MANAonline
MACRA committed to alleviate cyber crimes
By Pempho Nkhoma
Blantyre, December 20, Mana: Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has assured the general public that it is committed to fight against cyber-crimes in order to create a safe cyber space for all.
The sentiments were made on Thursday at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre during the official closing ceremony of 2024 cyber security awareness month.
Speaking at the event, Board Director for MACRA, Stella Chuthi said that the fight against cyber related crimes is an ongoing battle which needs collaborated efforts, citing that MACRA is working hand in hand with security agencies and other stakeholders to mitigate the vice.
“We are making strides with the strategy that we are using. For example we have worked with Malawi Prison Services to catch a guy who had one hundred sim cards which were brought to prison by his relatives and they were all arrested,” she said.
Director for Legal Affairs Services at MACRA, Thokozani Chimbe concured with Chuthi saying that the awareness month was set to emphasize on the importance of operating in a cyber space that is safe for everyone.
“During the past weeks MACRA and its stakeholders were involved in different activities to remind each other of our rights and responsibilities in making sure that our space is secure,” Chimbe said.
One of the youths who was reached with the message of cyber security, Fares Gondwe, a student at Ndirande Hill Secondary School singled out cyber bullying as something that hinders other people’s rights when using the internet.
“As youths we have a responsibility of taking care of the internet by not using it for wrong purposes and protecting other people so that they can use it safely,” she said.
The cyber security awareness month was declared to be a time dedicated by the public and private sector to work together in raising awareness about the importance of cyber security.
Reports from MACRA indicated that from January to October this year the country recorded 27, 000 attempted mobile money fraud cases.
AU-Africa Educate Her Campaign to revamp girl’s enrollment in schools
By Andrew Phiri
Balaka, December 20, Mana: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has said the launch of "AU-Africa Educate Her Campaign" will improve girl’s education by increasing their enrollment in all levels of education.
Director of Education Planning from the ministry, Victoria Geresomo said this on Thursday during the launch of the campaign at Buke Primary school in Traditional Authority (TA) Phalula in Balaka District.
She said the initiative is responding to post-Covid-19 impacts which lead to high numbers of school dropout among girls and the major pillars incorporated in the campaign will strengthen education policies and building capacity among NGOs, chiefs and religious leaders to uplift girls’ education.
”Recently in 2024, the ministry conducted an annual school census survey which indicated that performance of girls in schools is still a problem because many girls dropped out of school during the Covid-19 pandemic," she said.
She added: "Government is committed to revamp the education sector through various programmes such as AU-Africa Educate Her Campaign in order to align with Malawi 2063 vision."
She therefore hailed all partners in the education sector such as Oxfam, CAMFED, FAWEMA, CAVWOC among others for complementing government’s effort to bail out girls from educational challenges.
Representing Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the education sector, Oxfam Malawi Country Director, Lingalileni Mihowa said the campaign will work in all facets by building strong partnerships among all parties and provide conducive education environment to girls.
"You have also witnessed that the initiative has provided girls with school writing materials, sanitary materials and bicycles in order to reduce mobility challenges," she said.
Meanwhile, Balaka District Council Director of Planning and Development, Chris Nawata has hailed the government and all CSOs for their commitment to improve girl’s education in Balaka and the whole country.
AU-Africa Educate Her Campaign is a yearly education campaign that will run until 2025 by 55 African Union member states including Uganda, Mozambique and Malawi with an ultimate goal of retaining girl’s enrollment in primary, secondary and tertiary levels, courtesy of impacts of Covid-19 pandemic.
CSOs Urge MPs to Prioritize Citizens in 2024/2025 Budget Oversight
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Lilongwe, December 20, Mana: Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has urged Members of Parliament ( MPs) to consider citizenry benefits when passing the budget in parliament .
Speaking during mid-term 2024/2025 budget review report meeting in Lilongwe, Oxfam Governance Manager, Mac Pherson Mdalla, said appropriate expenditure is crucial to ensuring that Malawians get the best services from government agencies.
He said, MPs should make sure that government is spending funds approved in the mid- term budget review appropriately.
“ As a country we know we are facing economic challenges including climate change which has affected the country but it is important for MPs to ensure that government officers are following financial management principles in their expenditure,” said Mdalla.
