By Damiano Thengo

Nkhotakota, November 28, Mana: Nkhotakota District Council Economist John Manda has urged Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) beneficiaries to form strong and sustainable Savings loan groups that will assist in transforming their households and communities.

Manda said this at Khwapu Primary School in Nkhotakota district on Wednesday, during a weeklong GIZ-funded campaign on the benefits of savings and loan groups and other financial literacy benefits to beneficiaries of resilience programmes in the district.

He said the separate package that they contribute within Saving loan groups is used to support group members during disaster.

Manda therefore asked more male SCTP beneficiaries to join saving loan groups to achieve equal financial access between males and females.

H said embracing a culture of saving and learning entrepreneurial skills is critical to improve one’s economic status in life.

"We are encouraging them to join saving loan groups to have a vision for their households, as they might have plans to buy a bicycle, some livestock, or to build a house. So it is important for them to join these groups,” said Manda.

Ministry of Gender Poverty Reduction and Social Protection Division Economist, Elicia Limbe revealed that most of the previous SCTP beneficiaries failed to succeed as they lacked effective strategies such as joining saving loan groups that would have guided them to accomplish their vision.

He added that this is why the ministry is advocating for the measures to make sure beneficiaries are guided, equipped, and placed in the best possible environment to succeed.

Alice Chimsewu one of the beneficiaries from Group Village Head Benga 2, said she ventured into livestock farming after joining the savings group and this has greatly helped the family to support children in school.

Chimsewu however asked government to consider increasing the package in order to match with the high cost of living caused by the devaluation of the local currency.

She admitted the importance of joining saving loan groups saying through this groups have access to borrow loans from financial institutions like banks and have access to numerous linkages of other groups.

By Ivy Yohane

Blantyre, November 26, Mana: In a bid to celebrate the Mexican culture and cuisine, Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre has organized an event dubbed; Mexican Fiesta on November 30, 2024 as Rosalba Ortega Rosas from Mexico will lead the culinary showcase and share her expertise in the Mexican cuisine.

In an interview with the Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, Amaryllis Hotel Marketing Manager, Georgina Gadama stated that the event would provide an opportunity for patrons to explore authentic Mexican flavors, enjoy family-friendly entertainment, and create unforgettable moments.

“The food will highlight traditional Mexican cuisine, with dishes prepared by Chef Rossalba Rosas and inspired by Mexico's rich culinary heritage. Attendees should expect a variety of tacos, enchiladas, salsas, guacamole, and other iconic Mexican delicacies,” she said.

Gadama added that the guests will have an opportunity where they will interact with the chef.

“Chef Rosalba Rosas will be available to mingle and share insights about the ingredients, preparation methods, and cultural significance of each dish. This hands-on engagement will provide an excellent opportunity to learn directly from the expert while savoring the delicious dishes,” she added.

In a separate interview, the headliner chef, Rosalba Ortega Rosas said she was inspired to participate in the event to display her culture in Malawi.

"Mexican food is UNESCO Worldwide Heritage and I am very excited to bring my culture to Malawi. I have this commitment to be ambassador from my country everywhere,” she said.

Rosas explained that her work is entirely artisanal, utilizing recipes from Aztec culture to create delicious tortillas.

“The attendees will be immersing in a wonderful Mexican Day with the best Mexican food in Blantyre and feel the Mexican vibes,” she added.

The event is set to begin at 12 noon and will run throughout the afternoon into the evening. Attendees are encouraged to explore the offerings at Splash Rooftop and Zaffron at their own pace throughout the day.

By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, November 26, Mana: Kabula Gospel Project will on December 28 go into full swing to sing numerous series of hymns at Malawi Sun Hotel in Blantyre under the theme; Hymns of the Heart to offer heartfelt experience in hymn worship.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Spokesperson for the event, Thokozani Kasiya said the worship series will feature a powerful blend of traditional hymns, soul-stirring gospel melodies to allow devoted Christians and other patronage to celebrate the power of faith.

“After a year of growth, challenges, and victories, we thought it wise to end the year with a concert which shall reflect faith, strength and beauty in God. Through the theme; 'Hymns of the Heart’, we will explore how hymns speak to the soul, reflecting deep on personal faith, prayer, joy, and worship,” said Kasiya.

