MANAonline
BuildOn hands over classroom block in Ntchisi
By James Mwale
Ntchisi, May 31, Mana: BuildOn Malawi, a non-profit organization aimed at improving education standards, has handed over a two classroom block, commencing the genesis of Chidima Primary School in Chimbiri Village, Senior Chief Chilooko, in Ntchisi district.
Speaking during the handover ceremony on Thursday, BuildOn Country Director, Atusuye Mwafulirwa, commended the proactive community involvement throughout the construction process and called for a sense of ownership to protect the structure against vandalism.
“Your level of proactivity during the construction of this school block has been so inspiring. However, this school block is not a decoration structure. Our efforts for building this structure will be in vain if we still keep our children in homes and engaging them in household chores instead of sending them to school,” said Mwafulirwa.
The first, of 15 blocks to be built across the district under the project is expected to accommodate 50 pupils each and it has been built in Ntchisi North Constituency.
Ntchisi North Member of Parliament, Arnold Kadzanja, echoed Mwafulirwa on the need on for sense of ownership by the community.
He urged police in the district to work in collaboration with the community policing team of the area on how best they can protect the block against vandalism.
“This development has inspired me to start thinking along lines of sourcing out resources for construction of a Community Day Secondary School with visions of developing this area into a fully-fledged town,” he said.
Deputy Education Manager, Hammex Malithano, commended BuildOn for the development and hoped for more similar projects in the district while promising to deploy competent teachers by commencement of school year in September.
Speaking on behalf of the area’s Primary Education Advisor, Francis Silanga, hailed BuildOn for the project saying the area has been affected by high absenteeism and school dropout rates because learners from the village have had to travel long distances to access primary school education.
BuildOn school construction programme’s goal is to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education by providing rural communities with clean and safe learning environment.
YASD to launch youth project in Lilongwe
By Rennie Tembo
Lilongwe, May 31, Mana; Youth Action for Success and Development (YASD) is set to launch a Local Green Innovations Champions Project Logic to train and motivate youth and women in green skills to build their socio economic status and respond to climate crisis.
The project is being implemented in the areas of Traditional Authorities (TA) Tsabango and Chitukula targeting 80 youths comprising of 30 percent males and 70 percent females.
Speaking in Lilongwe on Thursday, YASD Programs Manager Cecilia Mphande, said the goal is to equip youths and women with skills in combating climate change through grassroots green business.
“This project will transform and equip the youth to participate more in development activities. We all know how bad climate change has affected the economic sector hence contributing to the vulnerability of youth and women.
“This project will help them gain experience where they will be able to develop themselves economically making them active development contributors,” she said.
She said the project will help create jobs and successful businesses for the youths thereby help eliminate idleness among the youths.
‘’We will recycle waste into something profitable to the youth. So, they will be making fire briquettes from residues, making compost manure and making tumblers from glass bottles, among others initiatives,” she said.
Lilongwe District Council Youth Officer, Monica Banda, thanked YASD for the project saying it will help youths to break their socio economic barriers and be empowered to realize their potential economically.
The eight-month project worth K38 million is funded by the Swedish Development Partners.
Ministry warns land grabbers, encroachers
By Gift Chiponde
Lilongwe, May 31, Mana: Ministry of Lands says it is taking strong action to address issues of land grabbing and encroachment in the country.
Minister of Lands, Deus Gumba, announced this at Chikho Hotel in Mponela, Dowa during a sensitization meeting with police officers from Lilongwe Units.
Gumba emphasized that government will continue to demolish any structure built on illegally acquired land.
“My ministry will work closely with the Malawi Police Service to ensure that issues of land grabbing and encroachment are addressed amicably,” said Gumba.
He stressed the importance of citizens complying with the new land laws, particularly the Customary Land Act.
Ministry of Lands Principal Secretary, Devie Chilonga, highlighted the significance of working with the police to effectively address land-related issues.
Commissioner of Police for Central West Division, Emmanuel Soko, assured the minister that police will work diligently and within the bounds of the law to enforce the amended land laws.
Soko issued a stern warning to any law enforcement officers engaged in corrupt practices, stating that they would face legal consequences if found guilty.
