundu said.
Chairperson for the Area Development Committee (ADC), Sumaili Mavutike, said several initiatives including to drill a borehole close to the school have failed by various borehole drilling companies.
“As a community together with the Parents Teacher Association (PTA), we resolved that all students must carry a five litre bucket of water as they come to school which they would use for drinking and other hygiene uses,” he said.
According to the school’s Deputy Headteacher, Samuel Luwisi, Lulwe CDSS was established in 2017 and has a current enrollment of 205.
Apart from issue of water, the school lacks enough classrooms, desks and needs a laboratory to allow students to study science subjects.
On her part, the Division Manager for the South West Education Division (SWED), Mary Mmangisa, thanked the deputy minister for her visit to the school describing such visits as rare dedications.
“We feel energized as a division that our seniors have heard our concerns,” she said.
Mangochi District Council distributes relief maize to 425 households
By Ernest Mfunya
Mangochi, September 11, Mana: Mangochi District Council on Tuesday distributed 50 Kilograammes bags of relief maize to 425 households affected by hunger in the areas of Group Village Heads, Issa Mponda and Mitanga, under Senior Chief Mponda.
Speaking after distributing the relief maize, the District Risk Management Officer for Mangochi, Maria Joseph explained that the distribution was in response to reports of people eating the roots of plants due to food scarcity.
She said the council conducted an assessment in the district and requested assistance from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA), which promptly provided the relief maize.
“Following our assessment we reported the matter to the Department of Disaster and Management Affairs requesting for urgent assistance of food. DODMA responded swiftly by sending us this maize we are distributed today," Joseph said.
She commended DODMA for their swift response, demonstrating the government's commitment to preventing hunger-related deaths and further urged beneficiaries to use the relief maize wisely to serve the intended purpose of providing food at household level.
In her remarks, one of the beneficiaries, Chrissy Ojesi, 59, expressed gratitude for the relief maize saying due to dry spells and poor rainfall patterns caused by El Nino, her family failed to harvest enough maize that could last them a year thereby compelled to eat wild tubers that put their lives in danger.
“I am happy that I have received this maize because I had no food at home. This maize will assist me and my six children who usually sleep on empty stomachs,” she said.
Wyson Matebule, a 48-year-old resident of Group Village Head Mitanga, said that with schools reopening soon, he was concerned about providing food for his eight children when they return from school.
“The relief maize has come at the right time such that I am relieved to have food for my school-going children,” said Matebule, adding the relief food assistance was timely.
Each year government through DODMA distributes relief maize to vulnerable households affected by hunger.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) indicates that the number of people in need of food assistance in the country has increased from 4.2 million to 5.7 million during the lean period from October this year.
Construction of health center and water supply stirs excitement
By Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, September 11, Mana: Community members from Senior Chief Mazengela in Lilongwe have expressed excitement with the construction of Chigodi Out Patient Department (OPD) and water supply in the area.
The K85 million health facility has been constructed with funds from the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project and is expected to serve a population of over 23,000 people.
Speaking Tuesday in an interview, Councilor for Mazengela ward Edward Simoko said the construction of the health facility is a dream come true for people in the community.
“We thank the government together with our Member of Parliament Eisenhower Mkaka for the initiative which will ease the long distances that people in the area were covering to access health services at Kamphata and Nkhoma health centres respectively,” he said.
Another community member Grace Kathumba said the facility will enable women to access the antenatal and under-five services.
“We are so happy with the coming in of this health facility because it will enable us to meet clinicians regularly and learn more on issues of family planning,” she said.
Member of Parliament for the area Eisenhower Mkaka said he is committed to bring health service delivery closer to the community.
“As you may be aware, the recommended distance from one health centre to the other, is five kilometres, but people from this area have been accessing health services very far from here,” he said.
Lilongwe District Commissioner Dr Lawford Palani said he was pleased to see the completion of the health facility in the area as it will improve people’s access to healthcare services, especially expectant mothers.
“This health post will cover a lot of health issues including nutritional value programmes and under-five clinics. So it is a big achievement to us as a council since this facility will reduce issues of malnutrition in the area,” he said.
Currently, the construction of maternity wing at the health post has also started and is expected to be completed in November this year.
GESD is World Bank funded project which is being implemented by the government through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) in all districts across the country.
NWRA sounds an SOS for communities in Mangochi
By Bishop Witmos
Mangochi, September 11, Mana: National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) has appealed to communities that were affected by the rising levels of Lake Malawi and Shire River in Mangochi to relocate to safer places as it is anticipated that water in the two water bodies will rise more in the coming hydrological year.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Water Resources Authority, Engineer, Dr. Dwight Kambuku appealed on Tuesday for a tour of editors and media managers from media houses in the southern region to appreciate the water situation in Mangochi that displaced many families from their houses following rising water levels in the Lake Malawi and Shire River this year.
