The Malawi President Dr Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday, 26 July, 2023 called on fellow African leaders to invest more in youth and skills development to accelerate Human Capital Development to achieve African Agenda 2063.
President Chakwera is in Tanzania Dar es Salaam for this year Human Capital Summit.
Addressing delegates, President Chakwera said channeling more resources to the youth and skills development will widen economic opportunities which will in turn make the agenda 2063 possible.
Chakwera at the summit
Chakwera said his government, will invest between 15 and 20 percent of the national budget in multiple effect ministries such as Education, Health, Labour and Youth, as a way of ensuring that the youth realize their potential, skills and contribute positively to agenda 2063.
Speaking during his departure at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Chakwera said human capital remains key for Malawi to attain Sustainable Development Goals (DDGs).
Chakwera said with human capital, Malawi can be turned into an inclusively wealthy and industrialized nation.
Said the President: “When you are talking about Malawi 2063, so we become an inclusively wealthy industrialised, self reliant nation, and when you are talking about SDGs 2030, these things can’t really happen without human capital development. You will notice that our vision is youth centric, and so the young people will need to be educated, stay healthy and have innovative minds that are capable of creating that future.”
Chakwera said healthy and well nurtured youths are the engine for social and economic development growth.
Two first half goals from Vitumbiko Kumwenda and Vincent Nyangulu were enough to give Mighty Mukuru Wanderers maximum points as they beat Mafco FC 2-nil at Chitowe Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
The Nomads drew first blood in the 18th minute through Vitumbiko Kumwenda and Vincent Nyangulu doubled the lead with a beautiful header after receiving a cross from Wisdom Mpinganjira just five minutes before half time.
After the match, Wisdom Mpinganjira was voted man of the match for the second time in a space of two days after he was voted man of the match in Nomads’ 1-nil victory against Blue Eagles at Kamuzu Stadium last Sunday.
Man of the match Wisdom Mpinganjira
Following the victory, the Lali-Lubani boys are now second in the standings as they have accumulated 28 points after playing 14 games.
Elsewhere, Silver Strikers dislodged Nyasa Big Bullets at the summit following their 2-1 victory over rookies Extreme FC.
Patrick Macheso and Chimwemwe Idana were on target for the central bankers while Babangida Ishaya scored Extrems’ consolation.
The central bankers now have 28 points, level with Wanderers but the former have a game to play.
Bullets are now on third position with 26 points from 13 games followed by Chitipa United who are now on position 4 with the same number of points from 14 games.
Extreme FC remain bottom with six points from 14 games, six points behind Mighty Tigers who are place second from the bottom.
In a recent development, President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi demonstrated his unwavering dedication to the rule of law by allowing Prince Kapondamgaga, the State House Chief of Staff, back to his position after thorough investigations.
This decision was met with support from the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a quasi-religious body, which praised President Chakwera’s adherence to legal processes. This essay explores the significance of upholding the rule of law, sheds light on the investigation’s outcome, and commends President Chakwera’s stand for justice.
Kapondamgaga
The rule of law is the cornerstone of any just and civilized society. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their status, is subject to the same laws and regulations. By adhering to the rule of law, President Chakwera sent a powerful message that no individual is above the law, including high-ranking officials. This demonstration of fairness and accountability is crucial in maintaining public trust in the government and its institutions.
The Public Affairs Committee wholeheartedly backed President Chakwera’s decision to reinstate Prince Kapondamgaga. In their view, penalizing Kapondamgaga without concrete evidence would be unjust. Reverend Gilford Matonga, a spokesperson for PAC, emphasized that in Malawi, as in any democratic society, individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. By supporting the President’s action, PAC reinforced the principle of due process and the presumption of innocence.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a thorough investigation into Prince Kapondamgaga’s alleged involvement with a United Kingdom-based businessperson, Zunneth Sattar, who was under scrutiny for bribery allegations. While the ACB found evidence that Kapondamgaga had received gifts from Sattar, including a Mercedes Benz, the bureau concluded that he had not committed any criminal offense. Instead, Kapondamgaga entered into a restitution agreement with the ACB, whereby he relinquished wrongfully obtained benefits.