“We are going to arrest any police officer involved in any activity of land grabbing and encroachment, as our duty is to uphold the rule of law,” said Soko.
Synod of Livingstonia rolls out goat pass on scheme in Karonga
By George Mponda
Karonga, May 31, Mana: Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Synod of Livingstonia has distributed 150 goats in a pass on scheme to 75 beneficiaries from Lupembe in Karonga.
In an interview after the handover ceremony at Kayuni Village in the area of Paramount Chief Kyungu on Thursday, Synod Moderator Reverend Reuben Msowoya, said they do not only preach the gospel but also look after the welfare of people.
Msowaya said the program is intended to alleviate poverty since by rearing the livestock, families will have meat to eat or sell and get manure for their fields.
“In the first phase, 75 beneficiaries will receive two goats each and when they start multiplying they will be passing on the kids to other beneficiaries.
“We have also created 18 community pass on programme commitees which have been trained in basic livestock management to be looking after the goats," he said.
The committees have been supplied with one drug box which contains necessary medicines to be used to treat the livestock when they fall ill.
Director of Agriculture Services for Karonga District Council, Yaz Nyirenda, said the distribution of goats is an economic empowerment which is essential for most families.
"The economic status of most smallholder farmers in this area is low and the intervention to distribute goats here will help them get manure. Lupembe is a rain shadow area where the water holding capacity of the soil is low. With application of manure in their farms, water retention rate will improve and crops will start doing better,” Nyirenda said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mackson Myaba, from Mwaluwari Village in the area of Paramount Chief Kyungu hailed CCAP Synod of Livingstonia for the goats saying they will be a stepping stone out of poverty.
The goats have been distributed under a three year Lupembe Food Security Project.
The Synod is implementing the project through its development arm, Synod of Livingstonia Development Department (SOLDEV), with over K460 million from Canadian Foodgrains Bank through the Presbyterian World Service and Development.
Mental wellness a prerequisite for high job performance
By Levison Lester
Lilongwe, May 31, Mana: Chief Justice, Rezine Mzikamanda, says mental health programmes are crucial in the course of justice delivery in the country.
Speaking during the launch of a Wellness Programme at Eden Estates and Resort in Lilongwe on Friday, Mzikamanda said there is need for judicial officers to take mental health programmes seriously in order to serve Malawians effectively.
He said mental wellness play a greater role in democracy consolidation and socio-economic development of the country hence judicial officers should priotise activities such as aerobics for their health and mental wellbeing.
"This is a wonderful day for the judicial family to come together and celebrate wellness. Healthy mind and body are the prerequisites for job well done. So, today's event is a basis of serving Malawians efficiently. Our coming together consolidates oneness in judicial system," he said.
Judge for High Court, Justice Annabel Mtalimanja, said judicial work is stressful as such, the wellness retreat will give ample time for judicial officers to reflect on the impact of their job.
"Today's retreat is a reflection on the impact of stress in our work environment. Judicial officers live in a stressful world hence introducing wellness programme helps in relaxation," Mtalimanja said.
Law Clerk at High Court, James Mauzauza, urged judicial staff to take the retreat as an opportunity to identify issues that lead to stress in course of their work to serve the citizenry better.
Wellness Programme was first launched in 2022 in Mzuzu to provide a reflection on issues related to mental health and financial management for judicial members.
Malawi, Israel tighten labour export deal
By Robert Katuli
Lilongwe, May 31, Mana: Private recruitment agencies will no longer be involved in the recruitment of Malawian labourers expected to work in Israel, as Malawi Government will be the sole recruiter.
Minister of Labour, Agnes NyaLonje, disclosed this in Lilongwe on Friday during a press briefing to inform the public on the current status of the Israel Labour Export Programme.
NyaLonje said this follows a Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on labour export Malawi Government and Government of the State of Israel signed on April 18 this year.
"Specifically, the MoU aims at promoting the protection of the labour rights, including safety, health and welfare of Malawian workers in Israel from recruitment, selection, and placement with specific employers upon arrival and throughout employment until returning to Malawi.
