MANAonline
MEJN commits to enhancing productivity among the youth
By Wongani Mkandawire
Nkhotakota, May 11, Mana: The Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN) has reaffirmed its purpose of enhancing productivity among the youth, ensuring they play a crucial role in driving societal advancements.
MEJN's Country Coordinator, Mike Mpanda said this on Saturday during a training workshop where Micro Financing Institutions in Nkhotakota made presentations of their products and facilities to small scale businesses run by youth clubs and mother groups.
Mpanda said: "Our organization is fighting poverty, bridging gender gaps, and boosting climate resilience through practical, community-led solutions.
"We used K6 million to procure and hand over sewing machines and a carpentry toolbox to women of Chididi Mother Group and youths of Our Hope Youth Club which aligns directly with the communities' goals of promoting sustainability with help from district council officials.”
According to Mpanda, they are committed to ensure youth’s livelihood improves by providing training so that they can prioritize innovation skills and venture into small scale business.
Coordinator for Our Hope Youth Club, Fellows Chirwa, described the donation and the training as timely saying it will help in responding to local needs and improve their livelihood.
MEJN is implementing ‘Building Gender-Responsive and Climate-Resilient Mechanisms’ project in Nkhotakota with support from IM Swedish Development Partner.
Mp, Emphasizes Importance of Voting and Development
By Patience Longwe
Lilongwe, May 10, Mana: Newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Lilongwe Mude Area, Dr. Mphatso Jones Boti, emphasized the significance of voting in shaping the community’s future.
He urged residents to cast their ballots on September 16 for President Chakwera and himself.
Speaking during a rally on Saturday at Kabudula Primary School playground, Boti highlighted his commitment to collaborating with government agencies to unlock development projects, including the National Investment Forum (NIF) program.
“The big message is to tell them to vote for President Chakwera and elect me as a member of parliament for this area.
“I believe that this initiative can bring substantial benefits to the community,” stated Boti.
Boti also ensured people in the area that he would plead with the government to advocate for a nearby police unit to enhance security.
Senior Chief Kabudula made a call to the government to bolster security at the Kabudula trading center due to increased theft.
“My call is for the need of our police presence, as the current security detail is stationed in Nsaru, which is far and inadequate”, he said.
Minister of Labour Peter Dimba called for the party's Unity, stating that they will run the campaign as a united front.
“We are showing a sense of unity, we’re going to run this campaign as a united front, a united force together as Malawi Congress Party”, he said.
Dimba also praised President Chakwera’s leadership, citing significant development initiatives and a commitment to unity and inclusivity.
Domasi Presbytery of the CCAP, Blantyre Synod holds 2025 AGM
By Evance Chisiano
Zomba, May 11, Mana: Domasi Presbytery of the CCAP, Blantyre Synod held their annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday at Mifumo Church where delegated were called upon to be ready to serve the church, to remain united in body and spirit, device ways and means of mobilizing financial resources to fulfil the synod’s mission of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind and to advance social righteousness and wellbeing.
The AGM opening dwelt on the book of Isaiah, chapter 6, verse 8, where Isaiah offered himself to be sent, thereby demonstrating his commitment to God’s mission
To this effect, Synod Deputy General Secretary, Rev. Baxter Maulidi stressed the need to members of the CCAP to remain committed to serving the Lord and to grow the church in line with the synod’s mission.
He also appealed to AGM delegates and their respective churches to pray for the annual synod AGM scheduled for August, saying, “Let us remain united and let us pray for the forthcoming synod annual general meeting that will be held soon,”.
In an interview, later, Rev. Maulidi said Blantyre Synod of the CCAP has a strategic plan that guides it to explore business opportunities, citing the idea to establish bottled water plant and production of wine that should generate income for the synod to remain financially stable.
“The synod is in the processes of establishing business entities such as production of bottled water. We already purchased machine to have our own water,
“We should also consider the idea to produce our own wine for Holy Communion other than importing,” he added.
Various presbytery-level departments ranging from parish, music to education church and society, presented reports to the meeting reflecting how they performed in 2024, the year under review.
Senior Elder of the CCAP, Blantyre Synod, Sam Muheke, also called for unity between congregants and moderators, church stations and presbyteries to ensure that CCAP, Blantyre Synod, move in the right direction to achieve its mission.
