By Eunice Disi Lole

Lilongwe, October 22, Mana: Chief Technical Adviser of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Project ACCEL Africa, Minoru Ogasawara has expressed satisfaction with the successful conclusion of the child labour elimination project.

Ogasawara made the remarks on Tuesday during the celebrations of the success of the Project in Malawi which was held at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC).

‘The project has extremely been successful by bringing together all technical expertise within ILO and working together with different stakeholders namely Ministry of Labour, Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) and Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM),” he said.

He added that through these collaborations they had a comparative advantage and it is what made it possible for them to address child labour and the supply chain in a comprehensive manner.

Deputy Labour Commissioner, Wafwile Musukwa expressed gratitude to ILO for bringing together key partners in the tea and coffee sectors who are working in a very collaborative way and due to that, a lot of progress has been made in child labour elimination.

“Communities have received a lot of sensitization on child labour and the employers in the tea and coffee sectors have also been capacitated on how to identify and prevent child labour in the activities that they are doing and the approach is to tackle child labour in the supply chain,” said Musukwa.

Speaking during an interview, one of the beneficiaries from the project, Lucia Raphael Lastone from Thyolo commended ACCEL Africa for rescuing her from working at a tea estate and changing her life for the better. She was given a chance to go to a technical college where she did fabrication and welding.

With the skills that I have acquired I will be able to run my own business and support my family and all this has been made possible due to ACCEL Africa project,” She said.

The project’s overarching goal has been to accelerate the elimination of child labour in Africa through targeted actions in selected supply chains in Cote d’ivoire, Egypt, Malawi, Mali Nigeria and Uganda.

In Malawi, the focus has been on the tea and coffee industries, both of which are critical to the country’s economy and particularly vulnerable to child labour.

By: Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, October 23, Mana: A 20-year-old Siyana Kamtengo, one of the people with albinism in Traditional Authority Masula in Lilongwe district has hailed government for constructing houses for people with albinism across the country.

Kamtengo made the remarks Tuesday when officials from the Ministry of Lands and Lilongwe District Council inspected the progress of the project.

"We were not safe. During the night hours, we could hear people wanting to enter into our house to harm us. But with this house, we are now safe," she said.

Kamtengo who stays with her old grandmother then asked government and well-wishers to assist her and the family with a capital so that she can start a small-scale business to sustain the family.

“Our grandmother is old and she doesn’t do anything, but my sister and I are still strong and if we can have capital to start a small business it can really assist us. Our biological father run away from us. We sleep with an empty stomach most of the times because we do not have a reliable source of income to find our basic need,” she said.

Deputy Director in the Ministry of Lands responsible for rural housing Kingsly Lungu expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project saying the contractors are doing a commendable job.

Lungu said it is encouraging that since government started constructing houses for people with albinism, there has been no reported cases of abductions, which means that the security for people with albinism has been strengthened and they feel safe.

“This project is being implemented in all districts across the country apart from Likoma where there is no person with albinism. People are very excited, they feel very secure and safe. We believe that this project will go very far in preventing abductions and inhumane treatment of people with albinism,” he said.

Lungu then disclosed that government is intending to construct 100 houses for people with albinism in five years and it has already managed to construct 67 houses across the country, with Eleven of them being constructed in Lilongwe district.

Government started constructing houses of people with albinism in 2021 and it is now in fourth phase of the project.

By Vincent Khonje

Mchinji, October 23, Mana: Mchinji District has transitioned from manual payment to electronic payment in the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCT), commonly known as 'Mtukula Pakhomo'.

The programme has now shifted to a mobile-based payment arrangement by using TNM Mpamba.

Speaking Tuesday during the registration of the beneficiaries into the new payment system at Guillime, District Commissioner for Mchinji, Lucia Chidalengwa, hailed the move as a major improvement for the programme.

“This new arrangement brings several advantages, logistical challenges that arose when sending officers to manually disburse funds to beneficiaries will be minimised. Additionally, beneficiaries will not be exposed to theft, as they will now receive the transfers in confidence through their phones,” Chidalengwa said.

One of the beneficiaries, Judith Kilementi, from Chithala Village in Traditional Authority (TA) Zulu, expressed her relief with the new payment system compared to the old system.

“In the past, we had to travel long distances to pay points, sometimes waiting for hours to receive our money. It was not easy, we often got hungry, and the transport costs reduced the little we received. Now, I will not have to spend hours or use the money on transport,” said Kilementi, a widow, looking after seven children.

Another beneficiary, Petulo Mkwezalamba from Njelengo Village, TA Zulu, will receive his cash transfer for the first time under the new system and welcomed the idea.

“Receiving money through a cellphone is ideal for me. I can withdraw the cash at a time that suits me without having to rush or travel to a distant location,” said Mkwezalamba.

Chief Social Welfare Officer responsible for the Social Cash Transfer programme, Chifundo Nanchukwa, said the transition to electronic payments is part of government's broader agenda to digitalize all Government-to-People (G2P) payments.

“This new system offers many benefits as beneficiaries can access their money at any time, rather than being required to gather at a specific location. It will also reduce non-collection of transfers and enhance financial inclusion, as beneficiaries will be using digital payment systems,” said Nanchukwa.

Government is transitioning to E-payment for its social protection beneficiaries, which include ‘Mtukula Pakhomo’ and Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CSEPWP) also known as ‘M’bwenzera Chilengedwe’. 

By Dalitso Kampira

Thyolo, October 23, Mana: As the world transitions from analogue to digital, Ministry of Finance has urged the youths in Thyolo to embrace electronic payment (e-payment) systems as the world is advancing in digital technology and transaction.