"These rights will be further protected because of the presence of a Malawi Embassy that has been established in Israel where a labour attaché has also been posted," she explained.
NyaLonje said private recruitment agencies were initially allowed to recruit Malawian workers for temporary employment in the agriculture sector in Israel between December 2023 and January 2024, which was the emergency recruitment period.
She added that, when the emergency recruitment window expired, the involvement of Malawian private recruitment agencies was also closed in compliance with the laws.
"Government has, however, noted that Malawian private recruitment agencies continued to recruit long after the deadline of 31st January 2024 set by Israel. This has led to some youths waiting to travel to Israel," said the Minister.
She indicated that once this new recruitment process is initiated, government will also consider the youths who were recruited by private agencies after the Israeli emergency recruitment window was closed.
NyaLonje further said there are three supplementary documents the two governments need to finalize before her ministry initiates the recruitment.
"A virtual meeting between Malawian and Israeli Technical Teams has been arranged for June 5, 2024 to finalize the above supplementary documents," she disclosed.
Among other things, in readiness to export labour to Israel, Ministry of Labour will from next week start orienting district labour officers, health workers, immigration officers and the police on the whole recruitment cycle and the role each will play.
Secretary for Labour, Chikondano Mussa, said labour migration expertise will be provided by the African Union during the exercise.
The MoU the two countries signed is built on mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to foster socio-economic development and prosperity.
In the long run, Malawi is seeking to enter into a more rigorous bilateral agreement with Israel.
Communities in Chitipa urged to embrace six food groups
By Andrew Gondwe
Chitipa, May 31, Mana: Project Coordinator for Lusubilo Organization, Maureen Maseya, has asked communities in Karonga District to eat six food groups that can be prepared using locally available foods to reduce malnutrition.
Maseya was speaking Thursday during a nutrition open day cooking demonstration at Group Village Head (GVH) Mweneibanda in Senior Chief Mwabulambya in Chitipa District.
She said the organization has intensified cooking demonstrations in the district as one way of imparting knowledge and skills to communities aimed at reducing malnutrition in under-five children, breastfeeding and expectant mothers in the district.
"Let us practice, in our homes, what we have learnt from these cooking demonstrations. If we do this, malnutrition will not be a big issue in the district," urged Maseya.
Cluster Leader for Chankhamwa Care Group, Grace Gama, said most people in the area lacked knowledge on how to come up with six food groups using locally available food stuffs hence the cooking demonstration was an eye opener to them.
"Just to mention a few, we have learnt how to process sweet potato leaves into porridge and juice. We have also learnt that eggs and soya beans can be mixed and processed into nice relish," she said.
GVH Mweneibanda, saluted Lusubilo Organization for promoting good nutrition practices through cooking demonstrations.
Principal Nutrition HIV and Aids Officer for Chitipa District, Martins Mkandawire, asked community members to make use of the knowledge and skills gained during the cooking demonstrations.
Lusubilo Organization is implementing an Agriculture and Nutrition Integration (ANI) Project in Senior Chiefs Kameme, Mwabulambya and Mwenewenya in the district.
MACRA lost US$ 20 million through court disputes over RAS
By Tione Andsen
Lilongwe, May 31, Mana: Malawi Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has bemoaned that court dispute over the implementation of Revenue Assurance System (RAS) costed the authority US$ 20 million.
MACRA Director General, Daud Suleman disclosed this Thursday during a press briefing on RAS implementation at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe.
He said the time MACRA was fighting the court disputes over the RAS project made them to lose over US$ 20 million.
“You may recall that this RAS project was first introducing in the country 10 years ago but Agents thought MACRA was intending to install spying machine,” Suleman said.
He said MACRA went through courts of arbitration where it was awarded US$ 7 million.
“We are going to follow the Directors of Agents wherever they are Bahamas, Las Vegas we will find them in order for us to collect the said amount,” Suleman hinted.
He said in this new digital world, MACRA could not dare to install spying machines for its operators and this could result into massive pull out of business in the communication sector.
“We have invested US$ 6 million to implement the project within two years and this has been done in very transparent and professional manner. You can now see that we lost US$ 20 million in 10 years over the implementation of the same project,” the Director General added.
