As part of promoting hygiene in the country, a Lilongwe- based youth group led by Ambassadors Charity Trust (ACT) on Tuesday launched a project under Lilongwe City Waste Management Project called “Lilongwe City NYASI MAYAZI.”
Speaking after the general sweeping exercise in the Malawi’s capital city, the Nyasi Mayazi movement chair, Connie Lulanga said they would like to make Lilongwe Bus Depot as an example that it is possible to have Clean cities in Malawi.
He said the initiative is also one way of contributing to the actualization of MW2063 as youths.
A representative from Lilongwe City Council Grant Kusamba appreciated the gesture from the youths saying, the project will help them as the city council to effectively manage sanitation and proper waste management in Lilongwe Town, hence making the city look more beautiful.
As part of ensuring effective collaboration in this noble task that has been set ahead, the Bus Depot Community Policing chair, Alex M’baya expressed his excitement to work with this youth grouping to ensure that the Bus Depot is always tidy.
The chair emphasized that they will take full responsibility to ensure that people do not litter everwhere in the Bus Depot.
Malawi President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Friday honoured distinguished social enterprise through Zikomo Award at a function which took place at State House in Lilongwe.
Speaking during the function Chakwera said he was happy to gather to express gratitude to members of society who have distinguished themselves by their service to Malawi and its people.
The President said in this third instalment of the Zikomo Presidential Awards, he thought it appropriate to honour some of our nation’s outstanding social entrepreneurs and the social enterprises they lead to provide solutions to some of the social challenges Malawi faces.
“Social enterprises are admirable because of their pursuit of sustainable solutions that build self-reliance and reduce the culture of dependence that is often associated with other kinds of interventions,” he said.
Chakwera said fundamentally, the remarkable individuals who established and who run these social enterprises have rejected three retrogressive paths they could have easily taken in response to the social problems seen around the country.
Said President Chakwera: “Whether it is the social problem of water inaccessibility that is being addressed by awardees like Baseflow, Tengani Water Users Association, and Henga-Phoka Water Users Association; or the social problem of three food insecurity that is being addressed by awardees like the School of Agriculture for Family Independence, ND Madalitso Food Plant, and ACADES; or the social problem of poor access to healthcare services that is being addressed by awardees like Blessings Hospital, Partners in Hope, Uchembere Wabwino, Micromek Limited, and Wandikweza; or the social problem of youth unemployment that is being addressed by awardees like Mtalimanja Holdings and Tingathe; or the social problem of refugee living conditions and economic needs that are being addressed by Kibebe.”
The Malawi leader said the first path that each of these social enterprises have rejected is the path of being part of the problem in our country, which some in our midst are very good at.
“We all know that in this country, there are some who prefer to create problems for others, who prefer to keep things in a broken state because they know that keeping Malawi in a state of dysfunction gives them relevance, gives them social and political capital, and in some cases, gives them a platform for making money,” he said.
Chakwera said social enterprises are driven by people who genuinely want Malawi’s problems to be fixed for everyone, so they just get up off their feet every day and work with others to provide solutions. And tonight we celebrate that.
The government has embarked on a sensitization campaign about the importance of national identity cards, saying they will be used to register and vote in the 2025 general elections.
This follows a meeting involving officials from the Ministry of Homeland Security and Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) which was convened on Friday.
During the meeting officials from the two parties among others discussed how best the national identity cards can help the country to have fair and transparent elections.
Dr Ken Zikhale Ng’oma
Speaking in an interview, Minister of Homeland Security, Kenneth Zikhale Ng’oma stressed that both parties are actively engaging in civic education to inform Malawians about the role that national identity cards will play in the 2025 elections.
“We are reviewing wherever it is required to have in 2025,so we went through a voter’s registration and national identity card issues.
So our emphasis is on civic education so that people should be aware about the importance of the national identity cards in the coming elections,” Ng’oma explained.
Ng’oma revealed that his Ministry has received 4 million United States Dollars from the Reserve Bank to procure necessary materials for the smooth production of national identity cards.
Meanwhile, the Homeland minister has said that the government is working to review the system to improve the registration process and production of national identity cards.
The country’s largest sugar manufacturer Illovo sugar Malawi says it will maintain the current sugar prices in the country.
Speaking on Friday during a public inquiry into sugar production and pricing by Parliamentary Committee on Industry,Trade and Tourism, Illovo Sugar Malawi Managing Director Lekani Katandula said the price of sugar in Malawi is lower compared to prices in neighboring countries hence no need to reduce the current price.
Katandula
Katandula said it is even necessary to increase the prices to avoid cases of exporting sugar to other countries.
“Here in Malawi sugar is very cheap as compared to other countries like Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania. I do not see any reason to reduce the current price as demanded,” said Katandula.
On his part, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Trade Christina Zakeyu insisted that prices of sugar in the region are lower than prices offered by Illovo Sugar company.
Zakeyu said the ministry is still negotiating with Illovo Sugar and other stakeholders on the issue.
He disclosed that currently, the ministry of trade is issuing sugar import licences to other traders as a way of introducing competition in the industry and bring prices down.
In his brief comment, Chair for Parliamentary Committee on industry, trade and tourism Paul Nkhoma said the committee will see the way forward on the issue as they have heard from the concerned parties.
The inquiry came following a general outcry over high prices of sugar with people asking government to intervene and help bring down sugar prices.
However,the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Trade and Tourism summoned officials from Illovo Sugar, Ministry of Trade and the Malawi Revenue Authority(MERA).
After strengthening the party at Vibangalala Primary School Ground in Mzimba few weeks ago, Speaker of National Assembly who is the also party Deputy Secretary General Catherine Gotani Hara on Saturday 15 July, 2023, is destined for Kafukule Ground where she is expected to address the rally.
Hon Gotani Hara will be accompanied to the rally by the northern region Senior party officials.
Hon Gotani Hara
Some of these include; Northern Region Director of Women , Martha Chimpozo, Regional Chair of North North, Honourable Chavula, Member of Parliament Hon Chambulanyina Jere and Director of youth Hon Manda.
Currently MCP is conducting meetings throughout the country as one way of communicating to the people on the ground challenges which the country is facing economically.
Party officials are also briefing communities development projects taking place in their areas.
