Manasseh Nyirenda, a journalist for Malawi News Agency (MANA) based in Rumphi District is among the lucky winners who on Thursday walked away with K1 million in the TNM Mpamba Kashi-Kashi Promotion.
Nyirenda was unveiled the winner during the promotion’s final draw which was conducted in Lilongwe where 28 grand winners one from each district were also unveiled.
Nyirenda
Apart from the grand winners, 28 Mpamba agents also won K500 000 each in the agents category of the promotion.
Speaking with media, Nyirenda expressed his excitement over the news.
“I am very happy and I did not expect to win this huge amount of money. The win means a lot to me,” said Nyirenda.
Mpamba Kashi-Kashi promotion was launched to share the multiple benefits that TNM mobile company is providing such as enhancement of financial inclusion as well as encouraging digital transactions.
The company conducted the draw four months after the competition was launched.
Two prominent Malawian lawyers Professor Edge Kanyongolo and Chrispine Gwalawala Sibande have been elected into two respective United Nations (UN) committees of global experts established under the human rights instruments.
The two will be sitting with fellow experts at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to hear complaints from individuals, organisations and countries and review human rights reports from across the world.
Kanyongolo
Kanyongolo, a retired distinguished law lecturer at University of Malawi(UNIMA) was elected a member of UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) on June 12, 2023 during the seventh Meeting of States parties.
The elections took place in New York, USA.
He defeated other candidates from Iraq and Burkina Faso, and was elected alongside four others from France, Germany, Peru and Senegal.
They replace those whose terms expire on Friday June 30 2023.
On the other hand, Sibande, a seasoned human rights lawyer, was on June 22, 2023 elected as a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
He got 121 votes from 181 member countries that were present.
He defeated other candidates from Peru, Burkina Faso, Iran and Sudan.
His committee has members from Greece, Senegal, China, South Africa, Jamaica, Morocco, Liberia and Mauritania.
In an interview, Sibande described his election as an honour to the country to have one of their own in the UN family of experts.
“The fact that we are going there as independent experts speaks volume of how Malawi’s efforts in promoting human rights are being noticed by international bodies like UN,” Sibande said.
Meanwhile, the Malawi Law Society (MLS) has congratulated the two for their global recognition.
“These are positives that we must build on to improve the administration of justice for all in the country.
“This is the trajectory MLS is taking and focussing on, ” said MLS honorary secretary Gabriel Chembezi.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera will on Thursday 29th June 2023 commission the first Consulate General of Malawi in China’s Hunan Province.
According to Malawi Ambassador to China Allan Joseph Chintedza, the move will see China opening up for increased trade to Malawi because Hunan is renowned as a hub for hosting major international trade fairs and exhibitions in China.
Chintedza has since hailed President Chakwera for accepting the invitation to attend the third China – Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) as a special guest of honour saying it is an embodiment of strong diplomatic and bilateral ties between the two countries.
Chintedza said it was imperative for Malawians to deem Malawi’s participation at the expo as very valuable stressing that it is only the Malawi leader who has been exclusively invited by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to be a special guest of honour, who will speak on behalf of Africa at the high – level stage.
Explained the Malawi ambassador, “I think his coming as a guest of honour simply re – establishes commitment that the ties between Malawi and China are growing from strength to strength.”
Commenting on the expo, Chintedza stated that the event will help expose Malawian exhibitors who have accompanied President Chakwera, as they will showcase their respective goods and services to multitudes of patrons thereby opening up a big window to increase the value of Malawi exports.
“You may also be aware that China has just issued phytosanitary approval for Malawi to start exporting soybeans, and that is equally a huge milestone as it will improve the growth of exports from Malawi to China,” said Chintedza.
Quizzed to comment on the trade volumes between the two countries, the ambassador recalled that in 2019, the trade gap heavily tilted in favour of the Asian giant as it earned exports value amounting to $35 million while at the same time, Malawi only earned a paltry $500,000 from her exports to China.
During the period under review, Chintedza explained that while China was exporting more of mechanical and Information and Technology material, on one hand, Malawi was busy exporting raw materials which could earn less value on the market.
“That is why this trip is quite huge and important because if you can manage to fix that gap, or make it narrow, it would bring a lot of benefits in terms of not just increase in investments but also for our foreign exchange earnings,” he said.
Minister of Trade Simplex Chithyola said the expo presents a huge opportunity for Malawi to tackle her ever – yawning gap between imports and exports.
The expo is being held under the theme “Common Development for a Shared Future,” and will focus on key areas and emerging fields of China – Africa economic and trade cooperation.
Ellock Maotcha Banda a former member of Parliament for Machinga Central East constituency who served under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from 2004 to 2009 has died.
Maotcha-Banda who at his time of demise was a UTM party member also served as deputy minister of trade during the administration of the late Bingu wa Mutharika.
The late Ellock Maotcha Banda
UTM general secretary, Patricia Kaliati has confirmed of the death this morning, saying Maotcha Banda has died in the wee hours of Thursday at Machinga district hospital.
Kaliati has discribed Maotcha Banda as a hardworking politician who was comitted to the party, adding, his death has left a vacuum.
A composite financial services Group NICO Holdings plc on Thursday announced that after tax it has made a profit of K37.57 billion for the year 2022, representing a 105 percent increase year-on-year.
Reading the annual report during the Group’s 53rd annual General meeting at Mount Soche in Blantyre, the Group’s Managing Director, Vizenge Kumwenda, said the outstanding performance stemmed from growth of customer deposits in the banking business which supported an increase in loans among other factors.
Kumwenda added that the total assets of the Group closed at K1.15 trillion up from K939 billion in 2021.
Vizenge Kumwenda
Meanwhile, several country’s economic experts have applauded NICO for such an impressive performance.
NICO was established as a short-term insurance company in 1971 and has since grown to a composite financial services Group operating in Malawi and Zambia, with presence in Mozambique and Uganda through its associate company, Sanlam.
As the biggest financial services Group in terms of diversity of products and services offered by its companies, NICO provides comprehensive financial solutions for a range of challenges for the public and private sector as well as individuals from all walks of life.
The business includes solutions in general insurance, life insurance, pension administration, banking, asset management, corporate finance, property solutions and information technology.
NICO was the first company to be listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange in 1996, and has since listed two of its subsidiaries on the stock market – NBS Bank Plc listed in 2007 and ICON Properties Plc listed in 2019.
