MANAonline
Farm Radio International urges media houses on agricultural programing
By Innocent Chunga
Nkhotakota, February 25, Mana: Farm Radio International has urged community broadcasting media houses to prioritize more on agriculture related programs, adding that farmers are not fully adopting modern farming technologies due to information gaps in the country.
Consultant for Farm Radio International Dr. Patrick Mphaka said this on Saturday during a presentation of the George Atkins Communication Award to Umunthu FM's Programs Manager and Agricultural Producer, Victor Asumani in Nkhotakota district.
Mphaka emphasized the need for broadcasting houses to incorporate beyond their limit agricultural related programs in their media outlets, saying the country survives because most of the population is dependent on agriculture.
"We are able to survive because famers are feeding and bringing forex to the country since 80 percent of the country's population depends on agriculture and the media industry should strive for impactful agriculture related programs", said Mphaka.
He said the award needs radio producers of agriculture programs to include all reliable information which farmers might need in their farming business.
In his remarks, Victor Asumani encouraged other radio producers and reporters in various media houses to strive for teamwork if they are to scoop more international awards in the country.
"Media practitioners in the country should learn from what I have done this year to continue putting the country on the map in terms of international awards", said Asumani.
Representative for District Coordinator for CISP organization Alifeyo Mwalukomo, described the award as a success story for implementing partners on Climate Smart projects being implemented in the district.
Since the award started in 2001, media practitioners in the country have scooped the award twice first by Gladson Makowa who won in 2009 for Story Workshop, seconded by Sakina Majawa of Chanco Community Radio in 2023 and now Victor Asumani is the third winner in 2024 with a certificate and 500 Canadian dollars.
George Atkins Communication Award focuses on awarding outstanding individuals who have achieved excellence in rural radio broadcasting houses globally.
Lions Club plants 1200 trees in Chitipa
By Aliko Munde
Chitipa, February 25, Mana: Chitipa Lions Club on Saturday planted 1200 trees at Chitipa Secondary and Namuyemba Full Primary Schools in Senior Chief Mwabulambya’s area in the district.
Vice President for Chitipa Lions Club, Fidelis Kambalame said the club decided to plant trees at the two schools in view of the national forestry season which is underway.
“We are in the national forestry season and as one way of taking part in the tree planting exercise we decided to plant trees with the learners at Chitipa Secondary School and Namuyemba primary,” Kambalame said.
He then asked school management, learners and communities to take a leading role in conserving the environment by planting trees and managing them.
“We want to make sure that all the trees we have planted today survive. We have planted fruit trees for nutrition, the trees that restore fertility in the soil and natural trees,” Kambalame said.
Head teacher for Chitipa Secondary School, Mapopa Shaba noted the need to plant more trees and conserve them, saying trees produce oxygen which human beings need and trees need carbon dioxide which human beings produce.
In his remarks, Senior Chief Mwabulambya said he wanted 99 percent survival rate of the trees hence he would be making regular visits to the schools to monitor how they are being managed.
The country is expected to plant 34 million trees in the 2023/24 National Forestry Season under the theme ‘Forest innovation in action: Reforestation for sustainable tomorrow’.
25,000 Kasungu families receive relief maize
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, February 25, Mana: At least 24,760 families in Kasungu district have received relief maize from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) under the Lean Season Response Plan for the 2023/2024 period.
The programme has planned to meet the January and February food deficits for a total of 31,778 families with each household receiving a 50 kilogramme bag of maize each month.
Disaster and Relief Management Officer for Kasungu, Tiwonge Msowoya, said in an interview on Saturday after the maize distribution exercise in Traditional Authority (TA) Simlemba in the district that the response team has so far reached out to 24,760 of the targeted households.
She said: “The programme has a combination of beneficiaries under the Social Cash Transfer Programme and those that are targeted using the Joint Emergency Food Assistance Programme guidelines and, currently, we are responding to the January deficit.
“The activity is ongoing until we reach our target. We just want to advise the recipients that the maize must be used to alleviate their food needs. It is not for sale.”
