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NBS Bank attributes growth to investment in key sectors

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NBS Bank attributes growth to investment in key sectors

By Linda Kwanjana

NBS Bank plc Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Temwani Simwaka has attributed the Bank’s remarkable 2024 financial performance to continued investments in key sectors such as food and agribusiness, corporate and investment banking, and innovation.

Simwaka spoke during a stakeholders’ engagement in Blantyre on Friday, where she explained to journalists and stakeholders the Bank’s strategies for maintaining momentum.

NBS Bank announced an increase in its profit after tax of K72.99 billion for the year ending 31 December 2024 up by 145% from K29 billion profit after tax in 2023.

“Looking at the Malawi economy, yes, the inflation and interest rates are high, the cost of doing business is also high; however, from the positive side of the economy, we are looking at the opportunities in the agriculture sector and also the Agro-processing sector. As a Bank, we made a major investment in the core banking system and also in the digital platforms.”

“So, with that, the Bank is set to drive growth in the economy, but also transact cheaply and easily, making it simple for our customers. One of the key areas we invested in is the digital loan for our customers, especially those on salary, which enables them to borrow in less than five minutes without coming to the Bank,” said Simwaka.

Responding to shareholders’ concerns about the Bank’s excessive lending to the government, Simwaka said that NBS Bank plc has raised its capital limits to mitigate the risk of default by the government and other borrowers from the Bank.

“Banking is about how to take a risk and mitigate it. So, as a Bank, we are open to supporting the government, at the same time, at NBS Bank, we do a capital reservation whereby we internally raise our capital limits to take advantage of not just the risk of default by the government but also other people who borrow from the Bank,” said Simwaka.

Shareholder Bernadicto Bena Nkhoma applauded the Bank’s performance.

“The Bank has taken off, it’s a great performance, and as a shareholder and indeed any other stakeholder, I see a future in this Bank, and it will continue to grow, making a lot of strides,” said Nkhoma.

FCB celebrates 30th anniversary with fun walk

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FCB celebrates 30th anniversary with fun walk

By Linda Kwanjana

First Capital Bank (FCB) on Sunday celebrated its 30th anniversary by engaging customers and stakeholders in a 13-kilometre fun walk in Blantyre.

The event, dubbed ’30 Years Belief Walk’, saw multitudes including the bank’s chief executive officer Agnes Jaza taking part from Livingstone Carpark near FCB head office to Kwacha Roundabout through Kamba in Naperi Township and back to the starting point.

The walk was preceded by aerobics at the carpark.



FCB head of marketing Twikale Chirwa said the event was a tribute to the Bank’s shared belief, growth and resilience over the years.

“For 30 years, the Bank has grown from being a mere office in Delamere House to being an institution that exists in five countries in the Southern African region. From humble beginnings, the Bank now has footprints in Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Mauritius,” he said.

“We chose to celebrate with the fun walk because we are a sports brand and we believe health is wealth. Fitness or wellness is everything and we thought it wise to celebrate with our customers in a healthy way.”

He also hinted that the anniversary celebration will continue with a celebratory football match this month involving FCB Nyasa Bullets and one of the other football giants in the country in Lilongwe.

One of the people who participated in the fun walk who is also a member of the Walkers Group Stanley Brown Gwaza said he enjoyed the walk on a Sunday morning having participated in another one the previous day with his Walkers Group.

“It was also good for social interaction with other people including the Bank staff and other stakeholders while improving physical and mental health, all in all, it has been a good weekend for me,” said Gwaza, an account holder with FCB.

Atupele Muluzi Joins President Chakwera at Chilima’s Chikangawa Memorial

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Atupele Muluzi Joins President Chakwera at Chilima’s Chikangawa Memorial

By Durell Namasani

UDF leader Atupele Muluzi joined President Lazarus Chakwera and other dignitaries at the memorial service for late Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others in Chikangawa, Mzimba. The solemn event drew prominent traditional leaders, including Inkosi ya Makosi Mbelwa V, Inkosi Gomani V, and Paramount Chiefs Kyungu, Lundu, Chikulamayembe, and Kaduya. 

President Chakwera arrived at Lunjika Turn-off, where the ceremony began with a moment of silence, followed by wreath-laying led by the President. Family members of the deceased were also expected to pay their respects. 

Atupele Muluzi



Among the notable attendees were former minister Atupele Muluzi, Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara, and Minister of Local Government Richard Chimwendo Banda. Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond Tambala of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe presided over the sermon, offering prayers and reflections. 

The memorial honored Chilima’s legacy and the lives lost in the tragic plane crash, uniting Malawians in grief and remembrance. The gathering underscored the nation’s collective mourning, with leaders from across political and traditional spheres standing in solidarity. 

As tributes continue, the event serves as both a farewell and a reflection on Chilima’s contributions to Malawi’s development. Further commemorations are expected in the coming days. 


