By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, March 27, Mana: Natural Resources Justice Network (NRJN) has called upon authorities in the mining sector to be transparent when issuing licenses and awarding contracts to miners saying transparency and accountability will help government to perform better in the Agriculture, Trade and Tourism (ATM) strategy.

NRJN National Coordinator, Kennedy Rashid, made the call Wednesday during an engagement meeting with Balaka District Executive Committee (DEC) members on a new project called, Malawi Anti-corruption Civil Society Support.

The project is meant to advocate for transparency and accountability on mining activities in Balaka.

He observed that through Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which promotes open and transparent management of mineral resources, Malawi has potential to transform its economy through mining activities happening in Mangochi, Balaka, Kasungu, Karonga and other districts.

“Through EITI and ATM strategy, government has realised that apart from tobacco sales, mining is also another way of boosting revenue hence the need to strengthen collaboration starting from central government, district councils, mining companies and the communities where the actual work is being done.

“We have seen political interference on mining activities and this has become a major cause for various stakeholders to have misunderstandings on issues of financial compensation, social and environmental impacts. We hope this project will advocate for open discussion to address such challenges,” Rashid said.

He, therefore, called on the Mining Regulatory Authority to enforce terms and conditions on mining license holders, observing that in 2024, Balaka District had about 131 medium and small scale miners but only 17 were active.

The ATM strategy focuses on three key sectors in Malawi namely; Agriculture for food security, Tourism for job creation and Mining for wealth generation.

Balaka District Council Director of Planning and Development, Chris Nawata, applauded NRJN for implementing the project saying accountability and transparency on mining activities are a requirement that should help to address social and environmental issues among communities in Balaka.

He, therefore, urged all authorities in the district to collaborate to promote mining activities in Balaka, saying the activities were seen to take the right direction.

Established in 2004 to promote good governance in mining sector, NRJN is implementing a five-year Malawi Anti-corruption Civil Society Support project in Balaka and Kasungu districts with financial support of K112 million from Adam Smith International.

By Andrew Phiri

Balaka, March 26, Mana: Police in Balaka have arrested a 42-year-old man, Precious Peter, for burglary and theft.

Balaka Police Station Public Relations Officer, Gladson M'bumpha, said the incident happened during the night of November 25, 2024.

M’bumpha said unknown criminals broke into the house of a business person, Maxwell Malefula, and went away with assorted electronic gadgets including three smart phones, a Dell laptop and a television screen.

"Detectives from Phalula Police Unit have been on the ground conducting investigations.  A call log  led to the arrest of the suspect on Tuesday, March 25, 2025,” he said.

M'bumpha said during the arrest, Police managed to recover two smart phones, Central Processing Unit (CPU) for a computer, an amplifier and a 52 inch television screen, all  belonging to Malefula. 

Peter, who hails from Chikumbu Village, Traditional Authority (TA) Kunthembwe in Blantyre District, will appear in court soon to answer charges of burglary and theft.

By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, March 26, Mana: Foundation for Children’s Rights (FCR) has withdrawn five girl children from early marriages in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Zilakoma in Nkhata Bay.

FCR Project Manager, Chimwemwe Singini, made remarks Tuesday during the project’s progress presentation to Nkhata Bay District Council Technical Working group.

Singini said the achievement has been registered within a span of six months through the ‘Addressing Sex and Gender Based Violence (GBV) through social analysis and action Project’ which the organization is implementing in the district.

Singini attributed the achievement to well coordinated efforts among community structures such as mother groups, parents, community gender technical working groups, teachers and traditional leaders in attaining the project’s goal.

“The project was intended to address gender related issues such as child marriages, economic abuse and marital and interpersonal conflicts perpetuated by masculinity.

“Hence, in the long run, we have managed to rescue five girl children from early marriages as one of our immediate achievements within six months,” said Singini.

District Community Development Officer for Nkhata Bay, Jacob Moloko, hailed the coordination between the council and FCR in promoting human rights in the district.

“This project has helped us revamp some of the community structures that were already in existence through the Spotlight Initiative Project.

“I am happy to say that all the five girls withdrawn from early marriages are back to school,” said Moloko.

He said, for GBV survivors to sustain their lives they are supposed to be empowered economically as such the project also trains survivors in savings and loans groups.

