MANAonline
Taxi Drivers Chairperson appeals for calm after driver’s tragic death
By Emily M’mangisa
Zomba, September 23, Mana: Eastern Region Taxi Drivers Chairperson, Harry Manjawira, has pleaded with fellow taxi drivers to remain calm as tempers were high among taxi drivers and the public following death of Zakeyu Matekenya who was shot by police in Zomba on Sunday at a police road block.
He made the plea on Monday at Zomba Central Hospital Mortuary as taxi drivers were collecting remains of Matekenya at Zomba mortuary where the drivers gathered in their large numbers.
“It is my plea to fellow drivers to stay calm during this trying time, as we understand that this is not the end of our relationship with the police. There are more challenges ahead and we will still need their support,” Manjawira added.
He also mentioned that the police had covered all the expenses for the funeral of late Matekenya.
Eastern Region Police, Public Relations Officer, Patrick Musa, stated that the police are ensuring peace in the district following the development.
Late Matekenya will be laid to rest Tuesday in his home village in Phalombe, leaving behind a wife and a child.
Meanwhile, peace has returned in Zomba City following protests by the taxi drivers over death of Matekenya.
Missing Unima’s student found dead
By Emily M’mangisa
Zomba, September 23, Mana: University of Malawi (UNIMA) Students Representative Council, President, Thanks Eliya has confirmed death of Vincent Nyirenda, a final year, Education Chemistry student who went missing Friday last week.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana), on Monday, Eliya confirmed that Nyirenda was found dead at Chipiloni area in the City of Zomba after some days of missing.
“We were tipped about a body that was discovered at Chipiloni area. When we went there we discovered that it was Nyirenda,” he added.
He said the “body of Nyirenda was dismembered either naturally or unnaturally”.
Currently police are on their way to Chipiloni for more investigations
Zambia High Commissioner commends Malawi for utilizing irrigation farming
By Blackson Mkupatira
Chiradzulu, September 23, Mana: Zambia High Commissioner to Malawi, retired Lieutenant Colonel Panji Kaunda, has lauded the Malawian government for utilizing its natural water resources to combat hunger and poverty through irrigation farming.
Kaunda made the remarks over the weekend during a visit to Natama Irrigation Scheme under Traditional Authority Msema in Chiradzulu District.
He said he was impressed with how the irrigation scheme is benefiting many households and improving their livelihoods.
"The aim of this visit was to learn how Malawi has been alleviating poverty and from the testimonies we have heard from the farmers, there is no hunger and poverty among the households at this scheme.
"They are able to take their children to school and even purchase motorbikes for themselves. This means poverty is being alleviated," he said.
The High Commissioner then hailed government for promoting small-scale irrigation schemes, saying such projects directly empower households.
"In Zambia, we have many big rivers but no such schemes like we are seeing here in Malawi. We need to bring technical experts to learn from this so that we can emulate to help our people.
"As Africans, we have the land and waters to produce food for ourselves, so why should we be importing from other continents?" he questioned, while emphasizing the need for other countries to adopt what Malawi is doing.
However, Kaunda noted that many farmers were using chemical manure and therefore urged them to adopt organic manure, saying such fertilizers could damage soil quality.
"We have seen some farmers burning crop residues that could otherwise be used to improve soil fertility. The agriculture department must emphasize organic methods," he advised.
Chiradzulu District Council Irrigation Engineer, Julia Qoto, expressed gratitude for the High Commissioner's visit, saying it will encourage the farmers.
"He has also offered valuable advice, which we hope our farmers will implement to enhance irrigation farming at the scheme," Qoto said.
Senior Chief Msema echoed the sentiments, said the irrigation scheme has been instrumental in promoting food security and education in his area as farmers utilizing the scheme can now provide for their families and affords to send their children to school.
Waliwoni Biliwita, Chairperson of the Natama Irrigation Scheme, stated that the initiative supports 73 households, including 38 women, 32 men, and three youths.
"Last year together we realized about K17 million from the sales of our produce but we were only 45 households who planted. This time around we are hoping of harvesting more as the number of farmers has increased to 73," he said.
Natama Irrigation Scheme was first constructed in 2006 by World Vision Malawi and later renovated by Save the Children. In 2015, the scheme was destroyed by floods but was rebuilt and expanded from four to 25 hectares in 2019 under the government’s World Bank-funded Malawi Drought Resilience and Recovery Programme (MDRRP).