One of the beneficiaries, Mercy Jere, thanked government for the relief saying it has come at a time when most households had run out of food stocks.
“We don’t have food here. No one has maize. We were relying on piece work in farms to buy food but you can see that the farming season has almost ended and there is no where we can find piecework,” Banda said.
Senior Chief Simlemba commended government for the maize saying people in his area were starving with hunger.
“The community is excited that finally the maize has reached us. Some people had doubts that the maize would come because the famine had reached bad levels. Our expectations are high that the second lot of the maize will find us soon,” Simlemba said.
According to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report, at least 4.4 million people countrywide are food insecure with food deficits ranging from two to six months.
In Kasungu district alone, hunger has affected at least 143,000 people.
President Hage Geingob Laid to Rest at Heroes Acre
By Linda Moyo in Windhoek, Namibia
Windhoek, February 25, Mana: Namibias late President, Hage Geingob, a revered figure in the nation's history, who died on February 4 at the age of 82 while serving as President, has been laid to rest at Heroes Acre in Windhoek.
Heroes Acre is a memorial site constructed in 2002 to honor those who fought for Namibia's independence, freedom and democracy.
Thousands of Namibians, alongside Heads of State from across the globe, gathered to bid farewell to the late President, reflecting on his pivotal role as a freedom fighter and Pan-Africanist.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera was among the dignitaries who attended burial of the fallen leader.
Chakwera highlighted Geingob's tireless efforts in advocating for freedom, peace and prosperity in Namibia and Africa.
The ceremony was marked by sorrowful faces and tears shed by Geingob's close relatives and children as his casket was lowered into the ground.
Geingob was honored with a 21-gun salute and other ceremonial honors reflecting the profound impact he had on the lives of many.
His final resting place is in a specially constructed Mausoleum at Heroes Acre, a fitting tribute to his legacy as a visionary leader.
In recognition of his contributions, the Namibian government declared Monday, February 26, as a public holiday.
President Chakwera, whose presence to the ceremony symbolized solidarity and respect shared among African leaders in honoring the memory of a remarkable leader, departed Namibia immediately after the burial ceremony.
The event served as a reminder of Geingob's significant contributions to Namibia's liberation struggle and his lasting impact on the continent.
World Vision applauded for improving literacy levels in primary schools
By Margret Praise Kalua
NKhata Bay, February 25, Mana: Education stakeholders in Nkhatabay have commended World Vision for improving learner’s literacy levels through the Spelling Bee initiative which they are, currently, implementing in the district.
This was said at Sanga Community Day Secondary School ground in the district on Saturday where 74 learners from 15 schools were engaged in a Spelling Bee competition.
Primary Education Advisor (PEA) for St Maria Gorreti Zone, Adrian Kalengo, said there is improved performance of learners in schools that are participating in the competition.
"When we compare schools that are participating in the competition such as Chikale, Bwerero, Kachenga and Lisale, they are performing much better than those that are not part of the area program in Nkhata Bay," Kalengo said.
He has since asked World Vision to train teachers in the initiative for its sustainability and incorporate more schools in the programme.
Secretary for Sanga Area Program Education Taskforce, Alick Manda, said Spelling Bee has boosted focus and activeness of leaners on education as most of the times they put effort in mastering spellings and pronunciation.
In a separate interview, World Vision Education Project Officer for Nkhata Bay and Mzimba, Faith Nyirenda, said the programme is achieving its intended purpose as there is an improvement in vocabulary, reading and communication skills.
"Considering the positive impact of the programme, we are already working on its sustainability through imparting skills and knowledge to taskforce teachers so that they can continue drilling learners even when the programme phases out," Nyirenda said.
NRWB to revamp water supply system in new project
By George Mponda
Karonga, February 25, Mana: Northern Region Water Board Chief Executive Officer, Francis Munthali, has revealed the board’s plans to revamp water supply systems in all northen region districts through a European Investment Bank (EIB) funded project.
In an interview on Saturday on the sidelines of a media tour for Karonga Town Water Supply Project, Munthali said the Board wants to achieve increased access to safe water for everyone and improved sanitation and hygiene services.