Chairperson for parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee, Gladys Gada, said that as MPs they are committed to strengthening oversight role on the budget.
“As MPs we have been challenged to look at the revenue side of the budget and to see if there are any problems in the budget so that we are able to solve them,” said Gada.
The CSOs group consists of Oxfam, Economics Association of Malawi(ECAMA), Malawi Economic Justice Network(MEJN), Youth and Society(Yas) Center for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) and Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet).
Mzuni ETIC construction project to offer employment opportunities
By Stella Mwalwanda and Anna Mkandawire
Mzuzu, December 19, Mana: Following official launch of construction of Entrepreneurship Training and Incubation Centre (ETIC) at Mzuzu University (Mzuni) by President Lazarus Chakwera last week, it is anticipated that the project will create employment opportunities to people around and away from the institution.
The project which is being constructed by DEC Construction Company and funded by World Bank through SAVE project will employ over 150 people, both skilled and unskilled laborers for 14 months.
In an interview on Thursday, Project Consultant for DEC Construction Company, Ellard Malonda said that the company’s priority is to employ people from around Mzuni.
“We want everyone to feel that they own the project by employing them to do various construction works and we will be proud to work with them,” said Malonda.
He added that at the moment recruitment of employees is in progress on daily basis though the project is in its initial phase and that currently the company has nonskilled laborers.
“We have recruited 42 people so far, 15 of them are females so that we achieve the 40 to 60 percent gender balance,” said Malonda.
One of the workers at the construction site Blessings Chavala said he was happy that the project is taking place around his area.
“I am assured that I will easily fend for my family since I am now employed,” said Chavala.
One of the job seekers, Daniel Muliya, who is a builder and happen to be at the site expecting to be employed said that he is hopeful that he will be employed as recruitment is an ongoing process.
USAID Challenges Young Entrepreneurs with K3.8 Billion Bicycle Innovation Challenge
By Paul Madise
Lilongwe, December 19, Mana: United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the launch of a 2.2 million US Dollars (approximately MK3.8 billion) Tchova Njinga Innovation Challenge to support innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs in the country.
Organized under USAID’s Innovation Design, Execution, and Acceleration Support (IDEAS) mechanism, the challenge which has been launched in Zambia and Malawi, targets creative minds that can contribute impactful solutions to improve transportation, health, economic growth, and access to services in the two countries.
Speaking at the roundtable, Ben M’bwana, Director of Administration at the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare hailed the challenge, underscoring the transformative potential bicycles have when it comes to economic empowerment, improved health outcomes and education access in Malawi.
“Bicycles are not just a means of transport; they are a transformative tool for development and empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 78% of the population relies on walking to access work and essential services as well as significantly enhance mobility and economic opportunities,” he said.
The initiative comes in as good news for innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs to come up with bicycle-related solutions to address key social and economic needs from healthcare access to economic mobility.
The challenge which is promoting open innovation, offering financial and non-financial support to develop and scale creative solutions consists of two streams which includes Developing Innovations for early-stage ideas ready for field testing and selected applicants will receive funding between $25,000 and $100,000, with support from June 2025 to May 2026.
Furthermore, through the second stream called Transition to Scale, will allow young innovators that have shown small-scale success and need further validation and partnerships to scale up will receive funding ranges from $200,000 to $400,000, with support from June 2025 to November 2026.
In addition to financial support, successful applicants will receive non-financial support, both virtually and in person, the support includes group training sessions on key themes related to the Tchoova Njinga innovation challenge, mentoring sessions with tailored support with mentors to guide project development and engagement events to foster networking and peer-learning opportunities with key stakeholders.
The Tchoova Njinga Innovation Challenge is open for submissions from 09th December, 2024 and closes on 20th January, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
NBM donates K10 million medical supplies to Dedza council
By Timothy Peter
Dedza, December 19, Mana: National Bank of Malawi (NBM), Thursday donated assorted items to Dedza district council as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The assorted items included; one delivery bed, private screens, oxygen concentrator, defibrillator and other items that will help patients in the maternity ward as well as the emergency ward at the district hospital.