Partners for the North moves to support Euthini Secondary School
By Moses Nyirenda
Lilongwe, September 23, Mana: A newly established company, Partners for the North has embarked on a fundraising initiative aimed at raising funds to buy mattresses for Euthini Secondary School in Mzimba district.
Business Development Manager for the company, Masida Jere, said as a company they decided to embark on the fundraising drive after being concerned with the condition of the mattresses that are being used by students at Euthini Secondary School.
“We are fundraising for 500 mattresses for Euthini Secondary School after we saw that the mattresses that are currently being used at the school are in bad state,” Jere said.
He added that they also decided to support Euthini Secondary School with the mattresses in order to motivate students at the school to work hard in class and excel with their education.
He further appealed to the public to support the fundraising drive by either donating a mattress or providing monetary support.
“We are appealing to the general public to support our initiative by helping us to mobilize 3-inch mattresses this can be done by dropping mattresses at our Ekwendeni operations office or sending cash to our account,” he said.
He also said that after supporting Euthini Secondary School Partners for the North envisions to reach out other schools in the country that are in need of support.
In a separate interview, Ministry of Education spokesperson, Mphatso Nkuonera, commended Partners for the North for organizing the fundraising drive to support Euthini Secondary School.
“The Ministry of Education always appreciates the efforts made by its partners including well wishers and also individuals who support us in various ways including construction of school blocks as well as donation of teaching and learning materials.
“Now with the Partners for the North mobilizing resources to support Euthini Secondary School, it is very commendable because government alone cannot 100 percent manage to implement all its plans,” Nkuonera said.
He also called upon other well wishers including organizations and companies to also support Ministry Education in addressing the challenges that are being faced in the country’s public school.
Limbe Cathedral Parish bid farewell to priest and deacon
By Pempho Nkhoma
Blantyre, September 23, Mana: Limbe Cathedral Parish in the Blantyre Archdiocese of the Catholic Church on Sunday September 22nd bid farewell to Reverend Father, Mark Gova and Deacon, Yohane Lameck Kholowa who are going to pursue further studies.
Fr Mark Gova is going to do his PhD in Dogmatic Theology while deacon Kholowa is going into his 9th year which is the final year at St Peter’s Major Seminar and is expected to be ordained as a priest next year.
Speaking at the end of the Eucharistic Mass at Limbe Cathedral church, Chairperson for Limbe Parish Council, Mathews Mwadzangati, commended both Fr Gova and deacon Kholowa for their dedication and good relationship with christians.
“We can only be thankful as Limbe Parish for the time that we have had deacon Kholowa; what he has done for these two months was double because he was always present among the youths and in so many ways.
“Father Gova you were always among us. We express our deepest gratitude for your spiritual guidance and you showed us passion and dedication that touched lives of many, especially us parishioners and we are truly blessed to have had you here,” he added.
Mwadzangati therefore wished them well in their studies, saying he is optimistic that the new knowledge that they are going to acquire will help the church.
“We look forward for the day that you will come back to us, we know that the whole Archdiocese of Blantyre will benefit from the new knowledge that you are going to acquire and that will be good service to the whole country,” he added.
In his farewell remarks, Fr Gova expressed gratitude to the Parish Priest and parishioners for being supportive throughout his time at the parish.
“I would like to thank the Parish Priest; he has been very friendly and welcoming, and you all for being good disciples, good friends and family. My time here has been great and i have enjoyed my stay. I will always cherish this time,” he said.
Fr Mark Gova, a lecturer at St Peter’s Major Seminar who stays in Zomba has served Limbe Parish as a visiting priest for four years while deacon Kholowa has been at the parish for two months.
President Chakwera hails USAID
By Arkangel Tembo, New York, USA
New York, September 23, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has hailed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for taking a leading role in facilitating the creation of free lead poisoning among children globally for a sustainable future generation.
He made the remarks Monday during a partnership for a lead-free future meeting with the USAID delegation in New York, USA.
President Chakwera stated that since assuming office he discovered high levels of lead in paint being sold on the Malawian market, resulting in the exposure of over 3 million Malawian children to lead poisoning.
He said that while millions of dollars are being poured into education, the outcomes of that education are being compromised by the impairment of children’s cognitive development caused by lead poisoning
” Not to say anything of the cost of treating lead-related illnesses to the tune of close to 1 billion dollars every year, which is over 5 per cent of GDP” said President Chakwera
He indicated that in the first year of his office, the government committed resources of the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) to collaborate with the Lead Exposure Elimination Project in providing stronger enforcement of lead paint regulations, including better testing facilities to detect lead in products.
