By Pickson Chipeso

Lilongwe, October 22, Mana: The youth forum for National Transformation (YOFONAT) has urged youths to engage in climate change justice projects as one way of protecting the environment.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday, Executive Director of YOFONAT Chifundo Robert, said they are implementing a project in Phalombe and Nsanje districts where they are sensitizing the youth on how to control climate change.

"As YOFONAT, we have targeted Phalombe and Nsanje because these areas are prone to natural disasters, such as the recent impact of Cyclone Freddy," he said.

Robert added that mostly effects of climate change affect young people more than all other demographics and he revealed that statistics shows that almost 70% affected by Cyclone Freddy were young people.

"The youth in Malawi are those between the ages of 18 and 35, so we thought it was important to make them the focus of this project," he explained.

In his remarks, environmental and climate expert Godfrey Mfiti stated that the youth are currently playing a minimal role in shaping the country's future.

"Once the youth take on a leading role and gain a deeper understanding of climate justice, it means we have secured a better future," he said.

“It stipulates that we have higher number of youth that needs to participate fully in climate justice. Previously we used to have more of technical issues, but now we appreciate that climate justice is order of the day through several impacts that injustice to climate brings in the country such as cyclones, floods, irritable rainfall pattern,” he added.

The project which commenced this month is called Youth for Climate Justice and is targeting young people because they are the ones leading various social movement activities in Malawi.

The main goal of the project is to empower young leaders into climate activists to respond effectively to climate change through capacity building.

By Mary Sichali

Karonga, October 22, Mana: Karonga District Council Development Service Committee has endorsed a Disaster Risk Management Plan (DRMP), which is expected to run for five years from 2024 to 2029.

Speaking on Monday during a service committee meeting, Disaster Risk Management Officer for Karonga Humphrey Magalasi said Karonga is hit by disasters annually hence the development of the DRMP to improve preparedness.

“The DRMP outlines our plans to build dykes along the rivers that are flood prone and construct 12 evacuation centers in the district. Karonga has six Traditional Authorities (TA), therefore, two evacuation centers will be built per TA,” Magalasi said.

He also said that some people will be relocated, especially those who stay in flood prone locations.

“We will conduct land zoning where we will map out habitable areas where people can relocate to,” Magalasi explained.

He added that they will collaborate with their partners to advocate for the plan and sensitize the community to motivate adherence to measures endorsed.

In a seperate interview, Chairperson of Karonga District Council Development Committee, Gift Mwakiyelu said they will support the council in the advancement of the intervention plans to ensure compliance in communities.

"However, government should convince people to relocate from flood prone areas which is not an easy task considering the fact that most of them have lived there for a very long time," Mwakiyelu said.

“Government should consider providing materials such as iron sheets or cement for people to build new homes. This will inspire them to easily adopt the idea of relocation hence the government will also save the resources that would have been used to support them every year,” he added.

By Sellah Singini

Lilongwe October, 22, Mana: President Lazarus Chakwera has received letters of credence from new ambassador of Ireland to Malawi, Kate Brady, during a ceremony that took place at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists after presenting her credentials, Brady said Ireland is committed in supporting Malawi’s development agenda particularly in the areas of food systems, transformation and national social protection.

She said, Malawi and Ireland share a very warm and strong relation for over a decade.

“We have been in social protection since 2013 and our focus has always been on innovation and building strong social protection systems and we will continue to do that both in the basket fund with the World Bank, but also through programs we have with UNICEF and several other partners,

“At the moment, we are doing research in relation to how social protection can support those who have been displaced by disaster, for example. And we are also looking at how climate finance can be used to support those most vulnerable,” Brady said.

She also expressed her passion for Malawi, noting her appreciation for Malawi culture and Chichewa language, which she attempted to speak during her discussions with President Chakwera.

In her remarks, Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba said the Irish diplomatic relations with Malawi were established in 2007 and that they are in various programs such as social protection, climate change and food systems.

“As you may be aware, the former Irish ambassador went back home, so Brady was the deputy ambassador to Malawi. She has now been promoted to be the new ambassador of Ireland to Malawi. the President commended her hard work and also commended the Irish government for observing continuity that should be there to avoid disruption of support and partnerships Malawi has been receiving from Ireland,” Zamba said.

By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, October 22, Mana: National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) has cautioned communities living along the lake in Nkhata Bay to refrain from constructing on the shores without proper consultations as projections indicate a prospect of rising of water levels on the lake and Shire River.

In an interview on Monday after an interface meeting with Area Development Committees (ADCs) in the district, NWRA Senior Civic Education Officer Masozi Kasambala said projections have been made that in the current hydrological period water levels will be higher than last year.

"By December 1, this year, the water levels will be 22 centimeters high compared to same period last year.

"This means that rainy season will be on at a time when water levels on lake Malawi are already high hence the need for people to be vigilant especially those with intentions to take developmental projects along the shores,” Kasambala said.

According to Kasambala there is need for infrastructure developers to seek permission from them and also make sure they have licenses to avoid water catastrophes.