Receiving the donation, the Director of Health and Social Services for the district, Isaac Mbingwani, commended NBM for the assistance describing it as a very good development.
Mbingwani said the equipment received will help medical officers at the district hospital to urgently respond to different cases.
“As a district hospital that is close to the M1 road, we receive a lot of casualties from road traffic accidents. So, the items received today will help us respond to that quickly,” he said.
He added that the items will also ease the burden in the maternity ward as the district helps about 600 expectant mothers, on average, to deliver within a month hence a need for several medical supplies.
“We need a lot of supplies such as patient monitors, beds and BP machines so that patients should receive quality health care services.
“We usually have a lot of deliveries per month ranging from 400 to 600 on average and being a border district, we receive a lot of patients from Mozambique and therefore, we need more delivery beds,” he explained.
In her remarks, NBM Service Centre Manager for Lilongwe, Moreen Gwembere, said their main aim was to help the district hospital with the assorted items so that the facility could deal with emergencies in the emergency ward.
“In this festive season, there are several emergencies received in the ward but the facility did not have enough equipment to respond finding it very hard for them to help the affected,” she said.
Gwembere said NBM has already reached out to 9 hospitals including Bwaila, Dowa and Dedza adding they are expected to reach out to three more hospitals.
National Planning Commission courts faith leaders on Malawi2063
By George Bulombola
Mzuzu, December 19, Mana: National Planning Commission (NPC) has said faith leaders are vital in promoting mindset change, which is one of the drivers towards attaining Malawi 2063.
The remarks were made Thursday by NPC Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Manager, Jennifer Mjuweni during the commission’s engagement meeting with religious leaders drawn from the northern region on Malawi2063, which is the country’s development blueprint.
She said mindset change is the first enabler amongst seven enablers towards achieving Malawi 2063, which envisages Malawi as an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation.
“So, there is a need for concerted efforts to achieve this enabler and we believe that the faith community is very critical in influencing mindset change, hence engaging religious leaders on Malawi2063,” said Mjuweni.
Mjuweni added that mindset change is very complex and is usually based on individual feelings and that the commission trusts that religious leaders have a great influence on people’s mindset change as they are believed to be of high morals and trustworthiness.
“Therefore, religious leaders have a great role in influencing behaviours of individual members of their congregations and their society as a whole,” she said.
Commenting on reliance on handouts and corruption, Mjuweni said people should refrain from such vices; instead, people should create worth using available resources and believe in their own abilities so that Malawi becomes a self-reliant nation.
“We believe that faith community is the least corrupt sector in any society, hence we place a lot of trust in them in shaping the future and mentality of communities.
“And with their help, we can instil integrity, ethical behaviours and morality which are some of the values necessary for combatting such vices,” added Mjuweni.
General Secretary for CCAP Synod of Livingstonia, Rev. William Tembo said that NPC engaged and took the message to the right people whom he added are in most cases forgotten in planning for national development.
“We are the right people because we spend most of our time with people and preach to people time and again and the message which we have taken here will down to the grassroots in popularizing Malawi2063 and what people can do to contribute towards its attainment,” said Tembo.
Earlier, Presidential Advisor on Religious Affairs, Rev. Brian Kamwendo commended NPC for engaging the faith leaders in Malawi 2063.
He said the meeting was very crucial considering that the faith community in Malawi covers 98 percent of the country's citizenry and that with such an understanding, there is no way NPC can ignore the contributions of faith leaders to national development.
“The preachers of the gospel are transformative through the message which they give out to the populace and I therefore challenge them to encourage their congregants to be innovative and hardworking as Malawi2063 cannot be achieved if people are not proactive.
“Faith leaders should ensure that their congregants are empowered to deal with issues of reliance on handouts and corruption. We need to be proactive for the country’s development,” said Kamwendo.
Titukulane project orients Mangochi farmers on market links
By Lyte Ali
Mangochi, December 19, Mana: A total of 122 farmers from six traditional authorities in Mangochi have graduated as private service providers (PSP) after undergoing three years of training on farm inputs proper management and market links courtesy of the USAID-funded Titukulane project.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, on Wednesday, Mangochi District Council, Chairperson, Councilor, Abudul Yusuf, urged the farmers to utilize the acquired skills to improve farmers' livelihoods.