Digital Financial Service Specialist in the Ministry of Finance, Steve Mgwadira made the call on Tuesday during the Digital Financial Services (DFS) awareness Campaign conducted by the ministry in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) at Thunga Community Day Secondary School

He said youths have a significant role to play in this digital era as Malawi is migrating to e-payment systems.

“We are raising awareness among the youth about the e-payment. The youths should be able to pass this knowledge on to parents and guardians.

"The world is going digital, and it is vital for young people to engage in mobile banking through platforms like e-banks, Airtel Money, and TNM Mpamba,” Mgwadira added.

He noted that by embracing the digital era, the youth who are both present and future leaders will help pass the innovations from one generation to the next.

Reserve Bank of Malawi, Senior Analyst in the National Payment Systems Department, Setrida Thomas, said e-payment is convenient for young people as it reduces time spent standing in long queues to transact thereby allowing them to focus on other activities.

“We live in a fast-paced world where most youths are reluctant to wait in long queues to access banking services.

“The introduction of e-payment systems will ease this burden, freeing up their time for studies, business, and other pursuits,” she said.

Thomas added that there will be long-term benefits in targeting young people with e-payment education, observing that it will drive socio-economic development through promoting use of digital financial systems.

“We know that today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. Involving them in convenient ways to send, receive, and manage money will have a significant impact on the country's digital future,” she added.

Brenda Makilele, a 16-year-old student at Thunga CDSS, said was excited with initiative, stating that it will help her to save and send money with ease.

“E-payment will help my parents to pay my school fees and buy school necessities with ease,” the student stated, adding that the electronic payment was ideal and relevant as the world is becoming full of scammers and fraudsters.

The Digital Financial Inclusion and Competitiveness (DFIC) Project, which began in July 2024, is expected to conclude in January 2025.

DFIC is being implemented across all 28 districts in Malawi, including Thyolo, and targets communities under all traditional authorities in the district.

By Richard Kagunda

Kasungu, October 23, Mana: Chairperson for Kasungu District Council, Mwambilaso Mbedza has hailed Kasungu Agriculture Coordination Project (KACP) for promoting food security and equipping people in the rural areas with modern agricultural skills.

Funded by the Flanders Government to the tune of 450 000 Euros, the KACP which started in 2018 aimed at equipping farmers in the district with knowledge so that they remain resilient in the face of climate change.

Speaking when she presided over a ceremony marking the end of the first phase of the project on Tuesday at Kalolo in the area of Senior Chief Lukwa in Kasungu district, Mbedza advised the farmers to sustain the activities learned under the project to make their homes food secure and harvest enough for commercial purposes.

“We will live to cherish this project and it is our desire that the activities under the initiative are sustained so that we remain resilient to climatic shocks that are hitting us hard.

“Let me applaud the Flanders Government for supporting us in this manner and we can only pay them back by building on the skills learned in order to have adequate food in our household which was the main aim of this project,” she said.

Earlier in the day, Mbedza inspected some of the agricultural works done under the project which was being implemented in eight model villages in the district.

Apart from building capacity for farmers on modern farming approaches, the project also provide the farming household with livestock such as goats, pigeons and chicken and constructed a solar powered irrigation scheme.

The council’s chairperson for Agriculture Service Committee, Bryson Zephaniah said KACP has complemented government efforts in boosting agricultural productivity which is one of the anchor pillars to achieving the Malawi 2063 vision.

In his remarks, Group Village Head Kalolo expressed excitement for the progress that the project has brought in his area.

"We did not have adequate food because our approach to farming was not aligned with the changing climatic patterns.

“This time, things have changed because we are cultivating maize in our scheme even during the dry season using irrigation techniques that we learned and we also keep livestock,” Kalolo said.

In this ending phase, the project has distributed 1 850 livestock to 280 farming households and installed solar power in six of the district Extension and Planning Areas (EPAs) and connected all the EPA offices to internet.

By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, October 23, Mana: Minister of Lands Deus Gumba on Wednesday expressed optimism that more Malawians will venture into the real estate sector after Parliament passed three new Land Governance Bills.

Gumba made the remarks in Salima during an orientation on new Land Governance Bills and progress of Land sector devolution in Salima District.

According to Gumba, the Land Bills are critical in offering opportunities to more Malawians for them to participate in the real estate market and addressing emerging challenges, particularly in the real estate sector.

"For example, the Sectional Titles Bill aims to provide ownership of real rights
in, or over parts of buildings, thereby allowing Malawians who could not afford to own multi-story buildings to be part owners," he said.

He added that the Property Valuation Bill will regulate the practice of property valuation and shall hear complaints regarding valuation and lastly, the Real Estate Management Bill aims to provide regulation of the practice of real estate managers.

"Implementation of these Bills, once they are laws, are expected to bring sanity in the real estate sector and curb transactions that disadvantage “uniformed” Malawians who are ripped off their land,” he said.

Regarding the implementation of land sector devolution, the Minister said the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture have been working on Fiscal Devolution to ensure that councils have the financial resources to undertake land-related functions.

He revealed that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs already approved devolving part of the Ministry of Land in the 2024/25 budget, therefore councils will start receiving budgetary funds soon.

On his part, Principal Secretary for Local Government, Unity and Culture, Richard Hara said following the deployment of land officers to local councils, citizens will be receiving services from the Ministry of Land faster and more efficiently.

He therefore called for continuous support from the Ministry of Lands to District Councils for the smooth transition of power while urging councils to also sensitize communities about the devolution of land roles, so that they can start accessing services.

"The sensitization and implementation of land laws, along with the devolution of land-related services, requires a holistic approach to reach out to all Malawians," he said.