She added that the Hymns of the Heart worship series will incorporate spoken word and congregational singing to create a dynamic atmosphere and bridge the gap between God and His people.

Kasiya added that the event promises to bring the Christian community together in worship, singing and celebration as the year ends.

The December 28, Hymns of the Heart will be “free entry” and is the first public event organised by Kabula Gospel Project outside the churches.

The show will feature popular church hymns and will be sung in various languages along with gospel songs from Kabula Gospel Project collections.

One of the devoted Christian, Chikumbutso Jabu hailed the Kabula Gospel Project for organising the hymn worship saying hymns connect people with God.

He said he is anticipating that singers will bring a vibrant flavor of hymns that will revive the listening audience to greater moments.

“I am looking forward to attend the event and l know l will witness God’s power and glory. I hope the group will inspire and uplift the audiences through a collection of original compositions and re-arranged hymns,” he added

Kabula Gospel Project formerly known as Kabula Youth Choir based at Kabula Hill Seventh day Adventist Church is a grouping of Kabula adventist youths with an ardent determination in preaching the gospel through music.

Since its establishment, Kabula Gospel Project has been leading different worship programmes and initiatives in various churches.

By Bishop Witmos

Mangochi, November 15, Mana: Driving from Mangochi Boma to Blantyre, approximately 20 Kilometers, one reaches Traditional Authority Chimwala. Unlike other areas in Mangochi, Chimwala is unique due to its geographical position. Turning left, one finds Lake Malombe, while to the right there is breathtaking scenery of mountainous topography.  

Mangochi District is endowed with numerous natural resources, including lakes, minerals and mountains. The district boasts three famous surface water bodies: Lake Malawi, Lake Malombe and Shire River.

Largely, situated in the rift valley of Lake Malawi’s Southern end, Mangochi boasts highlands and hills with a minimum elevation of 472 meters such that the district’s topography falls into two distinct categories: rift valley and hilly forest area.

The district also faces challenges in the education sector in the sense that its mountainous terrain, in some areas of Traditional Authority Chimwala becomes hard to reach area making it hard for people to access social amenities like hospitals and schools.

The geographical condition also becomes a stumbling block to learners to the extent that they long endure difficulties in accessing education such that the most prominent public secondary schools; Chimwala and Changali Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSS) becomes too far on foot and too far apart for option.

“Due to the long distance to school, we feel that access to school is no longer a right,’’ says Amina Hassan, a form two student at Changali CDSS. With 148 learners, including 77 girls, most students travel over 10 kilometers to access secondary education.

To address the challenge in the education sector, Member of Parliament for the area, Mangochi Nkungulu, Aisha Mambo Adams approached Mangochi District Council to agree to construct a 50-capacity girls’ hostel at Changali CDSS using Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Completed within months, the hostel is valued at MK43 million and has a kitchen and wash rooms as a package to provide for the girls very well.

Adams, who also serves as the Second Deputy Speaker of the Malawi Parliament, said she was inspired to construct the girls' hostel after reflecting on her own school days, when she faced the challenge of walking long distances to attend classes.

‘‘I was born and raised in this area, I know what it means to walk a long distance to get education. Unlike boys, whenever girls are back home from school they are given a number of household’s chores, a development which demotivate them from continuing with education,’’ says the legislator.

Access to education is well stipulated in the Malawi 2063 agenda, with a goal to promote formal and quality education to every Malawian child. However, as set in the 2022 to 2030 Social Economic Profile for Mangochi, high dropout of school learners is one of the main challenges currently experienced by Mangochi District Council.

For instance, in Traditional Authority Chimwala, population for projected school going age by 2023 was 25,827, with 2,627 number of school going children that were out of school, making Chimwala the third highest area with most school dropouts in Mangochi.

By 2023, having 15 Traditional Authorities in Mangochi, the Traditional Authorities with highest school dropouts was Traditional Authority Bwananyambi with 13 percent, followed by Traditional Authority Chilipa with 12 percent, and Traditional Authority Chimwala with 10 percent as the area registered 1,275 boys drop out vs 1,230 girl drop outs, while in 2021, the same Chimwala registered 1,416 boys and 1,611 girls drop outs respectively.

