The Minister of Higher Education, Hon. Dr. Jessie Kabwila, held a bilateral meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia, Her Excellency Maria del Rosario Mina-Rojas, on July 3, 2025. The meeting aimed to explore possible collaborations between Malawi and Colombia in the field of higher education.
Dr. Kabwila expressed interest in establishing a long-term relationship with Colombia to facilitate collaborations between higher education institutions in research, innovation, quality assurance, and increasing access. She emphasized the importance of higher education in driving innovations that respond to societal needs.
Kabwila and the Colombian delegation
Ambassador Maria del Rosario Mina-Rojas highlighted Colombia’s strong interest in international relations, particularly in education. She mentioned exchange programs involving staff and students in research, postgraduate training, and skills development for youth through technical and vocational training. The Ambassador also shared information on the Beca Colombia Scholarship Program for Foreigners, which could facilitate collaborations between the two nations.
As a way forward, the two sides agreed to work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate collaborations between institutions in Malawi and Colombia.
Renowned Mighty Wanderers Ndirande-based supporter Zakeyu Chole popularly known as ‘Bwede’ has announced that he will tie the knot with his long time sweetheart Tadala Tseka in October this year.
According to Bwede, officiation is expected to take place at Zambezi Evangelical Church in his Ndirande.
After officiation in the morning, reception will take place at HHI Multipurpose Hall in the afternoon.
Bwede is popularly known for his song composition and singing skills during football matches.
The High Court in Lilongwe has dismissed an application by Luthando Holdings Limited challenging the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)’s decision to discontinue criminal proceedings against Paramount Holdings Limited and its directors.
The case, which involved charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and allegedly using forged documents to win a government-linked motorcycle supply tender, was discontinued, and the directors were cleared of all charges.
Luthando Holdings owner Hedrix Laner had sought a court review of the DPP’s decision to discharge Paramount Holdings and its directors, but High Court Judge Msika dismissed the application.
The judge ruled that the accused had already been acquitted by a lower court of all criminal charges and that there were no valid grounds for the DPP to revive the case.
The court’s decision brings an end to the legal battle, with Paramount Holdings and its directors cleared of all wrongdoing.
The case highlights the importance of the DPP’s role in determining whether to pursue criminal charges and the court’s role in reviewing such decisions.
The judgment delivered on June 27, 2025, marks the conclusion of a significant legal case that had been closely watched by many in Malawi.
The High Court in Lilongwe has dismissed an application by Luthando Holdings Limited challenging the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)’s decision to discontinue criminal proceedings against Paramount Holdings Limited and its directors.
The case, which involved charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and allegedly using forged documents to win a government-linked motorcycle supply tender, was discontinued, and the directors were cleared of all charges.
Luthando Holdings owner Hedrix Laner had sought a court review of the DPP’s decision to discharge Paramount Holdings and its directors, but High Court Judge Msika dismissed the application.
The judge ruled that the accused had already been acquitted by a lower court of all criminal charges and that there were no valid grounds for the DPP to revive the case.
The court’s decision brings an end to the legal battle, with Paramount Holdings and its directors cleared of all wrongdoing.
The case highlights the importance of the DPP’s role in determining whether to pursue criminal charges and the court’s role in reviewing such decisions.
The judgment delivered on June 27, 2025, marks the conclusion of a significant legal case that had been closely watched by many in Malawi.
Rural voters form the backbone of Malawi’s electoral system, yet their voices often fade into silence after the final vote is cast.
According to the 2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census, approximately 83% of Malawians live in rural areas, making them a dominant force during every election cycle.
Politicians frequently trek across villages, dusty roads, and trading centers during campaigns, promising development, clean water, better schools, and farming subsidies.
Yet, once elections are over and power is secured, rural concerns are quickly replaced with urban priorities and political calculations.
This recurring pattern raises a critical question: Do rural voices truly influence national policy post-election?
Take the agricultural sector, for example, which employs over 70% of the population and is largely driven by smallholder farmers in rural areas.
Year after year, political parties pledge to improve fertilizer access and boost extension services.
However, implementation often falls short.
In the 2023/2024 growing season, over 1.5 million farming households were affected by delays and shortages in the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP), according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The program, designed to assist rural farmers, has instead become synonymous with mismanagement and corruption scandals.