Leading by example, Muheke offered K500,000 to Domasi Presbytery and pledged to help in the construction of Domasi Presbytery office.
A delegate, Violet M’baya, Session Clerk at Mafufuni CCAP described the 2025 Domasi AGM as very well organized, saying delegates received minutes of previous AGM well in advance, giving room to fruitful deliberations.
“We received minutes of the previous AGM well in advance, we deliberated very well, and we contributed very well to the discussion. This is very commendable on our part,” she added, saying this was contrary to previous AGMs
Delegates to the Domasi Presbytery AGM included church moderators, presbytery executive members, heads of departments, committees’ chairpersons, session clerks of churches within the presbytery, youths, women representatives and moderators' wives.
Other notable figures at the Domasi AGM were Emeritus Blantyre Synod General Secretaries, Rev Daniel Gunya and Rev. MacDonald Kadawati.
Zikhale Ng'oma secures MCP ticket unopposed
By Chisomo Kambandanga
Nkhata Bay, May 11, Mana: Minister of Mining and Member of Parliament for Nkhata Bay South Constituency, Kenneth Zikhale Ng'oma has gone unopposed in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) primary elections.
The primary elections were held on Sunday at Chifira Ground in the district.
Two sitting ward councillors for MCP, Mauka Chirwa of Tukombo Ward and Laban Job Chirwa of Mbamba Ward also went unopposed.
In his remarks, Zikhale Ng'oma thanked his constituents for their trust and pledged to continue developing his constituency if re-elected.
Meanwhile, the party's primary elections in Nkhata Bay Central constituency have ended abruptly due to misunderstandings between supporters of Raphael Mhone and Changa Kaunda, who are vying for the Member of Parliament position.
The party is expected to set another date to conduct these primary elections.
SCTP beneficiaries in Nkhata Bay urged to save
By Chisomo Kambandanga
Nkhata Bay, May 11, Mana; District Community Development Officer for Nkhata Bay, Jacob Moloko, has urged village banks under the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) to save their money with a purpose by investing in group businesses for sustainability.
Moloko made this call on Saturday at Bwelero Cluster in the area of Sub Traditional Authority Mndola during a monitoring visit of cash disbursement to beneficiaries covering April, May and June 2025.
According to Moloko, it has been observed that some groups share all their money at the end of the year, which hinders growth.
"We are glad that about 5,000 of the total 6,475 beneficiaries have joined village banks under SCTP.
"For these groups to continue beyond the four years, members should consider sharing profits at the end of the year and keeping shares to grow their groups," he said.
He emphasized that members can invest in big projects for the group using shared funds as they grow personal businesses through profits and loans from the group.
Moloko also highlighted that beneficiaries have been given cash covering three months to give the council ample time to prepare for the transition from manual to electronic payment, which will be implemented in due course.
"We are impressed that in all clusters visited, payment protocols are followed, and all beneficiaries have managed to collect their money, which is encouraging," he added.
In her remarks, Secretary for Bungulu Village Bank, Dalitso Manda from Chijere village who received K65, 000.00 said she was grateful for the saving tips given.
"I am happy that we have been encouraged to save our money as a group. We will consider businesses like buying a maize mill, among others.
"This will help us to be independent even after the program ends,' she said.
Another beneficiary Alenifa Phiri said joining the village bank has given her access to loans, which he used to expand her business.
SCTP is being implemented by the National Local Government Finance Committee across the country with financial support from the World Bank and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
Malawi Assemblies of God convention emphasises on Holy Spirit's power
By Beatrice Bangula
Blantyre, May 11, Mana: Malawi Assemblies of God, President, Rev. Benito Chisamba, has encouraged pastors and members of the church to live under the anointing of the Holy spirit for meaningful evangelization and growth of the church.
Rev. Chisamba made encouragement during the 2025 Assemblies of God Blantyre District Convention held from May 8 to 10 at Chemusa Empowered Christian Assembly, under the theme; The benefits of the spirit-filled life.
Chisamba, who was also the guest speaker during the convention, said that leading a church without the power of the Holy Spirit is a waste of time, adding that the absence of the Holy Spirit cannot bring any change in the lives of both church leaders and members.