He expressed concern over some residents in Mangochi who have relocated back in flood-prone areas, describing the relocation as a disaster in waiting.
“The Department of Climate Change and Metrological Services has predicted that the country will receive more rainfall because of La Nina this year. We expect to receive 475.22 millimetres of water above sea level in Lake Malawi, which is 22 centimetres higher than that of last year, and the situation will be worse,
“As such we encourage residents to relocate to safer places because if they hesitate, we should expect the same bad scenario as it was the case in last hydrological year,” said the NRWA CEO.
Kambuku therefore called on the media to come in with stories and radio and TV programmes that should raise community awareness on the impending scenario of rising water levels in Lake Malawi and Shire River.
In his remarks, CEO for Mangochi Municipal Council, Ernest Kazokoya said that the situation in the flood-prone areas of Lake Malawi and Shire River remains bad though some people were settling back.
“The situation along most Lakeshore areas is still bad as water levels remain high. It is just unfortunate that some people are still moving back to such low-lying areas,” he added.
Kazokoya therefore asked all those who would like to construct houses to consult the council for better places to build houses.
“As a council, we still have more other better places for staying,” he said after taking editors and reporters to places where people constructed houses that are still waterlogged due to rising levels of the Shire River.
The rising levels of waters both in Lake Malawi and Shire River left 810 households homeless in Mangochi as their houses submerged into the water.
Currently, closer to 20 households are still residing at a camp.
Malawi Editors Forum, Secretary General Gracian Tukula said was grateful to NRWA for supporting editors and media managers' tour of Mangochi, saying this allowed the team to appreciate the damage that was caused by the rising water level in Lake Malawi and Shire River.
He said editors need to be on top of things for effective behaviour change communication that should come from news stories and radio and TV programmes to trigger positive practices, citing relocation of people from flood-prone areas to safer locations.
Organisation motivates best PSLCE students in Thyolo
By Dalitso Kampira
Thyolo, September 11, Mana: Shire Highlands Development Trust, through its "Edukans" project, has provided school materials to top-performing students selected to various national and boarding secondary schools under the Mpinji Zone, as a way of motivating them.
The donated items included suitcases, hardcovers, instruments, soap, and varying amounts of money based on student performance.
Presenting the materials on Tuesday, the Secretary General of Shire Highlands Development Trust, Limbani Nsapato, said the initiative aims to inspire both learners and teachers to improve their performance.
"This support will help the students excel at the secondary school level, potentially leading them to progress to the university.
"It also serves as motivation for teachers to continue equipping students with the skills needed to achieve high grades, which can earn them further recognition and rewards," said Nsapato.
Nsapato further emphasized the Trust's commitment to supporting educational programmes across the region, including Thyolo District.
The Coordinating Primary School Advisor (CPEA) for the district, Evelyn Kanyidzira expressed gratitude for the organization’s support, noting that it serves as a significant encouragement for the students to strive for excellence.
"We are here today to celebrate your hard work and dedication. We are grateful for uplifting Mpinji Zone to be among the top-performing zones. God truly rewards those who diligently pursue their goals, as demonstrated by your achievements today," said Khanyizira.
Khanyizira also urged teachers, headteachers, and Primary Education Advisors (PEAs) to continue their efforts of providing quality education in the zone and throughout the district.
One of the best performers from Naming'omba Primary School Rodwell Chimwaza , who has been selected to Robert Blake Secondary School expressed gratitude to his parents and teachers for their support.
"I am grateful to my parents and teachers for their encouragement and support. I am thrilled to be going to one of the best secondary schools in Malawi. It has been a challenging journey, filled with hard work and sleepless nights, but I am proud to have made it," said Chimwaza.
He also encouraged his fellow students to remain committed to their studies and avoid engaging in immoral behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and premarital sexual relations while in school.
Mpinji Zone achieved an impressive 87 percent pass rate, making it the top-performing zone in Thyolo District.
The top three primary schools in the zone are Maonga, Mbandanga, and Naming'omba, with pass rates of 100 percent, 99 percent, and 95 percent, respectively.
Malawi winning TB fight-expert
By Lisa Lamya
Blantyre, September 11, Mana: Deputy Programme Manager for Malawi National TB and Leprosy Elimination Programme Dr. Kuzani Mbendera has said Malawi is making considerable progress in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy.
Speaking on Tuesday in an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), Mbendera said that Malawi’s treatment success rate for TB stands at 90 percent on average, attributed to new interventions in the fight against the disease that are proving to be effective.
He cited the phasing out of toxic drugs for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and the rolling out of new drugs as some of the milestones that have helped Malawi fight TB.
"Initially, the treatment for MDR-TB was from 18 to 24 months, but we have managed to introduce new drugs, which patients take for a period of six months, and for drug-sensitive TB, the treatment period has been shortened from 6 months to 4 months if a child is suffering from a form of TB that we feel is not severe," he said.
