MANAonline
Cholera cases rise to 67 in Mulanje
By Mitchel Tholiwa
Mulanje, February, 13, Mana: Mulanje has registered a total of 67 cholera cases since the onset of the rainy season, Health Promotion Officer for Mulanje District Health Office (DHO), Chipiriro Mjojo, has disclosed.
He said the district recorded 56 cases for the past week with all patients being treated in the health facilities.
Mjojo added that Mulomba health facility is under heavy pressure with most patients from Chitimbe Village admitted to the facility.
“The most hit facilities are 12 with Mulomba being the worst with 56 recorded cases in the past seven days. Two patients of Mozambican origin have died,” Mjojo said.
Meanwhile, Mulanje DHO in conjunction with partners, have intensified activities such as risk communication, community engagement, active surveillance mentorship on case management and cross border meetings as precautionary measures to prevent further spread of the disease.
District Commissioner for Mulanje, David Gondwe, said the Council is taking all the necessary measures to contain the situation with the available resources.
He, therefore, called upon partners to collaborate in containing the situation in the district.
“As of now our health sector is on the ground with various interventions to contain the situation. We are getting good results of improved service delivery as some are being discharged.
“I would like to appeal to partners to join hands with the Council in the fight against the out-break,” said Gondwe.
Agnes Sunapaone of Manga Village appealed to fellow villagers to take extra care on hygiene saying cholera is easily transmitted and can spread faster if precaution measurers are not adhered to.
Mulanje District is one of the districts prone to cholera as the previous outbreak affected 1,058 people.
Dowa Council approves K28.562 billion budget
By Sylvester Kumwenda
Dowa, February 13, Mana: Dowa District Council on Saturday approved a budget of about K28.5 billion for the implementation of activities for the 2024-2025 financial year with a call for prudent use of resources.
Chairperson for the council, Mayamiko Kambewa, made the call in an interview after the council through its Extraordinary Full Council Meeting approved the budget, saying the budget is targeting development and social economic empowerment of the people.
“Today we are proud to have approved this 2024-2025 fiscal year budget. This is a very important budget because it aims at developing the district with various important infrastructure and for the social economic empowerment of the people.
“The budget has tackled several activities and interventions like construction of bridges, roads, school blocks, health facilities, and other infrastructure.
“Also, it has interventions in social support programmes which all overall aim at developing the district and its people,” said Kambewa.
The consolidated budget includes K22.7 billion for operations and salaries, K571 million Locally Generated Revenue (LGR), and an Annual Investment Plan (AIP) of K6.7 billion towards Capital and Software developments.
Amongst others, the AIP includes District Development Fund of K253 million, Governance to Enable Service Delivery of K710 million, Constituency Development Fund which has been pegged at K1.05 billion.
There is also Climate Smart Public Works Programme which has a celling of K2.4 billion and the Social Cash Transfer Programme which has a budget of K862 million.
All these are in the areas of education, health, community development and agriculture, among others.
Kambewa added that it was pleasing to note that the council has intensified issues of LGR.
“As a council, we have a lot of interventions we would like to implement but we know that central government alone cannot manage to fund all these. That is why in our budget we are focusing on strengthening issues of LGR.
“Amongst other strategies, we will strengthen collection of market fees, commercial ventures like that of our grader and other businesses, fees and service charges, and also licenses and permits,” he said.
He said the council has the capacity to implement all its plans but appealed for consistent funding from central government, saying the contrary affects service delivery of the council.
Senior Chief Kayembe in an interview said this was a good budget which will help in the development of the district.
“As people are different, so are their needs. It is encouraging to note that the budget has diverse issues which will try to address almost all the different things people need.
“However, the most important thing is to make sure that all the money is put to its intended purpose,” she said.
Dowa Youth Network Chairperson Sankhurani M'banga however said as the youth, they would have wished issues of youth empowerment were also highly prioritized.
Dedza communities hail CS-EPWP
By Steve Chirombo
Dedza, February 13, Mana: Participants under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Program (CS-EPWP) in Dedza district have hailed the programme, saying is it transforming their farming methods and, at the same time, improving on retaining soil as well as forests.