“All we need is the power of the Holy Spirit and nothing else. The Holy Spirit brings change; great things happen with the power of the Holy Spirit.
“People get salvation and receive Jesus Christ, and they eventually receive deliverance and healing. The Spirit of God removes fear, just like it happened to the apostles in the book of Acts,” he added.
Assemblies of God, Blantyre District Superintendent, Rev. Gerald Guta, described the convention as fruitful and inspirational to church members.
“The convention prepared us to receive Jesus Christ, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and getting filled more with the Holy Spirit; this has happened,
“As Blantyre District, we are grateful for the message about the Holy Spirit by our President, Rev. Chisamba. We thank God because we have a leader who practices what he preaches, as people have received healing, and many have been baptized with the Holy Spirit,” said Rev. Guta.
One of the delegates, Elicy Chimombo from Chilomoni Assemblies of God, said: “We didn't know that even after receiving the Holy Spirit, we should still hunger for more anointing and maintain our stand with the Holy Spirit.
“We have learnt a lot from the teaching that the Holy Spirit speaks to us and prevents us from doing evil,” she added.
During the convention, 20 pastors were presented with credentials after completing their studies at a Bible School and Favoured Martha performed at the Chemusa Empowered Christian Assembly convention.
Neno Shifters take campaign against child marriage to schools
By Wellington Sibale
Neno, May 11, Mana: Neno Shifters, a youth-led organization has taken steps in strongly campaigning against child marriages through various activities such as open days in schools under the theme, ‘advocating for ending child marriage and mitigating climate change, gender-based violence and disability through youth empowerment in schools’.
At an open day over the weekend at Chikonde Community Day Secondary School, Neno Shifters, Executive Director, Mike Mikeas, said there was a need to sensitize young people on the detrimental effects of child marriages and where, how to report gender-based violence (GBV)
“We aim to educate the youth through a series of activities about the impact of early marriages and climate change. Previously, we conducted a similar event at Chiwale Secondary School, but we felt that some students did not receive adequate information, and this is why we chose to hold this event here at Chikonde Community Day Secondary School,” said Mikeas.
He added that the initiative also stressed on importance of child education and environmental conservation, saying the youths need to take a leading role in addressing such issues, considering that they are leaders today and tomorrow.
Child Protection Officer at Neno Police Station, Sub-Inspector, Austine Kamwendo, commended Neno Shifters’ initiative, saying cases of child marriages are increasing at an alarming rate in the district.
He said there was a need to collectively respond to the contributing factors of child marriages with speed before the district regrets irreversible consequences.
“In partnership with Social Welfare Office and other organizations, we managed to end 20 child marriages this year, compared to 17 during the same period last year,” Kamwendo added and pointed out that limited means of transport remain a challenge to reach out to communities in the remote areas of Neno.
A Student at Chikonde Community Day Secondary School, Mphatso Milanzi, said the awareness was timely and relevant, saying the youths need to be informed on the negative effects of child marriage and be aware of various forms of GBV and where to report such cases.
“Information on the effects of child marriages and gender-based violence is crucial to the youth. If more girls become pregnant and marry early, there will be a reduction in the number of educated girls in our district.
“We welcome such initiatives because they provide platforms for the youths to discuss the importance of education and the negative effects of child marriages,” she added.
Neno Shifters implements youth-focused initiatives with financial and technical support from Save the Children through a campaign, Shifting Power to the Youth.
Flames dates Bafana Bafana
By Santos Zefania
Lilongwe 11 May Mana: Malawi Nation football team the Flames will this afternoon dates South Africa into the 2nd Leg of Confederations of African Football Nations Championship (CHAN) at Loftus stadium in Pretoria.
The development has come following the first showdown where Flames beaten Bafana Bafana 1-0 at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) by Courtesy of Zeliat Nkhoma.
In extensions, The assistant coach for Malawi national football team Peter Mponda expressed his preparedness following the final preparations before the titanic battle explaining it as a do or die affair.