According to the 2023 Mangochi District Education Management Information System, dropout rate for girls in schools is slightly higher than that of the boys in most Traditional Authorities in the district, due to long distance to school, inadequate change rooms for girls, as well as child marriage.

Considering geographical and social barriers affecting girls’ education and good intervention by Mangochi Nkungulu legislator, Changali CDSS Deputy Headteacher, Maria Jackson, says that construction of the girls’ hostel was a big plus, anticipating that the facility will help to improve girls’ academic performance.

‘‘Changali CDSS accommodates learners that travel very long distances of over 10 kilometers from home, and as a result, performance of some, especially girls, is not encouraging. Most of them dropped out of school.

‘‘Construction of the hostel here is a sigh of relief to learners, teachers, as well as the community. The hostel will assist students to stay within the school premises and this will in turn help them to concentrate on their studies,’’ Jackson adds.

Mangochi District has for the past years shined in the education infrastructure development through CDF such that during the 2023/2024 fiscal year, the district received a total of MK1.2 billion. With the CDF, number of classroom blocks have been constructed in secondary and primary schools across 12 constituencies.

The following blocks were constructed at the following school and constituencies; Malimbasa, Namitambo, Nandembo as well as Mkumba in Mangochi South Constituency.

Classroom blocks were also constructed at Mendo Primary School and Masanje Nursery School in Mangochi Monkey Bay Constituency while Mangochi Masongola Constituency saw construction of blocks at Changwale, Mandimba 2 and Masongola primary schools.

In Mangochi Nkungulu Constituency, Mdinde Primary School classroom block has been re-roofed while Chilumba Primary school toilet as well as Katole Primary School classroom block in Mangochi West Constituency have been finalized.

CDF was also used in Njera classroom block construction in Mangochi North East as the same fund was used in Mangochi Lutende Constituency for Kabuli Primary classroom block construction. In Mangochi South East, Dambula and Msosa primary schools also got their shares of the CDF following construction of blocks.

Economist at Mangochi District Council, Blessings Stove says despite having a highest learner to classroom ratio, of 15 to 1, the district is currently doing fine on infrastructure development.

“The council is implementing infrastructure projects using three funding windows of Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD), District Development Fund (DDF), as well as Constituency Development Fund, and through such funds, we believe that we are on course,” says Stove.

Despite tremendous improvement in infrastructure development, performance in the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examination in girls in Mangochi has been hanging between averages, compared to that for boys, for the past three years.

In 2022, for instance, boys pass rate was 63 percent, while girls pass rate was 54 percent, an indication that girls are left behind.

The results also show that CDSS’s in Mangochi are the lowest performers, compared to boarding schools in the district as the results indicate that district boarding schools had 90 percent passing rate, while CDSSs had 51 percent passing rate.

Currently, Mangochi has one grant-aided national secondary school, two district boarding secondary schools, two district day secondary schools, 37 CDSSs as well as 16 private secondary schools.

The secondary school subsector absorbs only 50 percent of primary school leavers, calling for establishment of many public secondary schools in the district.

To address school dropout among girls, a Mangochi-based social activist, Dickens Mahwayo said there was need to lobby for boarding facilities for girls, libraries, as well as teacher houses, in order to attract and retain quality teachers and learners in the district.

"There is a need to construct more Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs) in areas where they are lacking and to upgrade existing ones by providing adequate human resources, materials, and boarding facilities," he adds.

On his recent tour to Mangochi to appreciate developmental projects under CDF, DDF and GESD, Executive Director for National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC), Dr. Kondwani Santhe observed that through CDF, challenges of inadequate infrastructure, as well as school dropout by girls in the district are minimized.

‘‘As National Local Government Finance Committee, we are satisfied with what we have seen here in Mangochi where MPs are constructing high quality education infrastructures. We are impressed with the CDF outcomes adds Santhe.   

By Leah Malimbasa

Chikwawa, November 25, Mana: Felesiya Chithumba is a traditional doctor who has transformed her passion for traditional medicine into a mission for reforestation.

