It is reported that three people have died while 11 others have sustained various degrees of injuries following a road accident involving a minibus at Lumbadzi Bridge near Msambo Trading Centre in Dowa.
Dowa Police Station spokesperson Gladson M’bumpha has confirmed of the accident, saying the incident happened at around 5pm on Monday.
According to M’bumpha, the driver of the vehicle in question lost control due to overspeeding and the vehicle plunged into the river.
M’bumpha adds that the driver is currently on the run.
Two deceased persons are Magret Msenga, 46, of Kalulu Village in Traditional Authority (TA) Chimutu and Egifa Mnjolo, 35, of Mwenda Village in Traditional Authority(TA) Malili, all from Lilongwe while the third deceased person is yet to be identified.
On Monday, the Malawi Government received a donation of 20,000 metric tonnes (about 400,000 bags) of fertilizer from URALCHEM-URALKALI, a Russian Fertilizer company.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony held at Mkwinda EPA in the area of Traditional Authority ( TA) Chiseka in Lilongwe, Minister of Agriculture, Sam Dalitso Kawale commended the Russian Government for their commitment to supporting Malawi and urged farmers to efficiently use the fertilizer in order to achieve food security at household levels.
The Minister assured beneficiaries that efforts are being made to ensure everyone has access to the fertilizer and that preparations for the next AIP disbursement are already underway to prevent delays.
Kawale acknowledged the assistance of various development partners including the United Nations, World Food Programme, and Mozambique as well as the French Government for their assistance in getting the fertilizer into the country.
Group Village Headman Chitseka, expressed gratitude and excitement for the fertilizer donation saying it will increase their winter cropping yield.
In his remarks, Russian Ambassador to Malawi, Nikolai Krasilnikov said it is their belief that the fertilizer will go a long way in enhancing the agricultural output of Malawian farmers, and a huge step towards fostering stronger bilateral relations.
“Today is a special day for us at URALCHEM. Our representative, Dmitri, expressed his gratitude to the Malawi Government for the privilege of being able to make a difference and impact the lives of Malawians.
“We believe that our donation brings us one step closer to achieving agricultural sustainability goals. It’s possible for many families to produce abundant crops with our fertilizer.
“We are excited about extending our friendship beyond this donation and offering our expertise in fertilizer application. Let’s work together to solve your agriculture problems and turn risks into opportunities. Please use the fertilizer wisely,” he said.
Representing URALCHEM, Dmitry Shornikov said their company is privileged to make a difference and to impact the lives of Malawians through the donation and looks forward to providing agricultural expertise on fertilizer application to ensure agriculture sustainability.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has expressed its commitment towards financing development projects in Malawi as part of expanding the banks footprint in the country.
Speaking on Monday, 6th March, 2023 in Doha after a sideline meeting with President Lazarus Chakwera, the banks Vice President, Thomas Ostros said the bank is pleased to heavily engage itself in various projects which give direct impact on the livelihood of people across Malawi.
He said the bank is interest in supporting small-scale and female-led companies, especially those in agriculture sector and are flourishing.
Ostros further disclosed that the discussion with President Chakwera also centered on the co-financing to upgrade and modernize Chileka International Airport in the commercial city of Blantyre, and also the upgrading of the Escom transmission line from Salima to the Northern part of Malawi through Nkhotakota and Dwangwa.
Said Ostros; “We also discussed water projects that we c are implementing in Malawi for many years now. So there are many important projects that we discussed and we shall continue to discuss and I can assure you, we have a very good cooperation with Malawi.”
On his part, President Chakwera during the meeting emphasized the country’s zeal to complete additional projects like Water supply project for Salima through Central Region Water Board and improvement of energy supply in the major Water Boards apart from the Lilongwe water project, among others.
Thomas Ostros and President Chakwera
However, President Chakwera asked the bank to look into areas of science and technology as part of its support, describing science and technology as a key to industrialization in Malawi as crafted in the country’s 2063 vision.
In an interview, Minister of Finance, Sosten Gwengwe wo was part of the discussions described the meeting as successful, saying it basically reconfirmed the support and faith that European Investment Bank has in Malawi as a country.
The 5th United Nations Conference of Least Developed Countries which is currently underway in Qatar is expected to end on 9th March.
Police in Lilongwe have arrested Gilbert Chirambo, 45, after he allegedly posed as a travel agent and stole 24 million Malawi Kwacha from women belonging to Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) who are due to head to Italy for a pilgrimage.
Deputy Police Publicity Officer for Lingadzi Police, Maria Kumwenda, says the accused is expected to appear before court soon.
Conman Gilbert Chirambo
Kumwenda said 30 CWO members intend to travel to Rome in Italy on May 11 and Chirambo convinced them that he was a travel agent and would buy them air tickets.
She added that it has now taken two months for Chirambo to bring the women the tickets and this compelled them to report the issue to police.
Chirambo only returned K9.9 million thereby remaining with almost K13 million for him to pay back.
Chirambo comes from Chibwana Village, Traditional Authority Chikulamayembe in Rumphi.
Don Chikopa from Dedza Secondary School is the best Mathematics student at this year’s Old Mutual Mathematics Olympiad competition.
Chikopa is seconded by Lusayo Musopole from Kamuzu Academy who is the best female student.
Chikopa has gone away with K350 000 cash, a trophy and other gifts while Musopole has gone home with K300,000.
Speaking during presentation of awards held on Monday at Mzuzu University primises, Old Mutual Chief Risk Officer Sophie Nkonjera said by promoting excellency in maths the company is investing in a future generation of great thinkers and problem solvers.
On his part, MZUNI Vice Chancellor Professor John Kalenga Saka sid the olympiad challenges are not only for learners but even teachers from private, conventional and community day secondary schools to be more aggressive in their approach towards mathematics.
On school category, Marist Secondary School has become the winner of the Olympiad, with Kamuzu Academy and Malosa Secondary Schools claiming second and third positions respectively.
This year, over 400 schools from secondary schools from across the country entered the Olympiad but only about 100 reached the finals.
