Lotus Africa Limited has constructed and donated roadblock worth K 4 million to Karonga Police as one way of ending human trafficking and road accidents.
Speaking at the handover ceremony Thursday at Chiwondo in the area of Paramount Chief Kyungu, Police Commissioner for the North, Richard Luhanga thanked Lotus for the initiative saying it would go a long way in curbing issues of illegal immigrants and smuggling in the district.
Commissioner Luhanga receiving the roadblock donation from Lotus Africa Limited
“This has come at an opportune time and it has been strategically positioned at the right place, as such this roadblock will also help to promote security within the region since many people enter into the country using Songwe border,” he said.
Luhanga said police and community members need to desist from aiding the illegal immigrants into the country saying the behaviour poses a threat to people’s security.
Lotus Managing Director, Theo Keyter said they thought of constructing and donating the road block as one way of assisting the Police in their fight to end human trafficking that is slowly increasing in the country.
Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) has reintroduced text-only Facebook without data charges, along with Free Basics, for its subscribers. Text-only Facebook allows TNM customers to access a text-only version of Facebook without data charges. Customers can easily switch back and forth between regular Facebook, with standard data charges, and a low-bandwidth text mode without data charges on their phone at any time. Facebook without data allows users to post text, comment, like and see text on Facebook without using their bundle.
Text-only Facebook can be accessed through the Facebook Android Application, Facebook Lite and on mobile web browsers through https://free.facebook.com, a lightweight site optimized for speed and where TNM’s standard data charges do not apply on browsing.
Through the text-only Facebook without data offer, TNM is enabling customers to stay connected with their friends and family on the most popular social networking website in the world. In addition, Facebook without data allows people to have consistent access to important online resources such as the COVID Information Center on Facebook, local business pages, and government information.
In addition to text-only Facebook, TNM has partnered with Facebook to offer its customers Free Basics, which provides them with access to basic online services without data charges. With Free Basics, TNM customers can experience the relevance and benefits of connectivity without data charges, with the ability to access services such as health information, local jobs, communications tools, and education resources.
Announcing the launch of the service, TNM’s Chief Marketing Officer, Frank Magombo said “TNM realizes that Facebook has become a part of our lives. Through it, we can stay connected to our loved ones and contacts, making Facebook without data a bridging mechanism when customers need it most.”
In the current COVID times, people are not able to meet physically or share moments together, social media eliminates boundaries, and time zones, putting all its users in one room at all times. With the launch of Facebook without data, TNM will enable its customers to make those very important connections everyday all day without the need of data.
TNM is committed to offering more value to its customers. This has been achieved on Voice through the Yanga Dynamic Voice Bundles, Yofewa Rate plan and all-network voice bundles. To provide a holistic offering this value campaign has been extended to cover Data through offerings like Yanga Dynamic (Snapi) bundles. Facebook without data charges and Free Basics are just an extension of TNM’s overall affordability drive.
Prophetess Mary Bushiri on Thursday handed over the 350-seater church she built for members of the Enlightened Christian Church (ECG) in Namiyasi, in the areas of Group Village Head (GVH) Malunga in Mangochi District.
The prophetess—who is the wife to renowned ECG leader Prophet Shepherd Bushiri—started building the church just over a year ago after noticing that the community was in need of a church structure.
In her speech, the Prophetess said her mission on earth is to preach the gospel to every corner of the globe, noting that the handing over of the church is just part of that mission.
“I don’t look at the magnificence of this building I have built for the children of God here in Mangochi. I look at how many souls, attracted by this building, will be saved by worshiping in this place. I will do everything within my capacity as a woman of God, everything, to ensure that more souls are saved. That’s my mission,” she said.
In his remarks, GVH Malunga said he did not, specifically, look at the building from the spiritual perspective. He said that he saw the construction of the magnificent church as a contribution to the development of his area.
“We don’t have beautiful buildings here. Most of what we have here are old, grass-thatched and not pleasing to the eye. This church is huge, beautiful and modern. It will attract more people to our area and it will inspire more people to start building good things. Our area is indeed developing, infrastructure-wise,” he said, thanking Prophetess Bushiri for the gesture.
The 350-seater church building includes a worship area, and 3 offices.
The handing over of the church comes barely a week after Prophetess Bushiri celebrated her birthday in Dowa District by reaching out to over 100 disadvantaged families with food and clothing items.
His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi, has stormed through the Department of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD) at Capital Hill to demand answers and call officials to account for the chronic delays in remitting salaries to public servants.
President Chakwera was coming from the launch of a nutrition campaign at Bingu International Convention Center (BICC), when he directed his motorcade to take him to Capital Hill instead of State House. Upon arrival, the President visited two offices to ask the civil servants there if they had received their August salaries.
Chakwera at Capital Hill
From there, His Excellency proceeded to DHRMD, the department responsible, to interrogate the Controlling Officer and express his great dissatisfaction with the delays, the malaise shown by those responsible for resolving the problem, and the excuses given for failing to do so for months.
During the surprise visit, His Excellency was accompanied by the Vice President, Right Honorable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, who is also Minister Responsible for Public Sector Reforms, and Mr. Zanga-Zanga Chikhosi, who is the Secretary to the President and Cabinet.
President Chakwera has since demanded that a report on the problem and the remedial measures to be taken to urgently resolve it be put on his desk tomorrow for his continued intervention.
One of the most important ingredients for genuine economic development is the effective movement of people and goods. When the movement of goods and people is hampered, production, distribution and consumption, which largely contribute to employment and wealth creation, are also seriously affected.