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Beneath the pines, we remember: A year after Chikangawa became a tomb

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Beneath the pines, we remember: A year after Chikangawa became a tomb

By Burnett Munthali

The forest of Chikangawa, once a symbol of life, commerce, and natural wonder, now carries the weight of a deep and haunting silence.

It is no longer merely a stretch of green across Malawi’s northern landscape—it is a place of mourning, a resting ground for lost souls whose final moments were swallowed by its trees.

A year ago, tragedy struck here, tearing through the hearts of families, communities, and a nation that had to watch as hope turned to horror among the pines.

Chilima



Time has passed, but the grief has not.

The ache remains embedded in the soil, etched into the bark of each tree, echoing through the wind that sweeps through the forest floor.

Walking into Chikangawa now is like entering a sacred place, not because of its beauty, but because of the pain it holds.

Nature has continued its quiet cycle—rains have fallen, leaves have grown, animals have returned—but something fundamental has changed.

The forest breathes differently.

There is a reverent hush that wasn’t there before, as if even the birds know that this is no longer just a forest.

It is a tomb.

A grave without markers, where no stone bears the names of the fallen, yet memory hangs thick in the air, impossible to ignore.

Each footstep feels like a trespass, each snapped twig like an interruption in a long, sorrowful prayer.

The trees—tall and unmoving—stand as witnesses to what happened, sentinels of a tragedy that time cannot erase.

Somewhere deep within, the shadows feel longer, the light dimmer, not because the sun has changed, but because the spirit of the place has.

Geographically, Chikangawa remains vast and awe-inspiring, but its emotional terrain is where the greatest shifts have occurred.

Maps may show it the same, but to those who know its story, who carry its loss, it is a different place entirely.

It is a place where geography and grief have fused.

It is impossible to separate the landscape from the loss.

Revisiting it now is not an act of tourism—it is a pilgrimage, undertaken with heavy hearts and trembling hands.

One does not walk among these trees without remembering the lives that ended here.

One does not breathe in this forest air without exhaling sorrow.

There is something sacred in the stillness, something reverent in the way even the wind seems to whisper instead of roar.

Chikangawa, once full of the sound of axes and trucks, now sings a quieter, mournful song.

It is a lullaby for the lost, a hymn for the departed.

And as we revisit it, a year later, we do not do so simply to recall the tragedy—we return to honour, to feel, to remember.

Because to forget would be to lose them again.

And that, after all this pain, is something we must never do.

The forest that became a tomb now holds more than trees and trails.

It holds memory.

It holds silence.

It holds us all.

Malawi’s High Commissioner to UK explores partnership opportunities with Leeds United

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Malawi’s High Commissioner to UK explores partnership opportunities with Leeds United

By Jones Gadama

In a significant development for Malawian football, the country’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Thomas Bisika, has been invited by recently-promoted English Premiership side Leeds United to explore potential partnership opportunities.

The invitation is a testament to the strong bond between the people of Malawi and the football club, with Bisika expressing his excitement and humility at the prospect of working with the team.

Bisika

During an interview, Bisika revealed that he intends to use this opportunity to discuss potential partnerships between Leeds United and Malawian football clubs, with a focus on capacity building for coaches and administrators, as well as opening doors for Malawian players to showcase their talents.

The High Commissioner also hopes to explore ways in which the Flames, Malawi’s national football team, can benefit from the partnership.

“I want to take advantage of the occasion to explore the possibility of Leeds United partnering with our clubs, capacity building of our coaches or administrators, and indeed opening opportunities for our players,” Bisika said, adding that,”I am also looking at finding ways through which the Flames can benefit. So, I will meet Leeds United management and even players to see how best we can explore all these areas.”

Bisika further highlighted the potential for study tours, which could provide valuable learning experiences for Malawian football stakeholders.

He also plans to engage with the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to seek advice on how they can benefit from the partnership.

FAM has welcomed the invitation, with President Fleetwood Haiya congratulating Leeds United on their promotion to the English Premier League.

In a statement posted on the FAM website, Haiya expressed the association’s delight at the potential partnership, noting that it could open doors to deeper football and cultural engagement between Malawi and one of England’s most historic football clubs.

“This remarkable achievement not only restores the club to the top tier of English football but also rekindles global admiration and fan loyalty, particularly from our passionate football community in Malawi,” Haiya said, adding that , “As FAM, we believe this gesture opens doors to deeper football and cultural engagement between Malawi and one of England’s most historic football clubs.”

The potential partnership between Leeds United and Malawian football stakeholders has the potential to bring about significant benefits, including improved coaching and administrative capacity, increased opportunities for players, and enhanced football development programs.

As Bisika and FAM work to explore these opportunities, Malawian football fans will be eagerly watching for developments.

The invitation to Bisika is a testament to the strong relationship between Leeds United and the Malawian football community, and it will be interesting to see how this partnership develops in the coming months.

With the potential for mutual benefits, this partnership could be a game-changer for Malawian football.

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