He said the RAS project would help his organization to have collect data on mobile and data operator are generating their revenues and remit the required percentage to MACRA.
Suleman added the issue of call drops were difficult to handle with the mobile operator but MACRA was not able to have backing evidence before them.
“We have installed RAS, we will be able to have back proof of call drops where customers are being while their call drops,” he explained.
The Director said MACRA projects a K 14 billion profit for the 2024-205 financial year saying for the past three years the profits have been growing.
“For instance in 2021-2022, we had a profit of K 5 billion which was paid to government as dividend, the following year we had a profit of K 9 billion and last financial year, which were remitted to government. We had a profit of K 13 billion. We are anticipating to triple our profit by the end of the financial year,” Suleman said.
He noted that last year the economy was quite tough but they were able to make such profits signaling that there a potential in the market.
Suleman said MACRA has demonstrated that it could grow its business, create more market and service the country better.
A businessperson in Area 3, Kamwana Ndevu said MACRA has role to ensure that data and mobile service operators are working within the agreed terms of references.
He said sometimes these operators are robbing customers due to high cost of data and poor service delivery.
Ntchisi mourns STA Mndinda
By James Mwale
Ntchisi, May 31, Mana: People in the area of Senior Chief Nthondo were full of grief Wednesday at Mndinda headquarters ground as they laid to rest Sub Traditional Authority (STA) Mndinda who succumbed to high blood pressure on May 27,2024.
Present at the ceremony was Director of Chiefs Administration in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Charles Makanga, who described late Mndinda’s passing as a big loss to his community describing him as a leader who stood for unity, justice and oneness among his people.
He said that, “Late Mndinda was one exemplary leader who stood for unity and discipline. Even going through his file, you would not find any indiscipline-related documentation unlike other traditional authorities around.
“It is with great sadness that President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, through me, mourns with you the people of Senior Chief Nthondo following your great loss.”
Mndinda headquarters is in Ntchisi North-east constituency and present was its legislator, Olipa Chimangeni, who described the late as iconic and a collaborative partner in development.
“My collaboration with late Mndinda on development was well coordinated and it is my prayer that as he rests in God’s peace, his successor will be equally of the same quality or more,” she said.
Born Luka Jolomu on September 10, 1947, late Mndinda served as Group Village Head from September 1990 before his elevation to STA on June 10, 2022.
Joviasi Mawere has been unveiled as the successor.
Government committed to supporting Financial Crimes Division
By Levison Lester
Lilongwe, May 30, Mana: Minister of Justice, Titus Mvalo has described the establishment of Financial Crimes Division as a significant milestone in fighting against money embezzlement saying the division symbolizes government's determination in Malawi judicial reforms.
Speaking during the launch of Financial Crimes Division at High Court on Thursday in Lilongwe, he said the Division would help judicial officers to acquire expertise in fighting against financial fraud.
"A country which is determined to fight against corruption must demand other measures like financial crimes division to ensure that corruption cases are processed with speed and diligence. Not only will this division help to expedite trials, officers working in this division will attain skills that will be vital in delivering justice," Mvalo said.
The Minister said the government was aware of infrastructure challenges that surrounds judicial system as such, government would construct a Court Complex at City Centre in Lilongwe where there would be 40 court-rooms.
Judge In-Charge for the Financial Crimes Division, who is also Deputy Chief Justice, Redson Kapindu said despite some hiccups, collaborative efforts have necessitated the progress of handling cases.
"Today's pivotal event signifies not just an establishment of a new financial crimes division but embodies collective commitment as a nation towards constitution principles of national policy that introduce measures guaranteeing accountability, transparency, personal integrity, and financial probity," he said.
Kapindu said since it was establishment in November 2022, the division has so far registered 139 financial case crimes, and that 40 cases have been finalized.
President for Malawi Law Society, Patrick Mpaka said there was a need for adequate funding, technical and institutional support if the division is to serve Malawians more efficiently.
He added that the financial crimes division has three judges, which according to him delays delivery of speedy justice.
Financial Crimes Division has been launched with a purpose to deliver justices on cases related to financial fraud as well as financial terrorism.