He, therefore, urged all development partners in the district to emulate FCR’s gesture by involving relevant sectors in implementing their projects.

The K50 million project is being implemented with financial support from the United Nations Development Programme.

By George Mponda

Karonga, March 26, Mana: Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jacob Hara, has officially handed over the Chiweta-Karonga stretch of the M1 Road to SOS Construction for maintenance works, with the contractor set to commence work next week.

Speaking when he inspected the Chiweta-Karonga M1 Road on Tuesday, Hara said the stretch is in a poor state due to lack of periodic maintenance.

Hara said: "This is an important road for our country but it hasn’t been maintained for the past 25 years. The good news is that government has brought in contractors who will start working on this road to make sure it is in a good state."

"We're going to have multiple contractors to ensure that the work is done in the shortest period of time possible. So, we have SOS Construction who will be working from Chiweta to Uliwa. We are also going to have another set of contractors who will start from Uliwa to Karonga patching the potholes that are developing now before they get worse," he added.

According to the Minister, prompt and timely maintenance of roads is a cost effective approach that not only saves money but also conserves resources in the long run, rather than waiting for roads to deteriorate further.

Roads Authority Regional Manager for the North, Fletcher Mkandawire, said the Chiweta-Karonga M1 Road has developed so many potholes posing nightmares for road users.

"We have received assurance that the initial funding to start the works has been put in place, and that's the reason why we have brought SOS Construction to start working on the road.

“Government has considered the need for maintenance, and they have put aside resources which will be used to work on this road for a period of almost six months," said Mkandawire.

By Maston Kaiya

Ntcheu, March 26, Mana: Beneficiaries of the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) in Ntcheu are combating effects of climate change by harvesting rainwater for their farming activities.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, Steven Dende, a participant from the Linengwe Catchment Area, said with various interventions, his maize field survived the dry spells the area experienced last year.

Interventions under the programme include construction of swales, marking ridges, gully reclamation and afforestation, among others.

"Some climate smart agriculture related activities have enabled many smallholder farmers in the area to adopt best agricultural practices," he said.

Dende, who hails from Malonda Village in the area of Senior Chief Makwangwala, is this farming season expecting to harvest 20 bags of maize weighing 50 kilograms each on his two-acre piece of land.

Another participant, Alfred Makhuyula from Mthinda Village under Group Village Headman Makwangwala, said farmers in the catchment area will experience bumper yields than before.

"If we compare the past years in terms of crop harvests, the adoption of best agricultural practices have completely changed the lives of farmers. This clearly shows that CS-EPWP is a game changer,” he said.

Linengwe Catchment District Designated Officer, Etikeni Masache, said the programme is improving livelihoods of many communities who have adopted the best climate smart agricultural activities in their maize fields.

"We construct swales and marker ridges to make sure that we harvest rainwater and use the same in times of disasters like dry spells," he said.

Masache said through marker ridges and swales 488 participants under the Linengwe Catchment Area have managed to harvest running water in 115 hectares of land in this year's farming season. 

He adds that participants are also paid at the end of the day to improve household income and support needs of their children’s education.

CS-EPWP is a component of the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) in Malawi which is funded by the World Bank and the Multi-Donor Trust Fun and is aimed at improving household resilience, incomes, and food security, while also promoting climate change adaptation.

By Paul Madise

Lilongwe, March 26, Mana: Minister of Higher Education, Dr Jessie Kabwila, has underscored the significance of open conversations to address both educational and economic challenges facing the country towards the realization of an inclusive, wealth and self-reliant nation as embedded in Malawi 2063 (MW2063) blueprint.

Kabwila made the remarks on Tuesday at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe during the contact dialogue of the Malawi School of Government (MSG) with the outgoing National Planning Commission Director General Dr. Thomas Munthali and various stakeholders including the academia.

Kabwila emphasizing the importance which honest and evidence-backed discussions plays towards the transformation of the country.

She also stressed the need for public and private sector collaborative and transformative actions to address challenges in the agriculture sector stating recourse allocation and the need for innovative financing mechanisms saying such actions necessitates achievement of national developmental goals.

She acknowledge the commendable the leadrship roles played by the outgoing NPC Director General, Dr Thomas Munthal, noting that during his tenure, he ensured that NPC remained independent, professional and apolitical.