The revelations were made on Monday when Dedza District Council organized a media tour to some catchment areas in the district where the programme is being implemented.
Speaking in an interview, Monica Mtambalika of Chimombo Village under Traditional Authority Kachere said before the interventions like construction of swales and the tree regeneration, they experienced heavy flow of water from the hills which resulted in sweeping their crops as well as houses.
She however said the development has stopped all that and they are not facing any hiccups.
“The rainwaters from the hills are getting into the swales, which also assist in conserving soil thereby bailing us out during hot weathers,” she said.
Another participant, Gift James from Chaphuka Village in the same area but working on galleries, said they are working to block running water so that there is siltation thereby reducing the impact and size.
“You may see that this gallery here has gone wider because there were no controlling measures. But what we are doing under the CS-EPWP is that we are using stones to block the running water. This in the long run will help through siltation and the size may reduce or the whole gallery will be covered up,” he indicated.
On his part, Kosmas Ganizani, from Chioza Kalichero under Senior Chief Kalichero, said as a participant, he welcomed the development, adding apart from getting some money which goes towards assisting his household, the programme has direct long term benefits.
“We are into tree regeneration and construction of swales and I can comfortably say that there are no running waters here and our Kadedwa Hill has worn a new face because we are actively taking part in ensuring that the natural regeneration activities are done in a rightful manner,” emphasized Ganizani.
In Dedza, over 13,000 participants are benefiting from the programme’s phase one, and the number is expected to be increased to over 18,000.
CS-EPWP in the country is being implemented by the National Local Governance Finance Committee (NLGFC) through district councils with support from the Malawi Social Protection Multi Donor Trust funded by World Bank, USAID, Iceland, Ireland, UK-FCDO, EU and Norway.
Government encourages tree planting along river banks
By Memory Kutengule Chatonda
Blantyre, February 13, Mana: Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Michael Usi has encouraged Malawians to utilize the National Forestry Season by planting more trees along the river banks as one way of restoring and protecting the rivers and conserving the environment.
Usi said this on Monday during the tree-planting exercise in Traditional Authority (T/A) Machinjiri in Blantyre where he planted a tree along Chirimba River bank.
"Planting trees should not be an event but it should be our culture to restore and conserve the environment. So I am encouraging people that every day they should be planting trees, especially along the river banks in order to restore and protect the rivers.
"Subsequently, we shall restock these rivers with fish for people to benefit in terms of food and income. Government plans to utilize the water from the rivers to restock fish," he said.
Usi then advised communities to take good care of the planted trees so that its survival rate can improve.
He also called upon Malawians to always hold their authorities accountable for any government transactions, including the Constituency Development Fund, as one way of ensuring that the funds are used for the intended development projects.
Group Village Head Mdala has since hailed the Minister for his quest to protect the river banks.
Mdala, who represented T/A Machinjiri, said he will continue to mobilise people so that they can plant and take care of the trees even after the season in order to restore the degraded landscapes for the benefit of future generations.
President Lazarus Chakwera launched the forestry season in January 2023 under the theme 'Forest Innovation in Action: Reforestation for a Sustainable Tomorrow'.
Lilongwe DC for professional and accurate UBR data
By: Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, February 13, Mana: Lilongwe District Commissioner Lawford Palani has called on Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) enumerators to be professional and accurate during household data collection exercise.
Speaking on Monday during the opening of a seven-day orientation of 460 temporary enumerators in Lilongwe, Palani said quality and credible Unified Beneficiary data depend on the professional and personal conduct of enumerators.
He then advised the enumerators to take the training seriously and work professionally and love their country in producing accurate results that will help government determine people’s eligibility for various social protection programmes like the Social Cash Transfer and Climate Enhanced Public Works Programme, among others.
“We are expecting you to give us accurate data that will present the real status of households on the ground,” he said.
In a separate interview, Lilongwe District Council Principal Social Welfare Officer Sarah Chimodzi said apart from being professional, enumerators are supposed to show discipline and be culturally sensitive to speech, more especially to the elderly.
“You must know that where you are going, you are representing the council. It is therefore important to maintain the good image of the council,” she said.