“As regulator of water resources in Malawi, we thought it wise to equip the ADCs with knowledge of about our responsibilities so that we move forward together,” he added.

In his remarks, Nkhata Bay Community Development Officer, Jacob Moloko hinted that the rising of water levels during the previous hydrological period caused damages on the infrastructure, thereby disturbing tourism activities in the district.

“As a council, we appreciate the early warning given to communities on the rise of water levels as this will help us to pro-actively provide advice and intensify awareness to residents on the shores," he said.

ADC Chairperson for Malenganzoma, Loti Simion Mvula said the meeting was insightful and that they will share the knowledge gained with community members.

By Agatha Kadzinje

Blantyre, October 22, Mana: Malawi Peace and Unity Commission (MPUC) has pledged to continue engaging with the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD), a grouping of all political party secretaries-general on the importance of promoting peace as the country prepares for the 2025 general elections.

In an interview on Tuesday with the Malawi News Agency (Mana), MPUC Chairperson Bishop Mary Nkosi said the commission has started meeting with various political leaders to raise awareness about the need for peace during the election period.

Nkosi emphasized that the commission will continue to engage with leaders, as they have the power to influence their followers and condemn any misconduct.

“Leadership is crucial because followers often take direction from their leaders. That’s why involving leaders is one of MPUC’s key initiatives. We believe that by educating and engaging with leaders, the commission can help end the spread of hate speech and tribalism, which can incite animosity among their followers,” she said.

Nkosi added that the commission will also engage with media houses to help curb the violence that occurs on social media platforms.

“The digital space seems to be filled with conflicts. So, we plan to involve the media in spreading accurate information to promote peace during this election period,” she said.

Nkosi stressed that the commission will continue working with the police and judiciary, not as a replacement for their roles, but as a mediator in conflicts.

She also assured the nation that the commission’s efforts will extend beyond the election period to ensure peace is maintained in the country.

In a separate interview with Mana, political analyst, Victor Chipofya observed that violence often begins when ideas run out in a society.

“People at the grassroots fight for those at the top, not for themselves. Leaders should be involved in everything their followers do to maintain peace during the 2025 elections,” he said.

Chipofya added that leaders should be the standard-bearers of peace by disciplining their followers when any issues of violence arise.

“Leaders must act to discipline their followers. Most political leaders rely solely on press statements when violence occurs, rather than using the law to discipline the perpetrators. As a result, people continue to engage in violent acts because they go scot free,” he said.

Chipofya also said most violence can be minimized during the election period if campaigns focus on issues rather than castigating each other.

“If rallies and campaigns address issues that affect people’s daily lives, we are most likely to avoid violence. The issues of tribalism and gender, which often arise during this period, cause resentment and anger,” he said.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, October 22, Mana: Kasungu District Council has invested MK839 million Performance Based Grant (PBG) funds into a paying clinic, which authorities say, will help to plug funding gaps for the district’s health sector.

Director of Health Services for the district, Emmanuel Golombe said on Monday that apart from being an income generating activity for the council’s health sector, the project is also a response to people’s demand for paying services to suit their interests.

“We want to generate revenue as a sector because this time, we have no means of raising funds apart from the subventions from the central government.

“We sometimes have funding gaps which compromise service delivery. So this initiative will help us raise resources to buy important items like fuel, critical drugs and others,” Golombe said.

He said the district has many clients who have been requesting to have pay services.

“Kasungu District Hospital serves over 300 clients a day. Those rushing to work, or are on medical schemes or can just afford to pay for private services find it difficult to wait for long hours.

“So this project properly responds to their needs. Actually, it is for everyone that can afford, including those coming outside the district,” he said.

Kasungu has a population of about a million people and its district hospital receives clients from communities such as Jenda in Mzimba and Malomo in Ntchisi.

Touring the construction works on Monday, Senior Planning Officer for National Local Government Finance Committee, Charity Kaunda expressed hope that the contractor will deliver a quality structure and within the agreed project timelines.

“This trip is about supporting the district council to ensure that they are delivering on the projects as per the agreements. It’s a spot check exercise whereby we check on the council on how they are delivering on the PBG funded projects.

“Our desire is to see that councils are able to utilise the resources that they get under this fund to address the community service gaps by implementing projects that can stand the test of time and implemented to the desired quality by adhering to specifications and completed within the given timelines,” Kaunda said.

Funded by the World Bank through the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) project, PBGs are given to well performing councils identified through the Local Authorities Performance Assessment.

According to Kaunda, Gesd is about enhancing inefficiencies in the delivery of services in the councils.

She said: “So it’s not just about the projects. It’s about supporting the councils to embrace a performance culture in every area of their intervention.

“The good thing with Kasungu is that they comply with the principle of delivering a complete service package which we have always encouraged. This entails that once projects are completed, they should be functional.”

The paying clinic which is expected to be completed by December 31 this year, will have an Out-patient Department and an admission ward replete with self-contained rooms, laboratory, staff lounge, pharmacy, radiography and a car park, among other specifications.