By Isaac Jim

Blantyre, September 17, Mana: Minister of Labour Agnes Nyalonje on Monday launched the Labour Laws Reviews Consultative Workshop in Blantyre aimed at improving Malawi’s productivity.

Nyalonje said that the review of labour laws was due to gaps that have come in with time as the old policies are not helpful to the country.

“There is a need to attend to the policies that govern the labour sector. Reviewing the registration and legal framework for new registration will also help us clean up what is not helping the country.

“I cannot overemphasize the fact that the current labour laws have gaps, ambiguities and inadequacies that have necessitated a comprehensive review. Some of the major factors contributing to these gaps emanate from emerging issues like climate change, unemployment and underemployment,” she said.

She further said that her ministry was working hard to improve the work environment and that it is in its final stages of concluding a roadmap aimed at extending social protection.

“Ministry is working tirelessly to improve the work world. Firstly, to curb unemployment and accelerate creation of jobs in the labour market, my ministry is in the process of reviewing the Job Creation Strategy. This will complement other existing initiatives within Government including the Graduate Internship and Labour Export programs already in place.”

“My Ministry is also in the final stages of concluding a roadmap aimed at extending social protection through Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions (GA), of which, Malawi is a pathfinder country and it has placed Agriculture, Tourism and Ministry of Mining as the main vehicles for wealth and job creation in line with our development path, MW2063,” Nyalonje added.      

Executive Director of Employees Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM), George Khaki expressed gratitude for the workshop as labour laws play a significant role in maintaining a good relationship between the employee and employer.   

“Creating a fair and equitable working environment for all stakeholders starting from employees, employers, government and the country as a whole is our priority. Labour laws are also the catalysts for the national development that is in line with Malawi 2063 agenda,” he said.

The labour laws review workshop that started on 16^th and will end on the 17^th of September was held under the theme of “Strengthening of Labour Laws for Attainment of Decent Jobs and Sustainable Economic Development” and was organized by the European Union, Zatchito Program.

The meeting had stakeholders from different organizations such as Regional Labour Offices, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU), Employees Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) and representatives from various companies and other similar meetings have already been held in the northern and central region. 

By Linda Likomwa

Phalombe, September 17, Mana: Phalombe District Council with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is implementing an Outreach Adolescent Mental Health project to address mental health issues affecting youths in the district.

Speaking at Mpasa Primary School ground on Monday Alexander Sembo, Clinical Associate in Mental Health at Rev. John Chilembwe Hospital said each month they treat 28 new mental health cases apart from those that are referred to Zomba Mental Hospital.

"Most cases we are treating are young people between the ages of 17 to 27 and this is the result of excessive beer drinking, smoking Chamba (Indian hemp), and use of drugs," said Sembo. 

He added that most youths in the district after finishing form four have nothing to do and they indulge themselves in bad behaviors that are leading them to mental health.

Sembo appealed to youths in the district to refrain from beer drinking and Chamba smoking, saying that mental health medicines are expensive which makes the hospital lose a lot of money to buy drugs to treat them.

Speaking earlier District Youth Officer Halson Bulangeti said young people are struggling to cope with different mental threats and they are not aware that mental problems can be referred to and treated at the hospital.

He thanked UNICEF for the support that would help them to mainstream issues of mental health and address psychosocial problems affecting youths in the district which is mostly influenced by trauma due to Cyclone Freddy, stress, financial problems and abuses.

Phalombe District Youth Network Chairperson, Gift Mawindo said the outreach would impact a lot of youths in the district since issues of mental health are reported at his office with some attempting to commit suicide.

The council is expected to reach 50,000 youths in three months, especially in traditional authorities that were hit hard by Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

By Dalitso Kampira

Thyolo, September 17, Mana: Disability Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Willards Muwawa has said the Sparkling Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation (SPARK) project has significantly improved the lives of people with disabilities in Thyolo District.

He disclosed this on Monday during the project's exit meeting with the District Executive Committee (DEC).