"We are well prepared to face them (Banana Bafana) at their home yard, of course we will be without our head coach following his un healthy condition, it would be a tough game, we are coming to attack which is the best way to defend we are not afraid since a win all a draw would be enough." Explained Mponda in a telephone interview.
Similarly, football analyst Kimu Kamau painted a picture on how the game goona be tough but has however wished the Flames all the best.
"The Flames should not worry the absence of Pesewa despite it would be a setback, but Peter Mponda's charges to lead the team would be enough.
"Even though South Africa has boosted their squad but I can urge the Flames to maintain discipline starting in goals defending and attacking they are leading on aggregate 1-0 since scoring would be an added advantage since away goal rule stil stands in Africa players should believe each other and gain confidence South Africa will attack strongly provided that they are trailing on aggregate, " said Kamau.
The winning team between Malawi and South Africa would progress into final tournament scheduled in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Mission Rabies Malawi vaccinates 11,000 dogs in two weeks
By Memory Khutuliwa
Blantyre, May 11, Mana: Mission Rabies Malawi vaccinated 11,000 dogs in a period of dogs in its 43 static points in Blantyre, according to the organization’s Project Coordinator, Nelson Mundira
He told Malawi News Agency (Mana) over the weekend that the dog vaccination was done in 43 points out of 87 static points in Blantyre.
Mundira said the exercise started on a good note since April 26, expressing hope that the number of vaccinated dogs will increase in three weeks.
“The sensitization teams reached several areas in the city where people understood the importance of dog vaccination. The teams told people about our vaccination static points before the vaccination,” he added.
Mission Rabies Malawi has been carrying out a series of dog vaccinations in Blantyre and other parts of Malawi, expressing optimism about reduced cases of rabies in dogs.
“Rabies surveillance team is working full time, following up with dog bite victims and continuing to investigate rabies in animals,” Mundira added.
The Mission Rabies Malawi Project Coordinator, therefore, appealed to dog owners to bring their pets forward for vaccination to avoid rabies.
A resident at Chemusa Township in Blantyre City, Chrissy Kamoto, said dog vaccination was an important means of preventing rabies, saying the Mission Rabies Malawi campaign was ideal.
“This is a commendable and timely intervention. We hear of people, especially children, dying from dog bites of suspected rabies.
“Dog vaccination will help to deal with such cases. It is my plea to dog owners to vaccinate their pets so that we can fight rabies in dogs,” she added.
Blantyre DC encourages communities to embrace self-help spirit
By Memory Kutengule Chatonda
Blantyre, May 10, Mana: District Commissioner for Blantyre, Alex Mdooko, encouraged communities in Blantyre rural to actively participate in the development projects of their areas as the district is in Community Development Month (CDM).
Mdooko made the remarks on Friday when the Blantyre District Council, through the Community Development Office, engaged members of the Area Development Committee (ADC) in Traditional Authority Somba on the CDM.
CDM is part of the public sector reforms in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare, which aim to improve the community's capacity to initiate, manage, and sustain community-initiated development programmes on a self-help basis.
Mdooko said the time has come for communities to begin initiating, managing, and sustaining development projects within their localities instead of waiting for government to do the work on their behalf.
“It becomes a bit funny that people expect government to do everything for them, including clearing feeder roads going to their gravesites and other infrastructures,” he added, questioned the logic behind such over-dependency.
Mdooko therefore encouraged communities to embrace the spirit of self-help on top of taking ownership of development projects in their respective areas to turn things around.
“We empower communities to define their development agenda and take charge of their destiny,” he said.
Community Development Officer for Blantyre Joseph Gama stated that during the CDM, communities were expected to implement various projects, including the construction and rehabilitation of diverse infrastructure, harnessing the natural forest regeneration, and rehabilitating public and private roads.
“By the end of this year, we plan to implement 133 projects under the initiative,” the District Commissioner added
Traditional Authority Somba, on the other hand, encouraged his subjects to participate fully in various self-help projects to develop the area.
He disclosed that bylaws have been initiated to punish those who will fail to participate in development projects on a self-help basis.
Recently, according to authorities, the spirit of self-help among some community members has dwindled due to, among other things, high dependency on handouts and also low capacity of community leaders to hold public service providers accountable.
The month of May is therefore designated to intensify community development through self-help initiatives.
