By Gracious Phiri

Kasungu, May 21, Mana: The National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) continues to provide micro-irrigation loans to farmers’ clubs in Kasungu District, enabling smallholder farmers to access modern farming techniques and technologies and boost crop yields to curb food insecurity.

Speaking when he handed over irrigation equipment and farm inputs to Ntanga Women Irrigation Club, in Traditional Authority Njombwa, NEEF Zone Manager for Mponela, Lloyd Nyakamera, said the loans will avert hunger created by harsh climatic conditions, which affected harvests in this year’s farming season.

He said NEEF is committed to supporting government efforts to attain food security through irrigation agriculture to enable farmers to cultivate crops such as maize, at least twice a year.

“The programme is meant to curb hunger and boost the economy of the country through contributions by smallholder farmers.

“These smallholder farmers will be able to have enough food for themselves and sell the remaining for the continuation of the programme,” Nyakamera said.

He urged beneficiaries to make good use of the loan so that they are able to repay it, adding that as NEEF, they are not just looking for loan repayment but, also, improving the economic status of the beneficiaries.

Senior Chief Njombwa thanked NEEF for the loan saying it is in line with government’s efforts to have a hunger free country.

Chairperson for the Club, Matren Phiri, also expressed gratitude for the loan, saying it will help the group to cultivate crops on a large scale.

“We have been waiting for this opportunity because ever since we started in 2018, we have been doing irrigation on small scale, using hired water pumps at a high cost.

“This is why we are excited that we now have our own pump, which uses solar energy, meaning that we will save a lot of money that we used to spend on hiring pumps and buying fuel,” Phiri said.

The loan package included solar powered water pump, maize seeds, and 100 bags of fertilizer, all valued at K30million.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, May 26, Mana: District Fisheries Officer for Kasungu, Ignatious Lipato, has urged communities in the district to diversify their farming activities by adopting green businesses such as fish farming.

Lipato made the call on Saturday, when Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development (JCED), handed over fingerings to Chisamba Village, in Sub-Traditional Authority Ndume, to mark the launch of a community owned fish pond.

“As a department responsible for aquaculture, we are seriously encouraging fish farming in rural communities, especially now that we are faced with the challenge of climate change.

“Fish farming is one of the best green businesses, communities can adopt for their nutrition and income security and, today, I’m happy to witness one of the milestones in the promotion of aquaculture in the district,” Lipato said.

He said Kasungu District has over 1,000 farmers spread across all Extension Planning Areas (EPA’s), producing around 15.5 metric tons of fish annually.

The Fisheries officer described the launching of the pond at Chisamba as a huge development that would boost production and he challenged the surrounding communities to construct more ponds.

Director for JCED, Reuben Nazombe, lauded the commitment shown by the community by manually constructing the pond, which is 375 square meters in size.

“Our interest is to work with rural communities so that they withstand the impact of climate change which is mostly affecting their livelihood.

“Although climate change affects everyone, our understanding is that it affects vulnerable communities more than others. That’s why we are working with them to build and strengthen their resilience,” Nazombe said.

He added that with the unreliability of rains, communities have to diversify the sources of their livelihood by venturing into green businesses that protect the environment, and enhances the biodiversity of the place and, at the same time, contributing to their livelihood.

“Our motivation is to see a resilient household and a resilient community,” he said.

Chairperson for Chisamba Village Pond, Kamwenye Vito, expressed gratitude to JCED for supporting the 54-member group with training and resources to start the fish farming project.

“Our dream is to make it big, and we will add more ponds both as a group and at individual level to increase production,” he said.

The faith-based organization has also supported the venture with fingerlings and feed.

By Pickson Chipeso

Lilongwe, May 25, Mana: The Secretary General of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Richard Chimwendo Banda, who is also the Minister of Local Government Unity and Culture, has assured the people of Chatata that government is set to distribute relief maize to the area as soon as possible.

In his remarks made on Saturday at Chatata ground in Lilongwe, Banda said the government will provide direct support to the area.

"We have made a promise that the government will support them, and we will ensure that they receive the assistance they need," he said.

Banda also emphasized the need for peace and unity during the upcoming general elections.