“The project’s main objective was to ensure that all International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded projects are inclusive of people with disabilities. It assessed whether people with disabilities were participating in development activities across the district,” Muwawa said.

She added that the SPARK project had made remarkable strides, ensuring that many individuals with disabilities are now actively engaged in district projects.

“The initiative targeted over 400 beneficiaries across nine traditional authorities, including Nchiramwera, Khwethemule and Chimaliro.

“Since its inception in 2022, the initiative has ensured that individuals with disabilities are actively included in various development projects across the district,” he said.

Assistant Social Welfare Officer for Thyolo District, Catherine Kalata expressed gratitude for the project’s positive impact.

“Initially, people with disabilities were often sidelined in community projects. However, the SPARK project has brought about a significant change and these individuals are now making a meaningful impact in their communities,” she said.

Kalata encouraged local leaders and community members to continue supporting the participation of people with disabilities, emphasizing that: “disability is not inability.”

He urged everyone to create opportunities for people with disabilities for them to thrive in all aspects of life.

Funded by IFAD, the SPARK project has been rolled out in four districts in Malawi including Chitipa, Nkhata Bay, Kasungu and Thyolo with the goal of promoting disability-inclusive development.

By Salome Gangire

Neno, September 16, Mana: Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring free, fair and credible general elections scheduled for September 2025.

Speaking on Monday during a briefing to the District Elections Supervisory Team (DEST), Multi-Party Liaison Committee and media on the pilot voter registration, MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja emphasized that MEC would operate strictly within its legal framework.

She pointed out that the commission would follow electoral laws and regulations to ensure the integrity of the election process.

“We will engage stakeholders to ensure that all our processes are transparent. This will help stakeholders understand what is happening and why, enabling us to deliver free, fair and credible elections,” Mtalimanja said.

She said the briefing was aimed at informing stakeholders about the pilot voter registration exercise which is scheduled for September 18-19, 2024 in two constituencies of Neno South and Neno East but to addresses concerns about how data from the pilot registration would be managed.

“There are fears from some stakeholders that data from the pilot might be transferred to the final voter register. I want to assure you that MEC has established clear protocols on handling pilot registration data and it will be deleted from the system,” the Chairperson said.

She explained the commission's decision to move away from biometric voter registration kits, which have become obsolete since their acquisition in 2017 for the National Registration Bureau (NRB), stating that MEC has now adopted Election Management Devices (EMDs) which are more efficient and technologically advanced.

Secretary General for Umodzi Party in Neno, Matias Kayele expressed gratitude to MEC for the briefing and requested continuous engagement on important developments to foster collaboration and transparency.

MEC is conducting pilot voter registration in eight districts of Balaka, Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Chitipa, Neno, Dedza, and Nsanje.

The exercise which began on September 13, 2024, aims at identifying and rectifying potential issues with the new voter registration equipment.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, September 17, Mana: Head-teacher for Mlodzezi primary school in Traditional Authority Chadza, Rapheal Nyondo has hailed Lilongwe district council for constructing a modern school block at the school worth K37 million saying this will help to increase enrolment at the school.

Nyondo was speaking on Monday, when officials from Lilongwe district council and the media visited the project to appreciate its progress.

“This school was constructed a long time ago. Some of the old school blocks were constructed by parents from this area. So, having this modern school block here is a morale booster to our learners,” he said.

He further said before the new school block was constructed, the enrolment was very low, but now the school has over 1500 learners.

The head-teacher, however, asked other well-wishers to continue assisting the school saying it still needs additional blocks and teacher’s houses.

Speaking in a separate interview Chairperson for Mlodzezi primary school, Jim Kabekele said the classroom block has come at the right time when the learners were learning under trees due to lack of school blocks.

“Let me take this opportunity to thank government for the different developments that it is undertaking in the area, including at this school. This is what we have been looking for, for so many years,” he said.

Kabekele then urged parents and learners to take good care of the infrastructure so that it benefits even the generation to come.