"Limited markets for farmers is one the challenges our district faces. I am therefore delighted to note that this project focused on the establishment of market linkages to ensure that our farmers have access to good markets.
‘‘These skilled individuals will help to bridge the gap between farmers and markets, a challenge the district has faced for a long time. By connecting farmers to markets, we expect that there should be enough market, benefiting both farmers and the local economy," he added.
He, therefore, commended Titukulane Project and its partners for supporting Mangochi District Council in empowering farmers to be self-reliant for sustainable agriculture.
In his remarks, Project Manager for Titukulane in Mangochi, Gerald Meke, said the project goal was to help bring a positive impact on agriculture to farmers in Mangochi, by assisting them to access better markets for their produce as well as by reducing hunger in the district.
He added that many small-scale farmers in Mangochi realize good harvests but are often exploited on the market due to limited formal markets.
"We equipped them with skills of cooperatives so that they should sell their produce as groups," he said.
Titukulane was a five-year project implemented by a consortium of organizations, including Emmanuel International, Care Malawi, and Save the Children, with funding from USAID, and it phased out its activities in December 2024.
Council urges vendors to utilize newly constructed market
By Milcah Mathias
Blantyre, December 19, Mana: Blantyre District Council has urged vendors plying their trade along the road at Mpemba Trading Centre to relocate and occupy the space in the newly constructed Mpemba Market from Monday, December 23, 2024.
Speaking during the sensitization awareness meeting at Mpemba Trading Centre, Blantyre District Council Trade Officer, Pilirani Nyangulu Mbwana said the decision to relocate would help prevent accidents that occur when vendors conduct business along the road.
“This market shed will therefore facilitate safe and easy trading among buyers and sellers,” Mbwana said.
Meanwhile, the council has issued a warning that it will engage the police if vendors do not abide by the order.
Chairperson for Mpemba Market Committee, Frano Chimenya commended the council for constructing the market shed to ensure vendors sell their merchandise at designated places.
Chimenya also pledged to take ownership by mobilizing the business community to utilize the structure.
“Let us cooperate and go to the market shed as this is for the benefit of us all. We asked the council to construct the market for us, now that it is here, let us not resist using the new place,” said Chimenya.
One of the vendors, Alinafe Somanje said she had already relocated, as she wanted to conduct her business in a safe and conducive environment during the rainy season.
Somanje, therefore, urged fellow vendors to patronize the new market saying the market will show its full importance when the vendors relocate as customers go to where the products are.
The market shed has been constructed using the council's locally generated revenue to the tune of K43 million.
It is expected to accommodate at least 60 business people from Mpemba Trading Centre and surrounding areas.
NEEF gives Zomba farmers fertilizer on loans
By Emily M'mangisa
Zomba, December 19, Mana: National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) on Wednesday distributed bags of fertilizer to 148 farmers from farmers clubs in Zomba on loan as a way of supporting those who could not afford to buy fertilizer.
Speaking during fertilizer distribution at NEEF office in Zomba, NEEF Supervisor responsible for Zomba North, Hastings Thondolo, disclosed that his office had 236 applicants in total, saying all will get the farm inputs.
Thodolo said NEEF decided to give farmers farm inputs other than the actual cash to ensure the purpose and goal is achieved.
"We didn’t want our farmers to spend money meant for fertilizer. Experience is that most farmers failed to buy fertilizer despite getting the loans.” he added.
He however said NEEF had not wholesomely abandoned giving out loans in the form of cash despite the experience.
Zione Jakison, a farmer from Jawuma Village, Traditional Authority Malemia thanked government for providing the fertilizer through NEEF loan.
The fertilizer loan recipient said the farm inputs came at the right time as some parts of the district had just received enough rain for planting.
“I am running out of words, this initiative is a big salvation to me. Honestly, government has solved my worries,” she said,
Emmanuel Kalimao from Chilema Men's farm club was delighted after collecting his four bags of NPK fertilizer.
“I am waiting to get the other four for UREA next week; I am getting eight bags all together. I thank government for this initiative. Honestly, I was hopeless," he said.
Farmer clubs are eligible to get fertilizer loans up to K30 million for NPK and UREA, according to NEEF.