He said at the moment, the Karonga Town Water Supply Project is at 92 percent completion rate.
“Another milestone we have achieved is that we had successful discussions with EIB to improve water supply by dealing with reliability of power.
"The bank has agreed to allocate us €47 million (approximately K90 billion) which we are going to use to implement this project. We will install solar plants in all our pumping stations to ensure that people have un-interrupted supply," he said.
Munthali said the use of solar panels will reduce the cost of production hence making water available to customers at fair prices.
He said, through the project, NRWB will also raise the height of the dam at Lunyangwa in Mzuzu by 1.5 metres for it to produce more water for Mzuzu residents.
He added that the existing water treatment plant in Mzuzu will be upgraded from the current capacity of 21 million litres per day to 30 million to cater for the ever growing demand for water in the city.
NRWB Board Chairperson, Frank Mwenifumbo, said the Board is fulfilling its mandate of implementing government’s water and sanitation policy.
Rotary Club of Lilongwe-Lingadzi to plant 100, 000 trees
By Moses Nyirenda
Lilongwe, February 25, Mana: Rotary Club of Lilongwe-Lingadzi is on a mission to plant 100,000 trees this year in schools and communities, among other places, across the country in order to address deforestation in the country.
The club’s President, Giorgia Prizzon, made the remarks Saturday when her club, in partnership with Youth Progressive Environmental Solutions (YPES) and Ladder to Learning, planted 500 trees at Kambewe Primary School in Lilongwe.
“We are planting trees in partnership with local organisations that have capacity to take care of the trees. A lot of trees are planted but survival rate is very low,” Prizzon said.
The club has been implementing the tree planting project for three years now and in the first year they planted 11,000 trees with 20,000 in the second year.
Prizzon said this year they are looking forward to work with communities in developing tree seedlings nurseries to ensure that there are enough trees to sustain the tree planting exercise.
Kambewe Primary School Head Teacher, Sanudi Mzini, commended Rotary Club of Lilongwe-Lingadzi for planting trees at his school.
“We are grateful to Rotary Club of Lilongwe-Lingadzi for the initiative. Trees are very important and I hope those planted at our school will benefit both the school and the community in future,” he said.
He said the school will take care of the newly planted trees by, among other things, watering them during the dry season.
Thyolo communities excited over health posts
By Yamikani Yapuwa
Thyolo, February 25, Mana: People from Mikate and Namatuni villages in Thyolo district have expressed hope that construction of health posts in their areas will go a long way in addressing challenges they face to access medical services.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Friday, Village Head Mikate said the construction of Mikate Health Post will bring access to medical services closer to people thereby promoting medical care seeking culture.
“We do not have any health Centre near us as such people walk all the way to Khonjeni to seek medical care.
“This resulted into many to deteriorate with sickness and in some cases others dying in their homes as they could not afford to walk such a long distance or pay transport fare to Khonjeni.
“Further, we have had cases of women giving birth at home while others were giving birth in tea estates while on their way to Khonjeni putting both mother and baby’s lives at risk,” said Village Head Mikate.
She added that the health post will minimize cases of children dying from untreated malaria as women will be able to take their children to the hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment.
A member of the community, Kennedy Yuwa, described Mikate Health Post as a huge asset saying it will serve a lot of people from surrounding villages including those from Mulanje.
“We are grateful to the council for construction of this health facility. We used to walk 20 kilometers to Khonjeni but soon we will have a hospital which is very close to us.
“I have witnessed three people dying on their way to Khonjeni hospital due to lack of a health facility here but once the health post becomes functional, such cases will be minimized,” said Yuwa.
He appealed for the provision of officer’s houses saying it will assist the facility to help many people since the officers will be living within.
“In cases of emergencies at night, we know we will be well covered unlike in scenarios where the doctor lives away from the hospital,” he said.
Agnes Saizi from Namatuni Village, where Namatuni Health Post has been constructed, expressed gratitude saying many lives will be saved.