One of the enumerators, Harold Mtepatepa, thanked Lilongwe District Council for organizing the training before the actual work, saying this will simplify their work and come up with accurate data.
Mtepatepa then assured the council that they will make use of the knowledge gained during the training and gather the correct information for input into the UBR.
The enumerators are expected to conduct data collection between 30 to 42 days, targeting household members in all 23 traditional authorities in Lilongwe.
NICE courts political leaders in Neno
By Salome Gangire
Neno, February 13, Mana: National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) District Civic Education Officer for Neno, Wallace Kudzala, has called on political leaders in Neno District to ensure that more women are joining political parties and contest in the 2025 elections.
Kudzala was speaking Monday at NICE offices during a meeting with political leaders of various political parties on inclusive participation of women in Malawi politics project which the organization is implementing in the district with funding from United Nations Development Programme.
Currently, Neno has no female representation in its two parliamentary seats and has no councilor in its four wards.
Kudzala said the meeting was organized to sensitize political leaders on inclusive participation of women in politics and leadership positions so that they move together and woo women to participate in political leadership.
“District political governors play a vital role of encouraging their members to participate in politics vying for position of councilors and Members of Parliament,” he said.
He said a baseline survey that NICE conducted, showed that a lot of women lack skills in terms of public speaking and drawing campaign plans, so, noting the gaps, NICE will train them in public speaking and how to conduct campaigns.
The Civic Education Officer said there are so many advantages when women assume leadership positions, as they are transparent, accommodative, development conscious and if voted into power, can bring change to the district.
He therefore encouraged community members to vote for women in political positions.
District Social Welfare Officer Paul Sosono said his office is working with NICE as its gender department role is to enhance participation of women in decision making, political environment and economic empowerment.
He said women have been marginalized for long time and when put into leadership positions, more people benefits.
Leadership with Compassion Party (LPC) District Campaign Director Leonard Mphidza thanked NICE for the initiative, saying it is worrisome that there are no women representing any political party in the district.
He said with this initiative, there will be an improvement in the forthcoming elections and hope the district will produce female legislators and ward councilors.
He added that with the trainings NICE will conduct, a lot of women will gain confidence to face and compete against their male counterparts.
Ghana, Malawi strengthen bilateral relationship
By Rosalia Kapiri
Lilongwe, February 12, Mana: Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has said her country will continue to maintain and strengthen its long-term bilateral relationship with Malawi.
She was speaking at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Monday soon after presenting letters to President Lazarus Chakwera to renew Ghana’s bilateral relations with Malawi.
Botchwey added that her country will align its priorities with Malawi’s trade and investment sector, saying there is a lot of potential for the two countries to flourish together economically.
She further said apart from the trade and investment sector, her country will also work with Malawi in other sectors like climate, youth empowerment and innovation startups, labour migration and marketing.
“Commonwealth developed countries and not so developed countries have a lot of potential to trade and invest in each other’s countries and alongside create job opportunities for the youth since we have a very youthful country. We want to see a lot of industrialized countries,” said Botchwey.
She said the countries need to advocate as a block to deal with issues of adaptation, mitigation and climate financing, saying climate is key and relevant among all the member states of the Commonwealth, as it is also affecting most countries' economies negatively.
Speaking in an interview, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo commended Ghana for the continued relationship it holds with Malawi.
“The Minister from Ghana had talks with President Chakwera where the two countries agreed the need for the two countries to continue working together and strengthen their relationship which spans way back from the Kamuzu Banda era.
“This is something that we need to carry together and there is so much we can do together to economically boost each other’s economy,” said Tembo.
Apart from presenting bilateral letters to Malawi, the Ghanaian Minister also visited the country to ask for support from President Chakwera, as Ghana has decided to field her as candidate for the post of secretary general of the Commonwealth.
Malawi secures US$30,000 UNESCO arts sponsorship
By Levison Lester
Lilongwe, February 12, Mana: The Malawi Government, through the Department of Arts, has secured sponsorship from the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for the establishment of the Malawi National Arts and Heritage Promotion Fund.
Briefing the media on Monday in Lilongwe, Deputy Minister for Local Government, Unity and Culture, Owen Chomanika, said Malawi is among other seven countries that have secured the sponsorship from UNESCO.
