State President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has laid a foundation stone marking the start of the construction project of Mpatsa Full Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority Tengani in Nsanje.
During the ceremony, President Chakwera, who was accompanied by First Lady Madame Monica Chakwera, handed over a cheque for the construction project amounting to K225 Million
Chakwera in Nsanje
The president , speaking at Mpatsa full primary school new campus , commended World Bank and KFW for the support towards the project.
Chakwera has since called for a joint effort in assisting towards people who suffered following the Tropical Cyclone Freddy devastations.
Earlier, the day the president toured Mpatsa Full Primary School, which was destroyed by the floods.
The president was met by the Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, senior government officials, party leaders, Senior Chief Tengani, and Nsanje Diatrict officials
The school was washed away by Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which hit the country, especially in the southern part of the county.
Chakwera is in Lowershire for a tour of duty he has already toured various projects in Chikwawa District.
The Malawi Concerned Citizens says youth have the capacity to change the way of doing politics in Malawi urging all to come out and speak with one voice by saying “no” to leaders who are in the opposition parties with one leg in government.
The Concerned Citizens have asked the youth to scrutinize all leaders so that they vote for responsible leaders, leaders who take Malawi first and their agendas second for Malawi to change from being the poorest to prosperity.
The group last week jointly with the Economic Freedom Movement presented a petition to the Malawi Parliament to change the law that only recognized the national Identity Cards as the sole identification of voters in the 2025 elections.
Edward Kambanje
Updating Malawians through an audio clip, Leader of the Malawi Concerned Citizens Activist Comrade Edwards Kambanje, said the voter registration exercise which was conducted by the National Registration Bureau (NRB) has exposed serious challenges to hinder Malawians from voting for their candidates in the elections.
Kambanje said people of the Southern, Eastern and Northern Regions have failed to register in their large number due to faulty cameras unlike in the Central Region of Malawi where the registration was conducted smoothly without any challenge reported.
He said it is for this reason that the Malawi Concerned Citizens joined the Economic Freedom Movement to present a petition to Parliament to table the bill so that as many Malawians as possible are allowed to take part in the elections.
The activist has assured Malawians that they are following-up the petition which is in the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly expressing hope that the Malawi Parliament being the peoples Parliament, will respond to the concerns raised by Malawians in the petition.
He said any day from today the Malawi Parliament will respond and the Malawi Concerned Citizens Group will attend the tabling of the bill in Parliament so that it identifies who are the real Malawians in the National Assembly siding with the will of Malawians.
“Let’s open our eyes, we will not allow the country to go into the hands of the wrong people in 2025, all Malawians must participate in the elections, voting is their right,” said Comrade Kambanje.
He has also advised the youth to avoid unnecessary suicides claiming that many youths are taking away their lives for various reasons saying it is the wish of the Malawi Concerned Citizens to see to it that all youth prepare for a free and fair 2025 elections.
Vice President Dr. Michael Bizwick Usi has called for urgent action to address environmental challenges facing the country.
Speaking at the launch of the Forest Plantation Fee Structure Report and Public-Private Engagement on Forest Plantations at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Usi stressed that current policies are failing to meet community needs, resulting in a meager 0.1% contribution to Malawi’s GDP from the forestry sector.
He urged stronger government involvement and private sector collaboration to reverse this trend.
Usi
“Our forests are a treasure to our economy, growth, and development. As a nation, there is a need for action to protect our forests,” said Usi.
Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, Yusuf Mkungula, highlighted the low contribution of planted forests to the economy and the challenges in adjusting pricing policies due to political resistance.
Executive Director for Mwapata Institute, William Chadza, expressed concern over the sector’s challenges, including lower budget allocation and managing plantations.
He emphasized the importance of research in enabling informed decisions to increase the forestry sector’s contribution to Malawi’s social and economic development.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Pamela Fessenden emphasized the importance of investing in well-managed forest plantations, not just for economic strategy but also for sustainable development and Malawi’s future prosperity.
She acknowledged the challenges facing the sector, including unplanted land, inconsistent management, and limited resources, and noted USAID’s support in addressing these issues.
Member of Parliament(MP) for Blantyre City South East,Sameer Suleman, has expressed concern over President Lazarus Chakwera’s recent visit to cattle farms in Traditional Authority Ngabu, Chikwawa, while other districts face severe food shortages.
Speaking in the House on Tuesday, Suleman emphasized the need for the government to prioritize addressing the hunger crisis in affected districts like Machinga, where people are struggling to access basic food necessities.
Suleman
While Suleman acknowledged the importance of presidential visits to various districts, he stressed that the current food crisis demands immediate attention and action.
In response, Leader of the House in Parliament, Richard Chimwendo Banda, urged Suleman to avoid politicizing the issue, highlighting that every district requires presidential visits, including those in the Lower Shire.