“This measure alone resulted in the reduction of the market share of brands with lead paint by 50% within two years and secured the commitment of two-thirds of all manufacturers to go lead-free” said President Chakwera
He revealed that Malawi is committed to joining the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future to have access to the necessary international support to achieve such important benchmarks as identifying all key sources of lead exposure in Malawi
AfDB approves support towards Malawi Agricultural sector
By Arkangel Tembo
New York, September 23, Mana: Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda has disclosed that the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved more than 50 million US Dollars towards agriculture productivity and commercialization including procurement of relief maize.
The minister disclosed this in New York, where President Chakwera held the 2024 Malawi Partners Conference on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Among other high-level dignitaries at the conference, the Malawi leader, met the AfDB Group, President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi and a Tanzanian delegation.
"The support includes 30 million US dollars, 23 million Dollars, and 1 million US Dollars. All these are coming separately with different purposes from the African Development Bank. Further, more support is coming from the same bank.
"On food production, the AfDB is more than ready to support the Malawi Government to embark on a programme of pumping water from Lake Malawi for irrigation," he said.
Chithyola Banda said AfDB interventions will improve Malawi's economy on top of empowering the young people to venture into the agricultural value chain.
He added that the AfDB assistance to Malawi is a clear demonstration of confidence and trust in the current administration.
"institutions like African Development Bank have demonstrated degree of confident and trust in the leadership of Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and the reform programme that Malawi is undertaking in various sectors.
"I have liked some aspects in President Chakwera's speech in which he said Malawi needs to rework in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to re-estimate the GDP based on green economy of how much is the country worth in terms of carbon financing," he said, adding that analysing the GDP will give a true picture of Malawi's economic growth,” he said.
He said going back to the drawing board, Malawi will also work on how natural resources could stimulate the economy.
In 2023, President Chakwera also held another partner conference in New York under the theme; Building Resilience and Sustainable Development in the Face of Shocks.
The Malawi Partners Conference are held on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York, US.
In another interview, Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Moses Kunkuyu said Chakwera's visit is benefiting Malawians.
"When the president travels, he travels with an agenda. The agenda is to represent Malawians and when he represents his people he carries with him the problem that affects his people," Kunkuyu added.
Chakwera woo investors at the Malawi Partners Conference in USA
By Arkangel Tembo
New York, September 23, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has urged potential investors in the United States of America (USA) that Malawi is the best investment destination with resilient economic growth, stable and peaceful country.
The President said this on Sunday evening at the Martinique Hotel in New York during a second edition of the Malawi-Partners Conference, held on the margins of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Addressing the potential investors, Chakwera said Malawi has 5.3 million hectares of arable land, representing 45 percent of its total land area; adding that the country has abundant water resources, coupled with several major river systems.
In addition, President Chakwera told the would-be investors that Malawi has access to a market of over 100 million people in the SADC and COMESA regions.
"We have a visionary, stable, democratic political leadership which are all key to creating an enabling environment for public and private funding investments in an open economy," he said.
The Malawi leader said the country has also recently developed a One-Stop Service Centre for investment and trade Promotion through the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC), adding that Malawi has a large, highly educated, skilled, hardworking, trainable workforce.
The Malawi leader further said that the country is also a gold mine of agricultural experience, flooded with untapped specific projects and economic opportunities waiting to be explored.
Amid catastrophic climate and health-related shocks, Chakwera said his government continues to lay a solid foundation for Malawi’s prosperity.
“Malawi is not only a land of opportunities, but also a nation ready to meet the global demand for high-quality products. We have a web of rivers and lakes, and arable land that is fit-for-purpose of high-value agricultural production zones,” he added.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi who also attended the conference echoed his counterpart’s sentiment by assuring potential investors that Malawi is endowed with so many natural resources which he said are conducive for investment.
"I would like to agree with my brother here that just like in Malawi, agriculture also plays a critical role in Mozambique and Africa as a whole in terms of providing primary source of livelihood, and income to the majority of the population. I encourage you to come and invest in Malawi because they have what it takes in terms of marketing among others," he said.
The first edition of the Malawi-Partners Conference was also held at the same venue and some of the fruits of the conference include the ongoing construction of the Magwero Industrial Park near Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) whose resources were committed by the Afreximbank at that time.