"Malawians need to move in unity to ensure peace, so as a party, we are committed to promoting peace and stability and will not tolerate violence in this country," he said.

Director of Youth to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who is also the Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Works, Baba Steve Malondera, highlighted the act of violence and challenges faced by women and young men who have their goods taken away by city officials.

Malondera added that it is time for city officials to have a human face and allow small-scale businesses to thrive, and taking goods from vendors is unfair and affects their livelihoods. These small-scale businesses need support, not harassment. He said they will engage with city officials to find a solution.

"We need to put in place a proper system to help city officials clean the city while also supporting small-scale businesses," Malondera explained.

By Tamala Kamanga

Dowa, May 23, Mana: An inspection exercise for the verification of names in the voter’s registry, which MEC conducted in Dowa district, has shown a low turnout for the verification of names in the voter’s registry.

Speaking on Friday after an inspection exercise at five verification centres, MEC’s Commissioner, Dr. Emmanuel Fabiano attributed the low turnout to mobile verification, which MEC established to ease the verification process.

"Out of the five centres we visited, only one centre had 72 people verifying their names, despite thousands of people registering to vote in the district.

"A lot of people are verifying on phone, and I believe that is the major factor in the low turnout, this way is easier than physically going to verification centres," he said.

However, Fabiano urged political leaders to take a major role in encouraging people to go for verification, to enable them to choose their preferred leaders in the forthcoming elections.

One of the potential voters who on the day, Jailos Amos, said the mobile platform that MEC has established has allowed many people to verify their names through their phones.

"The coming of this kind of technology has made things simpler. You all know that we are in tobacco season, and many people here are farmers, hence they are finding it difficult to go to the centres, and are verifying through phone," said Amos.

In Dowa district, the verification of names in the voter’s registry commenced on 21 May and ended on 23 May 2025.

By Manasse Nyirenda

Rumphi, May 24, Mana: God Cares Rights Foundation through Lwande Lithu Project with support from United Nations Women Peace Humanitarian Fund has embarked on an initiative aimed at equipping young peace builders with skills in story telling on issues affecting their communities through multimedia platforms.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency on Saturday, Programme Officer for Lwande Lithu Project, Blesco Nyangulu, said the initiative will provide a platform through which communities will be telling stories about gender based violence (GBV) among other issues to transform and foster peace.

One of the peace builders, Lestina Kalua of Chagoneka Village under Senior Chief Mwalweni, said that the skill which she has acquired from the project will help her investigate and report on credible stories from her community.

“This will help bring light on issues which retard development, co-existence, unity and peace in the community,” said Kalua.

Another beneficiary, Violet Nyirenda of Dimba Village in the area of Traditional Authority Mwamlowe said knowledge on data privacy when handling stories will win people’s trust in their work and enhance peace building.

She added that other skills such as mobile storytelling will enable her share stories from her community fast targeting wider audience through her mobile phone.

The project is targeting 18 young women drawn from all four constituencies in the district.

By Steve Lingamawa

Balaka, May 24, Mana: Balaka District Council hailed Church Action in Relief and Development (CARD) for rescuing about 1,700 households from hunger in Balaka as the church relief organization responded to effects of El Nino in the 2024/2025 lean season through El Nino Emergency Response Project.

Balaka District Disaster Risk Management Officer (DDRMO), Allick Milanzi, expressed gratitude on Thursday when CARD presented El Nino Emergency Response Project exit report to Balaka District Council.

Milanzi said the district had 51, 802 households that were affected by hunger due to El Nino induced dry spells in the 2024/2025 season.

“Allow me to appreciate various stakeholders that participated in this initiative such as CARD, Council officers, the police and community members among others. Balaka District is prone to climatic shocks such as dry spells but your effort is always available as shown during this project,” DDRMO added.

He further explained that CARD, through El Nino Emergency Response Project disbursed K90,000 to every households to purchase food despite several challenges encountered during the project implementation, citing community leaders’ corrupt practices in identifying the beneficiaries.

CARD Project Coordinator, Harliex Chimutu, said the organization is among primary disaster respondent actors in Malawi.

