Automotive Products Limited (APL) has generously donated K30 million to support the upcoming Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (ICAM) Annual Conference, slated for September 19-21 in Mangochi.
Speaking during a cheque presentation on Tuesday,APL Board Chairperson Lowani Mukhondia emphasized the significance of ICAM’s role in the business sector, citing their long-standing partnership.
“ICAM’s members are the decision-makers in offices, responsible for procurement decisions and budgets. We’re eager to engage with them at the conference,” he said.
ICAM Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Noel Zigowa expressed gratitude for APL’s substantial support, highlighting the conference’s relevance amidst Malawi’s economic uncertainties.
“APL’s resilience in these challenging times is truly inspiring. Their contribution will significantly enhance our conference,” said Zigowa.
The conference, themed “Navigating Economic Uncertainties: Strategies for Growth and Resilience,” promises to be a pivotal event for the business community.
Malawi leader Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, on Tuesday, toured Shire Valley Transformation Project, located in Senior Chief Kasisi’s area, Chikwawa.
The president visited the project to appreciate its progress and challenges. He was accompanied by the First Lady, Madame Monica Chakwera, cabinet ministers, party officials, and members of the general public.
Chakwera touring Shire valley Transformation Project
The Shire Valley Transformation project is one of Malawi’s flagship projects, aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and commercialization for targeted households in the Shire Valley.
Once completed, the project will help improve the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources.
Malawi Leader President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Tuesday toured Majete Wildlife Reserve, which is located in the area of Senior Chief Kasisi in Chikwawa.
President Chakwera, accompanied by the First Lady, Madame Monica Chakwera, called on Malawians to visit tourism destination centres in large numbers, under the banner “Tiziyamba ndife a Malawi”.
The president touted tourism as a key component in achieving the ATM strategy.
He emphasized that one can not talk about tourism without visiting Majete Wildlife Reserve.
Majete Wildlife Reserve is a natural reserve, established as a protected area in 1955.
Since 2003, African Parks has managed Majete under a public-private partnership with the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW)
Since then, wildlife has been restored, the park has achieved big five game status, and tourism has increased.
TNM Super League side Creck Sporting Football Club has reinstated Macdonald Nginde Mtetemera as team’s Head Coach.
According to a brief statement on the team’s Facebook page, the former Chitipa United mentor has been reinstated by the team’s board with immediate effect, following a comprehensive review process which was held on Friday.
Macdonald Nginde Mtetemera
Mtetemera was suspended a couple of months ago pending performance review and the team’s assistant coach Joseph Kamwendo was leading the team as an interim coach.
Mtetemera’s first assignment from suspension will be a fixture against Premier Bet Dedza Dynamos at Dedza Stadium.
Water for People, an international not for profit organization with a vision of a world where every person has access to reliable water and sanitation services organized a two- day training workshop on WASH Systems Strengthening index analysis for its partners from Chikwawa, Lilongwe and Dowa District Councils. WASH systems strengthening involves taking actions and supporting interventions to strengthen the factors, the capacity of actors, and their inter-relationships (i.e improved access to information and the political economy of decision-making) that can improve the quality and sustainability of WASH services and ensure that all populations are served.
Kate Harawa-WASH system is about long-term support
During the workshop, Water for People shared WASH index analysis tool of an ideal district with strong systems, the District Councils and their partners used the WASH index tool to analyze their systems and estimate their score/ status later each council presented their WASH systems status based on the tool. Councils made their own presentations as to what the communities are doing in their districts and the impact of WASH Systems strengthening contributing to a global learning on approaches to strengthening WASH systems.
WASH Systems for Health programming is led and funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) supporting governments in six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to strengthen the systems needed to establish reliable, resilient and inclusive WASH services.
Speaking during the workshop held at Chikho Hotel in Mponela-Dowa, Water for People’s Director of Influence and Scale Kate Harawa, said WASH system is about long-term support and investing into the systems to create an enabling and conducive that allow people access, lasting WASH services.
Harawa said these WASH systems strengthening include supporting both local and National Government to have functional system with the necessary building blocks like relevant policies, regulation, institution arrangements, infrastructure, monitoring and planning frame works, coordination, finances, water resources, and management in place.
She said WASH services are provided through different service delivery models such as Assets +management model +level of service saying this is only possible if there are a strong enabling facilitating and regulating systems in place.
“Only a strong system can deliver services that last, WASH systems strengthening are interconnected to the system factors such as technologies, markets, cultural and social norms, and aid mechanisms, all of which are complex and interlinked in systems context of Health, Agriculture, Education and Ecological system,” said Harawa.
One of the workshop participants Willard Chirwa, Director of Planning and Development for Lilongwe District Council, said the WASH systems strengthening workshop is an eye opener for councils to do better in WASH service deliveries.
Chirwa said the councils will do a self-WASH systems assessment in line with the building blocks later each council will produce a District WASH systems action plan based on the identified gaps of which they will work with all district partners to address the weak building blocks and improve/maintain the strong building blocks, the assessment results will form a baseline for the FCDO funded project.
“As a council, the preliminary indicators basing on scoring percentages, things are better but there’s room for improvement,” he said.
Water for People is implementing WASH systems for Health programming from March, 2024 to December, 2027 with funding from Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) amounting to 2.5 million Great Britain Pound.