Other commitments from last year’s conference that have materialized include the World Bank-financed Regional Climate Resilience Program, IFAD-funded Sustainable Agriculture Productivity Program, and the Building Education Foundation Project that the Global Partnership for Education is financing.
The 2024 edition of the Malawi-Partners conference was held under the theme “Securing Our Future: Enhancing Investment in Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security.”
Mzuni Alumni Association Motivates Home of Hope
By Winfrida Kamwana
Mchinji, September 22, Mana: As part of practicing one of the pillars of Mzuzu university which is providing service to people in the society, Mzuzu University Alumni Association visited Home of Hope orphanage to motivate the children not to give up on their dreams.
Speaking on Saturday during the interaction, President for Mzuni Alumni Association in the Central Chapter, Masozi Kasambala said the visit was not only to donate the clothes they brought, but to also give hope to the children that anything is achievable if they put their mind to it.
"As service providers we are obliged to give hope to such children and assure them that no matter their background they can still do something great and achieve so much more.
“This should be a pace setter to them to work hard so that one day they also become alumni of different universities and give hope to the ones coming after them," said Kasambala.
Concurring with Kasambala, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Joel Makiyi asked the children during his motivational speech to always have the hunger to work hard in order to achieve their goals.
“Nothing comes free in this life, when you want to reach your goals you have to always set standards that will help you achieve your goals, it may not always be comfortable but your eyes should be on the prize," explained Makiyi.
Reverend Thomson John Chipeta, founder of the Home of Hope orphanage, expressed his gratitude for the donation, stating that contributions like these are essential for the continued operation of the orphanage.
"We cannot manage to run the orphanage on our own that is why when such help comes, we are always short of words and very thankful because we know some of the challenges that we are facing have been addressed," said Chipeta.
He further said despite government and other well-wishers helping them, the orphanage needs more people to help them with groceries as the orphanage has more than seven hundred children and to feed them all is a hustle due to the rise of prices of goods on the market.
In his remarks, Thokozani Chisi, one of the children at the orphanage said this has helped them to reflect on their behavior especially in the education sector. He said this will help them to work hard to achieve their goals.
He further said they do not take this help lightly and hopes that one day they will also be able to come back to the orphanage after they have achieved their goals to motivate others.
Mzuni Alumni Association donated clothes to the orphanage with help from Development Aid from People to People (DAPP). DAPP provided the alumni with 50 bales of clothes which the alumni are donating to different orphanages and charitable organizations.
Malawi appreciate UN response to natural disasters
By Arkangel Tembo, New York, USA
New York, September 21, Mana: Minister of information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu says Malawi appreciates United Nations (UN) support when the country was hit by Tropical Cyclone Freddy which affected many livelihoods.
The minister made the remarks in the US after President Chakwera met the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
He said president Chakwera met the UN Secretary General to acknowledge various UN support to Malawi in time of disaster and other social protection programmes such as the Social Cash Transfer Programme.
Kunkuyu said the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) provides rare opportunities for President Chakwera to meet and discuss with UN Secretary General, donors and potential investors.
"The president made further appeal to the UN through the Secretary General that there is still need for assistance to go towards people of Malawi. We still have more people that are affected by drought, the dry spells and the Cyclone Freddy and are still nursing the injuries," Kunkuyu added.
He said the President also told the Secretary General that Malawi people that were affected by the drought still need assistance in form of food as Malawi is faced with numerous climate change related challenges.
Kunkuyu emphasized that Chakwera’s trips to the UNGA and other global summits are always in the best interest of the people of Malawi.
"Chakwera travels to represent his people and when he is representing his people, he carries with him problems that his people are facing in Malawi.
"He also touched on effects of climate change. He put it straight that his people need to be bailed out of situations through building climate resilient infrastructures," the minister added.
While still in USA, President Chakwera also attended and made a presentation on Malawi's digitalization efforts at a Summit for the Future which discussed and reflected the youth and Digitalisation.
"The president was invited to make a presentation to hear his plans as far as Digitalisation is concerned. He shared his vision to have connectivity that is affordable," Kunkuyu said, adding that Malawi has been recognized among the 20 countries doing well in digital connectivity.
In the meantime, Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is constructing Information Communication Technology (ICT) laboratories in community day secondary schools across country as part of Universal Service Fund and Connect a School Project.
Apart from attending the 79th session of UNGA, the president will also attend high level meetings to discuss wide range of issues ranging from peace and security to sustainable development.