Mbendera also mentioned the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of software packages that help healthcare workers read X-rays and make predictions about the likelihood of TB.
“Currently we have two AI software programmes running in the country; one is called CURE AI and the other is CAD for TB," Mbendera stated.
Health expert George Jobe described it as the successes that have come out of the interventions.
“It is pleasing to note that the treatment period has been shortened, unlike in the past when it could take two years or one and a half years to finish.
“We would want to commend the Ministry of Health through the TB Control Programme for this success, donors, and all Malawians going for screening and those on treatment; this is a shared success," Jobe added.
Jobe further stated that the current success rate gives hope that the country can end TB, and there’s a need to continue with the interventions and intensify awareness campaigns.
Minister Tembo donate Laptop to Kawale Police
By Hastings Yobe
Lilongwe, September 11, Mana: Kawale Police Station on Wednesday received a significant boost with the donation of an HP laptop from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo.
The donation that has thrilled Officer-In-Charge, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Davie Chilalire, and his team.
"We are grateful for Honourable Tembo's support. This laptop will greatly ease our operational challenges," ACP Chilalire said.
Tembo, also a Member of Parliament for Lilongwe City South West, inspected the station's offices and cell rooms, gaining a first-hand understanding of law enforcers' challenges.
Impressed by the station's proactive approach, Tembo pledged continued support.
"The station's dedication to serving the community is commendable. I will continue to support initiatives enhancing public safety," she said.
K455 Million road grading and gravelling project to improve communication in Mzuzu
By George Bulombola
Mzuzu, September 10, Mana: Mzuzu City Council (MCC) in a bid to improve communication within its jurisdiction, Tuesday launched K455 Million road re-gravelling and grading initiative targeting selected earth roads in its 14 wards.
Speaking during the launching ceremony of the initiative at Mzuzu Upper Stadium, Chief Executive Officer for MCC, Gomezgani Nyasulu said it is the council’s vision to have all roads passable for improved service delivery and communication.
He said the project would be implemented using public resources, as such the council was compelled to launch it in the presence of all relevant stakeholders to deepen decentralization concept by enhancing transparency and accountability in managing public projects.
“We have also handed over contractors which have been awarded contracts to work on these roads to communities as a way of empowering them in monitoring the implementation of the project as we provide high level technical back stopping so that we have quality roads,” said Nyasulu.
He then commended government for providing the resources for the project as the council strives to resuscitate its network.
“In appreciation of the dire need for good roads in the city, the council through the project has targeted selected roads as not all can be worked on at once,” said Nyasulu.
Nyasulu added that most of the roads in the city have been over-graded and have turned into water path-ways as all the soils that support the roads have been washed away by rains hence the inclusion of the gravelling component so that the road surface is uplifted.
Commenting on some road construction projects, which have stalled for some time, he assured the people of Mzuzu that the roads will be completed; saying government is committed to having all roads’ projects completed.
“We just working on a few technical and contractual issues and once we have resolved them, we should be going back to the projects and will all be finished within this year,” he said.
Mayor for MCC, Brian Nyasulu said the council’s Planning Department will always be on the ground to ensure that contractors deliver according to contractual agreed specifications to ensure a quality and durable road network.
Councilor for Chiputula Ward, Hiwett Mkandawire and various block leaders drawn from the wards commended the council for initiating the project, which the described as a timely intervention considering that rains onset is just near.
The projects have been awarded to Mungo Civil Engineering, Three Sisters Engineering, Chief Civil Engineering, Uhuru Civil Engineering, Shalome Investments and Mphamba Civil Works.
Dodma in DRM Act regulation consultations
By Solister Mogha
Zomba, September 10, Mana: The Department of Disaster and Management Affairs (Dodma) has rolled out consultations on regulations for the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Act.
Dodma Deputy Director for Disaster Response, Fwawupi Mwafongo said the consultations targeting 11 sampled districts will assist the department in coming up with demand-driven regulations for the smooth operationalization of the Disaster Risk Management Act of (2023) which repealed the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act of 1991.
Speaking on Tuesday in Zomba, Mwafongo said the new DRM Act gives a holistic legal framework for the implementation of various disaster risk management programmers with a focus on building the resilience of communities and the nation to disasters compared to the 1991 Act, which focused on response.
"The act became operational on 1st November 2023 and the guidelines will cement its operationalization as they will state laid down procedures to be followed in ensuring compliance of the Act," said Mwafongo.
During the meeting, DoDMA also revealed of the DRM Trust Fund, a resource basket that will be accessed by councils depending on disasters faced.
District Commissioner for Zomba, Reighgard Chavula described the consultations as important considering that they provided room for contributions from councils.
Chavula hoped for the smooth operationalization of the Act.
"We expect a more coordinated response when a disaster strikes," Chavula said.
Among the sampled districts where the consultations will take place are Karonga, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Salima, Kasungu, Dedza, Phalombe, Mulanje, Thyolo, Mwanza and Zomba.