Chomanika said the funding is of great importance, saying once the National Heritage and Arts Council is established, there will be a robust promotion of cultural diversity, adding artists will be able to enjoy their artistic rights.
He said: “The sponsorship which Malawi Government, through the Department of Arts, has secured from UNESCO is in form of technical assistance for the development of regulations that will help in the establishment and operationalization of Malawi National Heritage Promotion Fund. This offer comes with a complementary budget of US$30,000.
“The fund will also support Malawi 2063 which calls for the policy intervention within arts and culture as one of the centres to grow the economy through income generation among artists in communities where arts and culture thrive.”
In his remarks, senior assistant executive secretary at the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO, Christopher Magomero, said Aschberg programme will help Malawi in the development of regulations that will support already existing policies, thereby promoting the cultural industry.
“UNESCO wishes to see through this support the development of regulations that will support existing policies, cultural policies and regulations that will ensure that there will be funds within the context of National Arts and Heritage Council.
“We would also like to see regulations that will be able to promote artistic freedom and promotion of artists and their works in Malawi,” said Magomero.
Speaking earlier, Director of Arts from the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Humphrey Mpondaminga, hailed UNESCO for the sponsorship, saying this is a big milestone in creativity flourishment in the cultural industry.
Communities urged to manage wetlands for improved ecosystem.
By Innocent Chunga
Nkhotakota, February 12, Mana: Deputy Director in the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Davis Kalima, has tipped communities in Nkhotakota on the need to enhance community-based management of ecosystem in the country's wetlands, saying they are key in environmental conservation.
Speaking during the commemoration of Wetlands Day on Friday at Chizongwe Ground in the area of Senior Chief Mwadzama in Nkhotakota district, Kalima said government is committed to work with stakeholders and traditional leaders in ensuring that the wetlands are well conserved to gain international recognition.
He said wetlands provide an opportunity to improve both tourism activities and economic well-being of surrounding communities in the country.
Kalima added that wetlands are a hotspot of biodiversity and the country uses wetlands as a site for ecotourism activities, saying government is therefore trying to promote the wise use of wetlands to remain attractive to tourists.
“In areas around Elephant Marsh, which is the biggest marsh in the country, we have organized communities around it to have different tourism activities. They work together there with support from other stakeholders and partners like Shire Valley Transformation Programme.
“Here in Nkhotakota we have Wildlife Environmental Society of Malawi (WESM) which is taking care of Chia Lagoon through its bird management project, which it is implementing,” he said.
WESM board member Victor Mangochi disclosed that as an organization they are committed to support government in enhancing and conserving the environment.
Chairperson for Nkhotakota District Council, Councilor Charles Chimzukuzuku, said the council will continue providing support to stakeholders who are committed to support them in protecting wetlands to be in line with the district's plans of turning the district into a tourism city.
Malawi has commemorated the World Wetlands Day in the district under the theme ‘Wetlands and human well-being’.
Dwasco SACCO asset value hits K1.5 billion
By Wongani Mkandawire
Nkhotakota, February 12, Mana: Dwasco SACCO in Nkhotakota district has reported a 30 percent total asset value increase, from K1.1 billion in its 2022-23 financial year to K1.5 billion this year.
This was disclosed at the SACCO’s 30th Annual General Meeting held at Dwangwa Club in Nkhotakota district on Saturday.
Speaking during the meeting, Abel Musopole, who is the Board Chairperson for the institution, said it has taken huge commitment and discipline from both members of the SACCO and employees to make possible these profits during the just ended period as well as the past five consecutive years of growth.
Musopole said the SACCO business is guided and regulated by guidelines and rules set up by the government through responsible bodies like the Reserve Bank of Malawi and the Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives Limited (MUSCCO) and, as such, SACCOs need to adhere to the guidelines to make sure the business grows.
MUSCCO Business Development Manager Ezekiel Thindwa said Dwasco SACCO is among the 15 institutions of this nature which have a minimum of K1 billion asset value.
“There are about a total of 45 SACCOs that have a total net worth of K70 billion and one of them is Dwasco SACCO, standing at K1.5 billion,” said Thindwa.
