By Tikondane Vega

Lilongwe, March 5, Mana: Principal Social Welfare Officer for Zomba City Council Linda Matayataya Zinyongo has commended Community Savings and Investments Promotion (COMSIP) for uplifting lives of vulnerable people in the district.

Zinyongo said this on Wednesday when members of the Bwaila COMSIP Cluster visited Tidalirane Cluster in Chikanda as part of a learning visit in the same district.

Bwaila cluster was formed in March 2024 under the Livelihood programme, while Tidalirane cluster was formed in 2021 as a result of the Covid response.

Speaking during the learning visit, she said COMSIP has been providing basic livelihood training, enhancing productive skills, and graduating households into sustainable livelihoods to help people be resilient to climate shocks.

“This learning visit has also been organized by COMSIP so that the two groups can learn from each other; particularly Bwaila being a new cluster would like to know more on how Tidalirane has survived all these years.

“It is due to this reason that Zomba city now has 263 cluster groups with a capital of K186 million. This is happening because COMSIP continues to equip its members with different skills including business and financial management,” said Zinyongo.

Juliet Fraser, case worker for Bwaila COMSIP Cluster, described their visit to Tidalirane as an eye opener, saying members have been equipped with new skills, adding participants have learned more from the old group.

Fraser said,” This visit has provided us with opportunities for mutual learning through deep exploration of issues that have helped us to understand some of the challenging issues in our group. In this cluster, we are 53 in total, and we plan to share K10 million on the 30^th April, 2025.

“We are a new group with less than a year in operation, but we have achieved a lot at a group as well as individual level. Members have bought livestock, are paying school fees for children and have managed to buy fertilizer this year.

On his part, Gasten Mwepesa, who is the Community Facilitator for Tidalirane Cluster, said they feel honoured that some more groups are coming forward to learn from them.

“This means we are doing something good. In the meantime, we have K31 million as our capital among 37 people who are members. We are planning to buy a maize mill as well as a Minibus in the future, but also at an individual level, people’s lives have improved,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mercy Chaluma, Communication Development Officer for COMSIP said she is satisfied with how COMSIP groups are performing, saying this is the reason her organization decided to facilitate the learning visit of the two groups as one way of building resilient skills.

By Yankho Kandio

Salima, March 5 Mana: Salima District Council has unveiled a proposed budget of 32.9 billion Kwacha for the 2025/26 fiscal year, reflecting an increase of 8 billion Kwacha from the previous year’s budget.

The budget proposal was presented during a council meeting, on Tuesday and Chairperson for the Finance Committee, Chifungo Katoweka, outlined key allocations and revenue sources.

According to Katoweka, 20 billion has been earmarked for salaries and wages, while K1.7 billion will be directed towards various development activities, including infrastructure projects and social services.

"To finance the budget, the council projects collecting K5 billion in local revenue through taxes, with the remainder expected to come from central government allocations and donor support," he said.

During the meeting, Salima District Commissioner, James Mwenda emphasized the need for council members to thoroughly scrutinize the budget before implementation, ensuring that funds are utilized efficiently and effectively to meet people's needs.

However, concerns were raised by some council members regarding lack of proper consultations on the implementation of certain projects. Councilor for Makanjira ward, Esther Soko in attendance, voiced her dissatisfaction over the issue, stressing that community engagement should be prioritized to enhance transparency and accountability.

In response, District Commissioner Mwenda acknowledged the concerns and assured the council that efforts would be made to improve consultation processes and ensure that development projects reflect the priorities and needs of the local population.

The proposed budget underscores the council’s commitment to improving service delivery and supporting development initiatives. However, financial constraints remain a challenge, with a significant portion of the funding reliant on external sources.

The council is expected to deliberate further on the budget, with a focus on enhancing revenue collection strategies and ensuring equitable distribution of resources across the district.

As the budget discussions continue, stakeholders, including councilors, community leaders, and local residents are expected to engage in further dialogue to ensure that the district’s financial plan aligns with the development aspirations of Salima District.

By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, March 4, Mana: The Director of the National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens of Malawi (NHBG), Zachariah Magombo, has lobbied for 1.1 billion kwacha to support the development of the country's botanical gardens.

Speaking during a cluster committee on Agriculture and Natural Resource on Tuesday at Parliament, Magombo emphasized the importance of having well-developed botanical gardens, citing examples from elsewhere in the world.

He noted that Malawi's botanical gardens, located in Mzimba, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu, lack basic amenities such as fences, walkways, restaurants and toilet facilities.