He therefore commended stakeholders’ collaboration that helped to bail out households that were affected by hunger in Balaka District, saying; "The Project was given seven months to operate in Balaka from November 2024 to May 2025 particularly in areas of Phimbi, Nkaya, Makuluka and Zalimu with each household getting K90,000 for the first five months to purchase food items."

CARD received a 273,000 Canadian Dollars from the Presbyterian World Service and Development and Canadian Food Grains Bank to support households that were affected by the El Nino dry spell in Balaka.

By Innocent Chamtulo

Mulanje, May 23, Mana: The Social Cash Transfer Programme in Mulanje, now delivered through electronic payments, is benefiting 17,000 households, transforming many from low-income status to improved livelihoods through small business ventures and progress toward sustainable self-reliance.

Information Officer at Mulanje Council, Alex Chitwere disclosed this on Thursday during a media tour of households in the district currently enrolled in the SCTP also known as Mtukula Pakhomo,

He said the programme was meant to help beneficiaries transitioning from low-income to another level, adding that this was the whole essence of introducing the programme.

“The Social Cash Transfer Programme in the district is progressing very well. For the first time beneficiaries are receiving cash through electronic payment system, which also benefited the council by reducing the pressure of mobilizing resources for disbursing cash to beneficiaries across the district,” he added.

One of the beneficiaries, Ndifelanji Chideya from Group Village Head Kalilima, Traditional Authority Nkanda, said the programme has transformed her household, enabling her to afford most basic needs since her enrollment in 2024.

“Before joining Mtukula Pakhomo, life was very difficult for us as we could not make ends meet. We lacked the capacity to produce enough for our family and lived a miserable life.

“After being enrolled in the programme, we have seen some improvement in our livelihoods. With the support, I ventured into a small business and also engage in animal farming, which has enabled me to meet my family’s daily needs,” she explained.

Another beneficiary from the same area, Regina Matchipisa hailed government for introducing the e-payment system, saying beneficiaries used to wait too long to receive cash when cash disbursement was previously manual.

“With the e-payment, we are now able to withdraw our money whenever we feel the need to do so. Previously, we had to walk long distances to receive cash and it was very difficult to plan and budget properly on how to use the cash,” she added.

Edina Tebulo from Mkhito Village, Traditional Authority Nkanda said she used to struggle to support her children in secondary schools, who are in Form 2 and Form 3, adding that her enrolment into SCTP changed things for the better than before.

“We used to find piece works to support our children’s education. Mtukula Pakhomo has relieved me from the hustle of piece works,” she added.

The SCTP in Malawi is government social protection scheme supported by Multi-Donor Trust Fund aimed at reducing poverty and improving livelihoods of the most vulnerable households.

By Paul Madise

Lilongwe, May 23, Mana: Secretary for Higher Education, Dr. Levis Eneya, has urged higher education institutions and graduates to actively participate in the implementation of the national development agenda, the Malawi 2063.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of DMI-St. John the Baptist University on Friday, at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe, Dr. Eneya emphasized the necessity of collective efforts to transform Malawi into an upper-middle-income economy by the year 2063.

He praised the Catholic Institutions and the Catholic Church for the significant contribution to education in Malawi. He commended DMI St. John the Baptist University for working hard to have all programmes accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), and for the ongoing expansion of the Lumbadzi Campus, the establishment of a College of Health Sciences, the creation of scholarship funds for disadvantaged students, and investments in digital learning technologies, among other developments.

Eneya then pledged government's support saying President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera's government is committed to supporting both public and private institutions in their efforts to develop human capital.

“We urge all institutions to adhere to standards set by government through the National Council for Higher Education. The Ministry will continue with regular audits in all higher education institutions to make sure that high standards are maintained,” he said.

He also congratulated the students on their achievements and encouraged them to be innovative, avoid corruption, and utilize their skills to create opportunities for others. He emphasized that graduates are ambassadors for their university and key players in shaping Malawi’s future.

“Go out and make a difference. Malawi is relying on you,” said Eneya.

In his remarks, Professor Amalraj Ambrose, Vice Chancellor of the university, underscored the institution’s commitment to research and development, stating the availability of grants for innovation in fields such as agriculture, ICT, and health.

Professor Ambrose appealed for continued government support and reaffirmed DMI’s mission to expand across Africa while empowering the disadvantaged through education.