The 42-year-old mother from Mwiza Village in Sub-Traditional Authority Chiputula in Chikwawa District, started her journey from a humble beginning in 1998 when her child Emmanuel fell terminally ill.

With the child’s health was in jeopardy, Chithumba turned to her grandmother for help instead of heading to a nearby health centre. Her grandmother led her deep into the forest and stopped by a certain tree that she claimed held the cure for the illness.

A mixture of its leaves and bark was prepared immediately and shoved into the baby’s mouth. To Chithumba’s surprise, her son’s ailment vanished in no time and he recovered. For Chithumba, this was a powerful revelation of the value of traditional medicine.

This experience was a turning point, revealing the valuable role of traditional medicine.

“The trees are our heritage,” Chithumba states. “They provide medicine, food and even protection against the harsh climate changes threatening our fields and homes. That day, my grandmother showed me that every tree has a purpose. Some cure, some protect and others sustain life in ways we often take for granted.”

Currently participating in the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP), Chithumba is committed to giving back to the forests that have sustained her family and career for many years.

“The programme is helping us to preserve these valuable natural resources for future generations,” she says. “It is not just about planting trees; it is about restoring balance to the environment.”

Chithumba also practices natural tree regeneration, a sustainable method that nurtures existing trees to encourage growth without cutting or disturbing the ecosystem.

She adds: “By letting trees grow naturally, we protect the forest’s biodiversity and ensure it remains useful for years to come. This work goes beyond my role as a healer—it is about survival, sustainability and ensuring that future generations will have access to the same resources I was fortunate to learn about.”

Chikwawa District Forestry Officer, Hector Nkawihe echoes Chithumba’s sentiments, emphasising the impact of the programme on local reforestation efforts.

Nkawihe says the programme has made strides in promoting Village Forest Areas (VFAs) to ensure communities have convenient access to forest products and services.

“During the last cycle, we made significant progress in establishing new VFAs while sustainably managing the older ones. In Chikwawa, the CS-EPWP now covers 2, 000 hectares of forest, with 335 VFAs managed by Village Natural Resource Management Committees across the district,” he points out.

On the other hand, Chikwawa District Disaster Risk Management Officer, Charity Machika emphasises how reforestation is essential for mitigating disasters such as floods and strong winds.

“One major contributing factor of flooding in Chikwawa is river siltation. So, to avoid siltation of rivers, reforestation is crucial because it helps to stabilise soil and reduce sediments flowing into rivers. Additionally, trees act as a buffer against strong winds, protecting homes and crops,” Machika says.

Chikwawa District CS-EPWP Project Facilitator, Chifundo Thungwa underscores the programme’s broader significance in building household resilience to climate shocks.

“The programme is designed to improve household incomes, enhance food security and build resilience to climate challenges,” Thungwa explains.

Participants are paid to work on catchment-based projects that address environmental degradation, including afforestation, soil conservation and gully reclamation, according to Thungwa.

“These activities reduce surface run-off, prevent soil erosion and rehabilitate degraded land, making communities more resilient to climate change,” she observes.

District Commissioner for Chikwawa, Nardin Kamba commends the programme for reducing disaster risks and improving livelihoods.

“The initiative has positively impacted the lives of participants and is helping to restore degraded land and enhance soil conservation through techniques such as check dams and swales which improve soil fertility and reduce erosion,” he says.

“These techniques improve soil fertility and are vital for sustainable farming and food security in disaster-prone areas,” he says.

Kamba adds that communities frequently hit by floods and other natural disasters face challenges contributing to national development.

However, Kamba notes that programmes that reduce disaster risks are crucial for low-lying and flood-prone districts such as Chikwawa and Nsanje.

“We are working tirelessly to build resilience and mitigate climate change effects. These efforts also align with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 10 and 13 which focus on promoting socio-economic inclusion and combating climate change,” reaffirms Kamba.

Funded by the World Bank and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, the CS-EPWP is being implemented across all districts in Malawi. 

By Watipa Nyalugwe

Lilongwe, 25 November. Mana: Ministry of Labour, with support from the European Union (EU), under the Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme, has launched a capacity building initiative to train occupational safety and health (OSH) inspectors on advanced occupational hygiene monitoring techniques.