Following the ACB’s recommendation, President Chakwera directed the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to review the Malawi Public Service Regulations. This directive aimed to address the suspension of Kapondamgaga during the investigation. Consequently, with the suspension set aside, Prince Kapondamgaga was reinstated to resume his duties as the State House chief of staff.
While some critics raised concerns about the optics of the decision in the fight against corruption, it is essential to recognize President Chakwera’s commitment to the rule of law and the principles of justice. By allowing Prince Kapondamgaga to return to his position based on the ACB’s findings, President Chakwera demonstrated a firm belief in due process and the importance of honoring the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The triumph of law is evident in President Chakwera’s unwavering dedication to the rule of law, as exemplified by his decision to reinstate Prince Kapondamgaga after comprehensive investigations. With the backing of the PAC and the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s findings, President Chakwera upheld the principles of justice, fairness, and accountability.
This act of leadership serves as an inspiring example of a government’s commitment to ensuring that the rule of law prevails, even in the face of challenging circumstances.
The Supreme court on Tuesday granted an order discharging an injunction obtained by Billy Malata, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) before the party held its National Governing Council (NGC) meeting early this month.
In his ruling Justice of Appeal Dingiswayo Madise discharged the order of stay which was granted ex parte.
Madise
However, in an interview with local media, Malata’s lawyer Wapona Kita said what it means is that the NGC meeting proceeded under avoidable order of the court because the party had not complied with the conditions on which the order was made.
“I will be meeting with my clients within the course of the week to re- strategise on the next course of action in view of the order which the Supreme Court has granted us,” said Kita.
The court also slapped the respondents DPP with costs in the matter after Kita filled a certificate of non-compliance.
Last month the High Court in Lilongwe granted Malata an injunction restraining the party’s secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey, it’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba and the DPP from holding the NGC until a further order of the court.
The leader of Citizens for Transformation(CFT) who is also the former Minister of Civic Education and National Unity Timothy Mtambo has written a letter to the newly appointed Malawi Defence Force(MDF) commander Paul Valentino Phiri expressing his concern over a number of activities by MDF soldiers at Chilumba Barracks Roadblock.
The Roadblock is one of the important roadblocks which are controlling the export of country’s Agricultural produce through the northern corridor.
In a letter, Mtambo argues that there are strong allegations leveled against the soldiers at Chilimba Barracks which include allowing some trucks with farm produce to pass through the roadblock after paying at least K150,000,Malawian citizens not allowed to pass through the roadblock even with a single bag of maize, some citizens who insist that they do have the right to pass with the farm produce assaulted by soldiers.
Concerned Mtambo
The former Minister says, all this is happening on the background of hunger due to the drought which hit Karonga District this year.
“Sir, people from the district are relying on maize supplies from Rumphi, Mzimba and Kasungu Districts.
“The conduct of the soldiers at the roadblock is therefore compounding the hunger situation in the district. Sir, the local leaders in the district i.e. chiefs and religious leaders have voiced this concern to no avail.,” says Mtambo in letter.
He stresses that people of Karonga have reached a conclusion that whatever is taking place is proof that Government has abdicated its responsibility and is no longer caring about the hunger situation in the district.
Adds Mtambo:”You may wish to know, Sir, that at every funeral today, this has become a talking point by chiefs and community leaders. This ought to be a cause for concern as the confidence of the people in the army is getting eroded daily. Sir, as you are aware, the strength of any security organ of the State is proportional to the credibility and trust members of the general public accord to it. Thus, given the foregoing, I am making this humble plea to your noble office to consider reviewing the terms of reference at Chilumba roadblock in order to allow the citizens of Karonga have access to the food that they so desperately need to avert hunger at household and community level.”
According to Mtambo,there could, for example, be a threshold of the quantity of produce that a citizen could be allowed to move across the roadblock. I do appreciate the importance of the roadblock in terms of security in the country.
“I have nothing against this noble cause. For this reason, I would like to recommend that the roadblock should be shifted towards the border where the smuggling routes are. In addition, I further recommend introduction of another check point before the Chitipa-Tanzania border as a lot of maize is being smuggled into into Tanzania through this route, ” concludes Mtambo.
On top of preventing the country’s Agricultural produce exports into other countries, Chilumba Barracks Roadblock plays a vital role in strengthen security in Malawi by preventing illegal immigrants entering from our country.