Kabwila said Manthali played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, driving and championing Malawi's long-term development agenda, the MW2063, and the MW2063 First 10-Year Implementation Plan (MIP-1); and fostering strategic partnerships across state and non-state actors.

“Whatever it is we are doing at higher education, we are teaching people to re-invent the wheel, she said."

NPC Chair, Prof. Richard Mkandawire, reiterated the need for mindset change, particularly from a capitalist perspective, to achieve fairer economic outcomes emphasizing the need for a differential approach to leadership to drive economic progress.

Mkandawire attributed the role leaders play in leveraging aid and financing in driving economic development further ensuring effective use of aid to achieve economic progress.

On the country's economy and education strategies, Munthali emphasized the importance of standardized training programs that align with the country's education goals.

He noted the importance of involving various stakeholders including cabinet ministers and parliamentarians and the role of professional institutions in empowering the next generations.

On February 4, 2025, NPC  announced that Munthali will be stepping down from his position effective March 31, 2025 to take up a new role at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, United Kingdom.

By Sarah Phiri

Mzimba, March 26, Mana:  Chief Preventive Health Officer for Mzimba District Health Office (DHO), Bestido Nkhoma, has disclosed plans to distribute 469,169 long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets.

Nkhoma made the revelation Tuesday during a briefing and orientation meeting for District Executive Committee members.

He called for collective efforts when registration for the exercise starts in April.

“We are going to start registration of household next month. This process is very crucial as it determines the number of beneficiaries. Therefore, we ask each one of us to encourage people in the communities to register in large numbers so that we can win the fight against Malaria in the district,” Nkhoma said.

The nets are treated with chemicals that have a lifespan of three years before they can be retreated.

Nkhoma said the nets will help households to stay protected for a long period of time.

He, therefore, pleaded with the would-be recipients to use the nets for its intended purpose.

“We are pleading with the people of Mzimba to desist from using the nets for vegetable farming and fishing activities.

“Malaria is a dangerous disease hence distributing the nets to protect people from mosquitoes so that we reduce malaria in the district,” Nkhoma said.

One of the participants, John Mwambughi, an Economist at M’mbelwa District Council hailed the DHO for the initiative stating that it would help save lives.

“I commend the DHO for being proactive. It is disheartening to lose loved ones to a disease that can be prevented. With this campaign, some of these deaths will be prevented hence saving resources spent on Malaria,” said Mwambughi.

The exercise that will be carried out using door to door approach targeting about 187,011 households in the district is being funded by Global Fund to the tune of K251 million.

By Richard Kagunda

Kasungu, March 26, Mana: Kasungu Civil Society Network has advised authorities at Kasungu District Council to adopt a complete package approach in the implementation of public projects to ensure that projects become functional soon after completion. 

The network’s Chairperson, Braxton Banda, made the call on Tuesday in the district when he presented a report on how the council has implemented projects under the World Bank funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) Project, District Development Fund and Health Infrastructure Rehabilitation Fund.

Banda said the phased approach in construction projects drain a lot of resources from the council coffers as they are more expensive than being implemented in a complete package fashion.

“If it is a health facility project, for instance, we will have the structures ready but things like furniture and equipment may not be available as they are planned for another phase. In this case, the structures remain idle for a long time denying communities an opportunity to access services.

“That is why, as a network playing an oversight role on the implementation of public initiatives, we recommend to the council to adopt a complete package approach to avoid both costs and delays,” Banda said.

He added that there must be project prioritisation corresponding with the council’s annual investment plan so that those development initiatives respond to the needs of the people as outlined in the district development plan.

Banda bemoaned shoddy works done by some contractors citing Kachitsa Primary School block which has cracked about five months after completion.

Reacting to the network’s observations, Director of Human Resource and Administration for Kasungu District Council, Matias Blugama, welcomed the report saying it will help the council to improve on the weak areas.

“We always appreciate the role that our partners play and in collaboration with them we make things happen. As a council, we are committed to delivering quality projects, sticking to their standard designs and timelines.

“We have a good working relationship with civil society and they have greatly contributed towards the well-being of peoples’ lives in the communities,” Blugama said.

Kasungu Civil Society Network gets involved in the implementation of public projects to promote citizen participation and ensure transparency and accountability in the utilisation of public funds.