The initiative marks a critical step towards realizing Vision Zero which is a global strategy to eliminate workplace accidents and injuries.

OSH expert, Johanes Mandowa, said in Lilongwe on Monday that the training program is meant to equip OSH inspectors with knowledge on how to conduct occupational hygiene monitoring in the work place environment.

He said workplace employees are exposed to physical hazards such as dust, noise exposer and poor lighting which are supposed to be identified in a scientific way.

“There is need for

us to equip OSH inspectors with knowledge about occupational hygiene monitoring so that when they go out they are able to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control these hazards which is based on scientific evidence,” he said.

Labour Commissioner, Hlale Kelvin Nyangulu, said there is a lot of theological knowledge amongst the inspectors where they know all the hazards that prevail in the work places but a gap exists in terms of measuring and quantifying the level of these hazards.

“The missing link is the practical aspect where they do actual measurements to determine hazards in the work places,” he said.

He, therefore, said the training will give inspectors a chance to be able to measure these hazards.

Facilitated by renowned occupational hygienist Peter Jacobs and organized by GOPA Worldwide Consultants, the workshop focuses on bridging gaps in knowledge and practice among Malawi’s OSH inspectors.

The training aligns with the International Labour Organization’s standards, reinforcing Malawi’s commitment to decent work and sustainable economic development.

Participants have been provided with operational manuals to ensure that knowledge gained is sustainable.

The initiative underscores collective efforts required to build a safer, more productive workforce as Malawi moves towards achieving Vision Zero and eliminating workplace injuries and fatalities.

By Austin Kananji

Lilongwe, November 25, Mana: The Ministry of Labour held a pre-departure orientation today at Lilongwe Technical College for the first batch of agricultural workers heading to Israel aimed to prepare them for their upcoming roles and responsibilities, with their departure scheduled for Thursday this week.

Speaking at the event, the Director of Planning in the Ministry of Labour, Patricia Zimpita, emphasised the importance of the pre-departure orientation saying it will provide the necessary information to the successful Malawian Agricultural workers which will help them during their tenure in Israel.

“This is to prepare the successful candidates that applied for the agricultural work in Israel under the Malawi-Israel Labour export programme. We are orienting these candidates for them to know what is expected of them, and what they are going to do in Israel and also how they are going to conduct themselves in Israel so that they do not find themselves in trouble or stranded in any instance,” she said.

Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Labour, Chapusa Phiri, highlighted the importance of conducting the pre-departure orientation which he said will help the successful candidates understand more the terms and conditions of their contract agreement before leaving for Israel.

“I emphasised much on the employment contract to our young Malawians so that they know what they are letting themselves into and understand their responsibilities as they go to Israel,” he said.

In an interview with one of the selected candidates to work in Israel, Lumbani Chiwaka, expressed the benefit of being part of the successful candidates being recruited by the government.

“The importance is that as Malawians we will learn different aspects concerning the type of irrigation to utilise and bring back that knowledge here in Malawi to showcase to others what happens in the farming sector of Israel,” he said.

The pre-departure orientation aimed to equip the first 29 Malawian agricultural workers as recruited by the government with crucial information about their upcoming employment in Israel by emphasizing the importance of understanding their contracts, and expectations, as per the Memorandum of Understanding which also differentiates it from the previous departures made by the private recruiters where workers were deployed with no orientation on the nurture of the agricultural jobs.

Mzimba, November 25, Mana: Child Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Community development and Social Welfare, Neil Masamba says government intends to train over 40,000 care givers in Early Childhood Development (ECD) to enhance their tutorial skills. 

Masamba made the remarks on Sunday at Embangweni in Mzimba during an open day organised by the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)'s Development Broadcasting Unit (DBU). 

She said there are many caregivers who lack requisite skills to train young minds hence the plans by the ministry to offer them training. 

"We acknowledge the gaps in teaching skills among care givers and because of that we will be training them in phases. The aim is to equip them with skills in teaching children", said Masamba. 

MBC's DBU coordinating officer, Sebastian Mthatiwa, urged parents at Embangweni in Mzimba to send their children to ECD centres.