"The 1.1 billion kwacha funding will be used to undertake feasibility studies, develop infrastructure plans, and conduct maintenance work on the gardens," he said.

He also stressed that proper planning is essential to ensure that the infrastructure development is done correctly.

Meanwhile Co-Chair on Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee, Werani Chilenga, expressed support for the request, acknowledging the importance of national botanical gardens for the country.

"They emphasized the need for prudent use of the funds, highlighting two crucial areas, building human resource capacity and developing infrastructure around the botanic gardens," he stated.

Currently, the botanical gardens generate limited revenue, with only 85 million kwacha generated in the 2024-2025 financial year.

However, with proper funding, infrastructure development and staffing, the gardens are expected to become self-sustaining and generate their own revenue.

By Richard Kagunda

Kasungu, March 5, Mana: Project Officer for Universal Service Fund under Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), Rachael Chadowa, says sign language is an important tool and is crucial for development in the modern world.

Chadowa said this on Tuesday in Kasungu District when she inspected teaching of sign language by Kasungu Sign Language Club at Kasungu Demonstration Primary School.

MACRA trained teachers to be teaching sign language to children in primary schools and has formed 53 clubs across the nation with an aim of promoting communication using the language.

“In modern world, sign language has to be taught to almost everybody because it is crucial for development.

"The understanding is that if everybody knows sign language, it will be very easy to communicate to those that are deaf and hence ensuring that no one is left behind.

“We thought it wise that learners must learn sign language from a tender age. We believe that as they grow up they will be experts and will help to create a society that makes communication much easier between those with and without hearing impairments,” Chadowa said.

She said she was impressed with the progress of the lessons at the club, saying learners are fast able to grasp the tricks of the language.

Matron for the club, Mercy Nkosi, said learners have shown great interest in the language and are doing well to master it.

“We are optimistic that in the years to come we will have many learners communicating using sign language with some level expertise as many children are joining our club.

"Let me applaud MACRA for equipping us with the knowledge of sign language which we are transferring to our learners," she said.

Nkosi, however, bemoaned lack of adequate learning materials for the club.

One of the learners, Praise Mzembe, expressed gratitude to MACRA for making sign language accessible to them through their teachers saying now the pupils are able to communicate with other learners that have hearing problems.

Mzembe appealed to fellow youngsters to learn sign language to reduce communication challenges with their deaf counterparts.

By Lesnat Kenan

Lilongwe, March 4, Mana: Deputy Minister for Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Halima Daud says Malawi will join the international community in commemorating the International Women's Day on March 8, 2025.

Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe, Daud emphasized the importance of creating a fair and inclusive world where all women and girls have equal opportunities, rights, access to leadership and decision-making spaces.

Daudi also added that the main objective of the 2025 International Women's Day commemoration is to celebrate the achievements of women and girls while advocating for their rights, equality and empowerment.

"To accelerate progress toward gender equality, Malawi will this year focus on areas such as promoting gender equality by addressing systematic barriers through inclusive policies, wage gaps, improved education, healthcare access and implementing gender-responsive budgeting", she added.

She further stated that the day in Malawi is a call to action for all sectors, the government, private sectors and communities among others to invest in gender equality and empowerment.

Daudi thanked the United Nations (UN) family, World Vision Malawi and all partners who are supporting the International Women's Day this year.

In her remarks, UN Women Country Representative to Malawi Letty Chiwala said Malawi is still facing challenges in promoting women's rights, equality and empowerment as compared to other countries worldwide.

She said there is a limited number of women in political, agriculture and education sectors, among others, which is worrisome, and the commemoration of this day seeks to address such issues to ensure that women are contributing to the economy of the country.

This year's International Women's Day will be commemorated under the theme   "All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality and Empowerment.

Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, March 4, Mana: Old Mutual Life Insurance has underscored the importance of enhancing financial inclusion by intensifying awareness in the country with an aim of upscaling understanding about financial products.

Speaking during an award presentation ceremony for its employees from various departments in Salima, on Monday, Managing Director for Old Mutual Life Insurance, Mark Mikwamba emphasized the need for the country to prioritize financial education, so that people make informed financial decisions.

"We are committed to educate more people about financial products, encouraging them to make informed purchasing decisions," he said.

Mikwamba said they have been receiving positive feedback from the public on their financial products and said they are committed to provide critical financial solutions through delivering top-notch products that drive the country towards financial inclusivity.

On this point, he said they are rewarding well-performing employees as a way of motivating them to continue working hard and offering the best services to their clients.