“For a patient to walk from here to Bvumbwe it was a burden but with a hospital nearby, many people will be treated and continue with their tasks,” said Saizi.
Saizi added that many under five children will also be saved as they will be accessing services closer to home.
She expressed concern that most mothers shun taking their children to health Centre’s for under-five clinic due to distance.
“This is dangerous as it may result into poor health outcomes as most vital vaccines and immunsations are missed,” said Saizi.
On his Facebook post on Thursday, Member of Parliament Thyolo Central, Ben Phiri, where Mikate Health Post is located, expressed happiness that the facility will soon be completed and start serving people from Mikate and surrounding villages.
The health posts have been constructed with funding from the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project.
Salima fisheries receive boats to intensify patrol
By Fostina Mkandawire
Salima, February 25, Mana: Senga Bay Fisheries Research Station in Salima on Friday received an enforcement engine and a refurbished patrol boat amounting to US$100,000 (approximately K168million) to intensify inspection on Lake Malawi.
Speaking during the handover of the equipment at Senga Bay in Salima, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Dr Yusuf Mkungula, highlighted that intensifying patrolling and inspection on Lake Malawi will restore fish species and deter illegal fishing.
He said, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Restoring Fisheries for Sustainable Livelihoods in Lake Malawi (REFRESH) project, in collaboration with Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, standard operating procedures for the monitoring, controlling and surveillance operations of the fisheries inspectorate were developed.
He, therefore, said the standard operating procedures are meant to be followed without fail as far as conservation of natural systems is concerned and the patrolling boats are a game changer in bringing sanity on the lake.
"The fisheries inspectorate need to have all the necessary equipment and gears if they are to execute their duties effectively; law enforcement needs to be strengthened.
"The items being handed over today are not just material possessions, they represent progress and the promise of a brighter future for Malawi's fisheries. These resources will, undoubtedly, enhance our capacity to promote responsible and sustainable use of our aquatic resources,” he said.
He made an assurance that the Department of Fisheries will use the equipment responsibly so that the fisheries sector should be propelled towards a resilient and self-reliant sector.
REFRESH project also handed over an Electronic Catch Assessment Survey (ECAS) system which signifies migration from the paper based Catch Assessment Survey to the modern system of entering data.
Chief of Party for REFRESH project, Dr Daniel Jamu, underscored the importance of fisheries saying, as the cornerstone of the national economy, a decline in fish supply poses challenges that impact the health and nutrition standards of many Malawians.
He said it was their wish to see that the new technology offers timely and accurate data that will be used by stakeholders.
The new technology allows for faster consolidation of the data unlike the manual system where data would take close to four months to be consolidated and shared.
Lake Malawi fish provides 45 percent of all animal protein consumed and is one of the world’s most biologically diverse lake with more than 1,000 fish species.
Karonga rice milling plant to be operational next month
By George Mponda
Karonga, February 25, Mana: Infrastructure Development Manager for Greenbelt Authority (GBA), Synoden Kautsi, has disclosed that a rice milling and processing plant at Nthola Ilola Irrigation Scheme in Karonga is set to start operating in two weeks’ time.
In an interview on Friday, Kautsi said construction works at the milling plant have been completed.
He added that Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) gave a list of required materilas for them to connect electricity and GBA has already engaged an electrical consultant.
"The facility is now at 99% complete and we are just waiting for electricity connection. It will also have its own transformer and once these are brought in by ESCOM, the plant will be operational within two weeks," he said.
Kautsi said, once fully operational, the plant will be able to mill 50 tonnes of rice per day and employ 100 workers.
2,500 anchor and out-grower farmers are expected to benefit from the plant.
Sub Traditional Authority Mwangolera commended GBA for the plant saying it will improve people’s livelihoods in his area.
"This is the first project of its kind in the northern region. I am glad that people from my area will be employed at the factory and farmers around Nthola Ilola Irrigation Scheme will have a place to process their rice," Mwangolera said.
President for Nthola Ilola Water Users Association, Oswald Gondwe, said for a long time they have been processing their rice manually and the coming of the plant is a relief.
Construction of the K773 million plant began in May 2022.