"Early Childhood development is critical in children between 0 and 8 years because it helps build cognitive skills such as language skills, problem solving and memory retention. We therefore urge communities to embrace ECDs for their children," he said. 

Mthatiwa said MBC has entered into a contract with Unicef to raise awareness on the role of men and women in ensuring children between 0 and 8 years attend ECD centres.

Mmbelwa District Council official, Isabel Chakhame said the council attaches great significance to education of children and encouraged parents to send their kids to the centres.

Traditional Authority Mzukuzuku urged organisations to help set up ECD centres in more villages to ensure more children attend early childhood lessons.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, November 25, Mana: Democratic electoral processes are predicated on the assumption that voters will make informed choices and the importance of an informed electorate is reflected in international norms that place significant value on the importance of civic education.

As part of the processes leading to the September 16, 2025 General Elections, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is conducting voter identification exercise whose third and last phase starts this Thursday and will end on December 11.

National Initiative for Civic Education (Nice) Public Trust Executive Director, Gray Kalindekafe says voter registration process is a fundamental pillar that upholds the integrity of the entire electoral system, describing it a bedrock upon which the legitimacy of elections rests.

“The shared aspiration to participate in the democratic process can only be realised if the voter registration process is accessible and inclusive, where every eligible citizen, regardless of their status and location, has the opportunity to register and vote.

“This inclusivity is crucial in a diverse society like Malawi, where marginalised groups often face barriers to participation. By addressing these barriers through targeted outreach and simplified registration procedures, the electoral process becomes a true reflection of the people’s will,” Kalindekafe says.

He says Nice takes civic education as a crucial element of the electoral process and employs various methodologies in what it calls a ‘360 Degrees’ approach to civic education where the mission is to leave no one behind.

“People’s participation is the hallmark of democracy. To get them involved, we need a robust voter registration that is transparent. This transparency is achieved through public awareness campaigns that educate citizens about the registration process and their rights.

“When people understand how the system works and their role within it, they are more likely to trust and engage with it. So this is where we come in, employing strategies that reach everyone, regardless of where they are,” he says.

The 360 Degrees strategy involves bombarding all available mediums – the air, water and land – with messages about election processes and citizen participation.

Specifically, it involves the use of music and dance shows, radio and television programmes such as jingles, drama, debate and music.

Additionally, it employs village community meetings, letters and door-to-door visitations, interactive sports bonanzas, drama performances, visits to video show rooms, interactions with bicycle taxi operators and fishermen in water bodies and every other available space for mobilisation.

“We understand the electorate comprises of people with different literacy levels and capabilities hence the model guides us to use various approaches that befit the audience being targeted.

“It worked well in 2014, 2019, 2020 and we are using it in the current processes beginning with voter registration. And with a team of over 12 000 volunteers and programmes officers in all districts across the country, we are assured of reaching out to every person that needs to participate,” Kalindekafe says.

A visit to some districts in the central and southern regions last week revealed that registration numbers had picked up, raising hope for better outcomes than feared.

In Kasungu, District Programmes Officer, Gerald Chirwa says numbers were bad in the initial days of the registration but improved in the subsequent days following a successful mobilisation campaign.

“There is a trend that people tend to do things at the last instance. It was the same with the registration. But we are hopeful that we will have good figures looking at the interventions that we employed.

“We chose democracy and it has its pillars, one being that people must participate in electoral processes, specifically, choosing their leaders. It is a process that starts with voter registration, so people must always be willing to take part in this process or democracy will die,” Chirwa says.

His Zomba and Blantyre and Dowa counterparts also describe the turnout as being fair, pointing out that more women turned out than men.

“We used various strategies to woo people to register such as letters read in prayer houses, night criers, market visits, village meetings, mobile vans and many others.

“One thing that has to be appreciated is that there has been an increase in the number of registration centres which also means that distances have significantly reduce. On its own, this should have been an encouragement for people to go and register,” says Kondwani Neba, officer for Zomba.  

He says citizens must participate in democratic processes such as elections so that they are able to influence the direction of their country.

“When elected officials are truly representative of the population, they are better positioned to address the needs and aspirations of their constituents,” he says.