One of the award recipients, a Business Development Supervisor, Kenneth Kaunda hailed the company for the awards, describing them as a motivating factor, for employees to spearhead the company's objectives.

The awards were presented in the following categories: Pensions, Operations, Unit Trust Retention, Bancassurance, Retail Affluent, Retail Mass, and Business Development.

Kaunda has been awarded for the third time in a row, for the efforts to expand its customer base and market share within the Malawian market.

He said will continue working hard to promote the company's products.

He said: "We could not achieve this without my team, which focuses on selling life insurance, long-term savings, and investment products to individuals and businesses."

Another employee, Patrick Mbite, who is a financial advisor, said the award will encourage him and his colleagues to work hard and support the company’s growth.

Old Mutual Life Insurance is a financial institution that provides a financial education initiative, created to teach people how best to manage their finances.

By Wellington Sibale

Neno, March 4, Mana: Neno District Youth Network is planning to plant over 40,000 trees across the district as part of the newly launched "One Youth, Ten Trees" campaign.

Speaking during the launch of the initiative Monday at Chisupa Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in the area of Group Village Headman Zalewa, Traditional Authority (T/A) Symon, Neno District Youth Network Vice Chairperson, Charles Chikwasa, reaffirmed the commitment of youth to make Neno green.

"As youth leaders, our mission is to inspire change. By launching this exercise first, we are showing our fellow youths that we can build tomorrow’s Malawi by planting trees," Chikwasa said.

He emphasized that the initiative, championed by the National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM), aimed to restore degraded forests and promote environmental conservation adding it will be rolled out across all five youth networks of Symon, Chekucheku, Dambe, Mlauli and Chikalema to ensure widespread participation.

However, Chikwasa noted challenges, particularly lack of full support from the district council and expressed hope that continued engagement with local authorities would address issues and strengthen the campaign.

Chairperson of Education, Youth, and Sports Service Committee, Mark Ngwangwa highlighted the critical role of young people in environmental conservation.

"Youths are very important in conserving our environment. We always encourage them to be involved in tree planting to replace the cut ones,"

 “We need to restore our degraded land and plant trees in barren areas. Trees play a vital role in attracting rainfall and protecting houses from strong winds," Ngwangwa said.

Neno District Forestry Officer, Erick Mbingwani stressed the importance of educating youth and the wider community on environmental restoration.

"This campaign will help restore degraded sites and ensure the continued availability of tree products for future generations," Mbingwani said.

He said so far, Neno District has planted over 371,000 tree seedlings against their target of 700,000 in this forestry season.

To improve survival rates, Mbingwani urged youth and community members to plant healthy and mature seedlings, protect them from browsing animals and fire, clear weeds, and water them during dry periods.

During the launch, which was held under the theme "Restore forests and land to secure food production," 500 Tsanya tree seedlings were planted, donated by Nsawenza Youth Holding, a local Non-Governmental Organization in the district.

The campaign is being supported by the Neno Active Youth Organization, which is implementing a Save the Children-funded climate change project in T/As Symon and Mlauli, and additional support has come from ESCOM and Msaweza Youth.

The launch event also showcased the planting of various tree species, including Colophospermum mopane (Tsanya), Afzelia quanzensis (Msambafumu) and Albizia lebbeck (Mtangatanga).

By Priscilla Phiri and Lumbani Chisi

Lilongwe, March 4, Mana: Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Limited (ESCOM) has responded to growing concerns from customers regarding delays in meter upgrades, which have resulted in prolonged blackouts.

According to ESCOM’s Public Relations Officer, Peter Kanjere, the company is aware of the challenges and is working to provide solutions to affected customers.

“We are helping all concerned customers with solutions to the challenges,” he assured.

Kanjere attributed the delay to the supplier’s failure to deliver prepaid meters required for the Token Identifier Project.

However, he revealed that 98 percent of prepaid meters on the network have been upgraded, with plans to replace and roll over the remaining non-compliant meters once the next batch of replacement meters is delivered.

In the interim, ESCOM has converted single-phase prepaid meters to post-paid as a temporary solution to maintain supply while awaiting delivery of the requested meters.

The development comes amid complaints from customers who have experienced blackouts for up to three months while awaiting meter upgrades.

On ESCOM’s Facebook page, one customer pleaded, “We are experiencing blackouts, yet you promised us to upgrade our meters by end January 2025, do something please ESCOM.”

The Token Identifier Project, launched in June 2024, aimed to upgrade the software of prepaid electricity meters to comply with new international requirements.