He then urged other well-wishers to emulate what the council has done through District Development Fund (DDF) by supporting the council so that it achieves its dream of transforming the learning environment in different schools in the district.

Lilongwe District Director of Public Works Sydney Chiphaka said it is the wish of the council to transform the learning environment of many schools in the district by constructing modern infrastructure.

“I can assure you, we will reach out to all schools that do not have proper structure suitable for learning through different interventions,” he said.

The K37 million Mlodzezi classroom block has been constructed with District Development Fund (DDF).

By Stella Mwalwanda

Mzuzu, September 16, Mana: Carpentry and joinery business owners operating along the Mzuzu –Lubinga M1 Road near Zigwagwa Market, Monday morning woke up to their surprise finding their market shelters and products destroyed by the Mzuzu City Council (MCC) for operating at the premises illegally.

Following the directive from the Town and Planning Committee, the MCC has been demolishing business properties which are elected in illegal places within its jurisdiction and the council has vowed to continue with the exercise.

In an interview, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for MCC, McDonald Gondwe said the council was just doing their job to ensure sanity in the city.

“As a council, we promote responsible development in the city according to Local Governing Act, which allows all business operators including Small and Medium Enterprises to engage with the council for proper market space allocation and any develop on such spaces must be line with our urban structure plan and acquire proper certification of occupation once everything is settled,” he said.

Gondwe added that the council followed proper action plan and communication to notify and warn the owner of the place through written notices and some public announcements but the owner did not make any communication to the tenants.

One of the carpenters who is affected the development, Benson Mthini said that the carpenters wished they were notified either by the council or their landlord.

“We clearly don’t know what to do next, our businesses are destroyed and neither do we know how to replace the damaged pieces of furniture destroyed in the demolition exercise,” he said.

The business operators who sell carpentry products such as chairs, tables and sofa sets among other have since requested the council to relocate them a proper and permanent place for their operation.

By Tione Andsen

Lilongwe, September 16, Mana: Government has applauded World Vision Malawi (WVM) for commendable work in ensuring that learners with disabilities access quality education.

Principal Secretary for Basic Education in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Rachel Chimbwete Phiri said this Monday during the handover of Assistive Technologies (AT) to Ministry of Education by WVM at their National Offices in Lilongwe

She said the interventions of WVM towards learners with disabilities stress the need for such efforts.

Phiri noted that WVM has flourished in the implementing of “Able the thrive project specifically in the districts of Mzimba, Kasungu, Ntchisi, Dowa and Dedza.

The Principal Secretary It was worth noting that the project has empowered school governance structure including parents and learners on inclusive education.

“The supplies being handed over to support the education of learners with special needs are a great demonstration of WVM’s dedication to Inclusive Education,” she pointed out.

Phiri added that this project demonstrates the full commitment of the organization to help the Ministry of Education in its endeavors towards the achievement of the ambitions expressed in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4 as well as in the Malawi 2063.

She viewed that the project which was still running from October 2023 to October 2025, is indeed a great testimony of the organization’s achievements to the Ministry and the nation at large.

“We take note of the fruits of this project through the inclusive education supplies that WVM is handing over to the Ministry to support the education of learners with special educational needs in primary and secondary schools,” Phiri stated.

She urged all stakeholders to emulate the gesture displayed by WVM in supporting the efforts of the Government to ensure that learners.

Country Director for WVM, Francis Dube said their mission, as WVM, focuses on leaving no one behind, particularly the children with disabilities, contributing to the achievement of SDG 4-Inclusive Education, SDG 3-Good Health and Well-being, and SDG 10-Reduced Inequalities.

He said WVM appreciates the government of Malawi and all partners for the support in promoting inclusive development, aligning it with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the SDGs.

WVM’s Able to Thrive Project handover; 342 wheelchairs and two boxes of spare parts, 50 reams of Braille Paper, 113 Orbit Readers, 150 papyrus, 50 pico projectors, 300 Cubarithm, 50 Bluetooth speakers, 38 magnifying glass, 12 SD Cards, and 75 Braille slates all valued at K 332 million.