Elinati Chipwaila of Lupsya Village in the area of Senior Chief Wimbe says she is excited to have registered as a voter, describing it as capital for her children’s future after 2025.

“Messages are all over that we should go and register. The registration process is itself very simple.

“My advice is that wherever the exercise is still in progress, let people go out in large numbers. This is our only political capital and comes once in in a while so we cannot afford to miss it,” Chipwaila says.

On his part Chikumbutso Lyford, from Chibwenza Village in Traditional Authority Chakhaza in Dowa says organisations such as Nice invest a lot and work tirelessly towards electoral processes as demonstrated in the previous elections which should signal to people that participating is important.

He says while participation is not compulsory, good citizenship entails that one must participate in making decisions that affects his or her life, in this case, registering to vote.

There have been calls from various stakeholders to extend the voter registration exercise citing challenges such as alleged unavailability of National Registration Bureau crew in registration centres to assist prospective registrants who do not have a citizen identity card as demanded by the new electoral laws. It is feared the challenges would result in many people being disfranchised and leading to a low voter participation.

However, MEC Communications Officer Richard Mveriwa says the electoral body is impressed with the turnout so far.

The MEC has already registered voters in 28 councils and the last phase will cover seven councils which are Lilongwe City and Rural, Mzimba, Mwanza, Chikwawa, Mangochi and Nsanje.

The commission is yet to release figures for its second phase of the registration which covered Likoma, Nkhata Bay, Ntcheu, Kasungu, Dowa, Luchenza, Thyolo, Zomba, Mchinji and Blantyre.

However, in the first phase, MEC identified 2 224 307 voters against a projection of 3 423 066 12, representing 65 percent.

The first phase covered Machinga, Chiradzulu, Neno, Phalombe, Mulanje, Nkhotakota, Ntchisi, Salima, Dedza, Mzuzu and Karonga where at least 56.7 percent of the projected males and 72 percent of the projected females turned out to register.

In line with the 360 Degrees strategy, Nice looks at civic education as a war against the twin enemies of elections which are low registration and voter turnout and null and void votes.

The 2025 general elections, will be the seventh national contest since the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1994 and the third to be held in a tripartite fashion.

Experience shows that intensive and sustainable mobilisation employing the 360 Degrees paradigm is key in dealing with disinterest, voter fatigue and electoral myths and misinformation that result in apathy.

By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, November 24, Mana: In a bid to promote and expose young talented artists, a record label called Warge Records held an Urban Music competition dubbed: 'The Next Big Ting.'

The competition started on October 5 and it was open to artists from different genres.

Founder and Producer at Warge Records, Wanangwa Phiri told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that over the years they have been contributing to Malawi music industry by giving young artists a platform to present their art.

“We have unearthed young talents that have eventually achieved superstar status in our country through our Riddim Projects, as well as Music Shows. It is in the same spirit that we introduced the Warge Records ‘Next Big Ting’ music competition,” he said.

Phiri added that the competition was targeting young artists from the age of 20 below to be given a chance to record five songs for free.

“During the competition the elements that the judges were looking for were originality, melody, composition and lyrics. After the analysis Rixy-B emerged the winner,” he said.

Afro Pop artist, Rixy-B real name Alickangelo Lazaro for winning the competition will get a five all paid for studio sessions at Warge Records, shoot videos and promotion for the five songs that shall be recorded.

In his remarks, Rixy-B observed that the competition was tough, acknowledging that there were many talented artists while expressing gratitude to Warge Records for the opportunity on account that it will help him to grow musically.

“I have been looking for this opportunity to push my music, given a chance to record five songs at Warge Records will shape my career because this is a big studio,” he said.

One of judges, reknowned artist Blaze, real name Blessings Gwengwe said the competition has the potential of helping young stars to find a platform they are pursuing in music circles.

“Being one of the fruits of Warge Records in Malawian music industry, I believe young talented musicians can benefit from this initiative if they follow and subscribe to all the terms and conditions,” he said.

The competition was participated by 15 young artists who recorded their songs with the same instruments and submitted to the panel of judges.

Over the years Warge Records have promoted the talent of artists like the late Mafunyeta, Malinga Mafia, Blaze, Mady P, Gibo Lantosi, among others.