In its 2019-2024 manifesto, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) said it is determined to developing a strategic, durable and value for money road infrastructure network that supports inclusive growth and development on a sustainable basis by, among others, ensuring full implementation of the ‘Transport Master Plan’ through the provision of adequate funding to all agencies involved in its implementation.
It is the MCP’s determination to improve the design of the urban or residential road network, providing for proper drainage facilities, pedestrian or cyclist pavements, and sign post them to make them user friendly; reviving the construction and maintenance of rural feeder roads modelled on the District Road Improvement and Maintenance Programme (DRIMP); and promoting transparency and accountability in procurement and administration of contractors to ensure value for all investments; and depoliticising road development programmes and ensure that prioritization of road infrastructure is based on strategic economic benefits.
On Tuesday, August 31, 2021, President of the Republic and leader of the MCP, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, presided over the ground-breaking ceremony ahead of the expansion works on the Kenyatta Drive into a multi carriageway (six lanes) and the upgrading of Mzimba Street. In his speech, the President said this is in his administration’s quest to lift the face of Lilongwe in a manner befitting a nation’s Capital, Lilongwe. The Kenyatta Road starts from Parliament Round-about through the Lilongwe Sanctuary, Kamuzu Central Hospital Round-about, past Tsoka market up to Shoprite on the M1 Road. The construction works will include a new state-of-theart bridge on the Lingadzi River and a partial Cloverleaf interchange to replace the round-about at the KCH and Petroda Filling Station junction. Mzimba Street will be expanded from the Mchinji Round-about at Crossroads to Central Medical Stores.
This is one of the flagship road infrastructure projects that the MCP government under President Chakwera is carrying out and implementing within this financial year and beyond. In its manifesto, the MCP said Malawi’s road transport infrastructure is grossly inadequate “extremely poor”. As high as 84 percent of Malawi’s road network, representing 11,378 km, is unpaved and has either an earth or gravel surface. The urban road network represents 43 percent of the total paved road surface which is estimated at 4,073 km. It has been concern MCP’s concern that maintenance of paved roads before was poor leading to progressive deterioration of quality and that road infrastructure development was highly politicized, usually unlinked to economic activities and objectives.
FULFILLING THE MCP PROMISE
President Chakwera told the nation that the project he officially launched on Tuesday is a fulfilment of his promise to build a new Malawi through job creation, wealth creation, and food security, which he said would require investments in infrastructure of this kind as an accelerator. Building a ‘new Malawi’ was the MCP promise during campaign, the President has emphasized. President Chakwera has said it is a promise his administration is now delivering, and that building a new Malawi is a task his administration is now executing, and that building a new Malawi is the rallying call of national anthem, which his administration is now answering.
“When you see the construction of any road underway, know that we are answering our anthem’s call to build a new Malawi. When you see us constructing the Rumphi-Nyika-Chitipa road, we are answering that call. When you see us rehabilitating the Nkhata Bay-Dwangwa-Nkhota-Kota-Salima-Balaka market road, we are answering that call. When you see us completing the Jenda-Edingeni-Engalaweni-Mzimba road, we are answering that call. When you see us constructing the Dzaleka-Ntchisi-Malomo road, we are answering that call. When you see us completing the Ntcheu-Tsangano-Neno-Mwanza road, we are answering that call. When you see us constructing the Lirangwe-Chingale Machinga road, we are answering that call. When you see us constructing the Chikwawa-Chapananga-Mwanza road in the south, or the Mzimba–Mzarangwe-Kafukule–Njakwa road in the north, or the Matawale road in the east, or this six-lane road here in the centre, we are answering that call.
“We are not stopping with the road projects initiated by this administration. Even the roads started and left unfinished by the previous administration are being done, and we have already provided resources in the current budget for that purpose. This includes the Njakwa-Livingstonia Road, the Mzimba-Mzarangwe Road, the Jenda-Edingeni Road, the Ntcheu-Tsangano-Neno-Mwanza Road, the Nsanje–Marka Road, the Monkey Bay–Cape Maclear Road, the Nsanama Nayuchi Road, and the Mkanda-Kapiri Road. In a few months, we will also commence the rehabilitation of the M1 road from Kamuzu International Airport Junction to Mzimba Turn Off and from Kacheche to Chiweta, thanks to the support of our development partners,” said President Chakwera.
President Chakwera has said a better roads infrastructure eases the movement of goods, services, and people, thus stimulating economic activity. It opens new opportunities for employment and business in many sectors. It saves lives and money by reducing the wear and tear to vehicles that is caused by roads that are poorly constructed. “The neglect that Lilongwe’s roads have suffered under past administrations is tragic, as it has robbed Malawians of development. The amount of trash we have been throwing on the streets of Lilongwe is tragic, as it has robbed Malawians of dignity. The amount of money in city rates we have allowed people to get away with not paying in Lilongwe is tragic, as it has robbed Malawians of dignified services. Lilongwe deserves better. As our nation’s Capital, Lilongwe deserves attention,” said President Chakwera in his address. President Chakwera encouraged Malawians to end the neglect of the Capital City, to make it a clean city, a green city, and a modern city. He said the Kenyatta Drive project must be a launching pad for making Lilongwe a beautiful Garden City
President Chakwera has said there could have been no better way to set the bar of a grand vision for Lilongwe than the expansion of this road from two lanes to six lanes, which even makes provision for a Tram to be included in the future. “I expect that the expansion of this road will set the standard for environmental preservation by making provision for the protection or restoration of as many of our beautiful trees as possible. “We need to stop setting and accepting low standards for ourselves, our cities, our roads, and our environment. Part of the mind-set change that we are bringing to this country is demanding nothing but the best of ourselves and inspiring nothing but the best in each other. No one should claim to love Malawi when they are giving her less than their best,” said the Head of State.