Meanwhile, rural roads remain largely impassable, with only about 26% of Malawi’s road network paved, according to the Roads Authority.
This affects rural access to markets, health facilities, and education—issues that politicians love to highlight during campaigns but rarely prioritize once in office.
Healthcare is another area where rural voices are overlooked.
Despite Malawi’s stated commitment to Universal Health Coverage, rural health posts are chronically understaffed, under-equipped, or simply nonexistent.
A 2021 report by the Ministry of Health showed that rural areas have one health worker for every 2,000 people, far below the WHO-recommended ratio of 1:1,000.
Similarly, in education, rural schools still suffer from high pupil-to-teacher ratios, lack of teaching materials, and deteriorating infrastructure.
The 2019 Education Management Information System (EMIS) report revealed that rural primary schools have an average classroom-pupil ratio of 1:103, making quality education a dream for most village children.
Yet these same schools are the sites where political leaders often go to cast their votes and declare victory.
Why, then, do rural voters keep electing leaders who forget them?
One reason may be lack of political alternatives.
With most political parties headquartered in urban centers and focused on elite networks, rural communities often vote based on long-standing loyalties, patronage, or regional identity rather than policy.
Another factor is limited access to information.
While radio remains a key medium, less than 15% of rural households have access to television or internet, according to MACRA’s 2022 ICT Access Report.
This reduces the ability of rural voters to critically evaluate campaign promises or hold leaders accountable.
Civil society organizations and media outlets also tend to concentrate in urban areas, leaving rural voices underrepresented in national dialogue.
This results in policy debates that are detached from the lived realities of most Malawians.
If Malawi is to become a truly inclusive democracy, the country must move beyond token engagement with rural communities during elections.
It must institutionalize rural priorities into the national development agenda—year-round, not just during campaign season.
Rural councils must be empowered to demand services, and budget allocations should reflect the population demographics.
Digital access, civic education, and decentralized governance should be scaled up to ensure that rural voices do not end at the ballot box.
In conclusion, rural voters matter—not just as numbers to win elections, but as citizens whose daily struggles and aspirations must shape the national agenda.
The 2025 election should not merely be about rally crowds and vote counts in rural constituencies.
It should be about listening, delivering, and transforming rural lives in meaningful and measurable ways.
If political leaders ignore this, they do so at the peril of national development—and at the cost of their own legitimacy.
The introduction of tollgates in Malawi has triggered widespread debate, especially when compared to countries like Botswana, where tollgate charges apply only to foreign-registered vehicles.
In Malawi, both local and foreign vehicles are required to pay toll fees at sites such as the Chingeni and Kalinyeke toll plazas, as part of the government’s plan to generate funds for road maintenance.
When the tollgates were commissioned in late 2021 and early 2022, the government positioned them as a sustainable funding mechanism for road infrastructure development.
Since then, the Roads Fund Administration (RFA) has reportedly collected approximately MWK 12.7 billion from tollgate fees.
In the year 2024 alone, toll revenue amounted to around MWK 8.6 billion, signaling strong income potential from this infrastructure initiative.
So far, MWK 3.8 billion from the total collected has been spent on rehabilitating a 6-kilometer stretch of the M1 road between Kamwamba and the Zalewa turn-off.
Estimates suggest that the Chingeni tollgate alone has the capacity to raise about MWK 4.5 billion annually, reinforcing the importance of tollgates in public finance.
Despite this progress, the revenue generated has not matched the scale of road maintenance demands across the country.
By early 2024, cumulative collections stood at MWK 9.1 billion, but constraints related to operational costs and budget availability hindered timely project execution.
To address this gap, the RFA has indicated that rehabilitation works will be implemented in phases and supplemented by road bonds to raise additional funds.
Plans are underway to construct more tollgates across the country, which authorities believe will enhance road revenue and reduce the fiscal burden on government.
However, the system has faced scrutiny over governance and accountability.
There have been reports of fraud, including an incident in which over MWK 10 million was allegedly embezzled by tollgate collectors, casting doubt on financial oversight.
Some citizens have questioned the fairness of the tollgate model, arguing that it burdens local road users while alternative options—such as foreign vehicle levies or increased fuel taxes—could have been explored.
These concerns highlight a critical question: is Malawi’s problem simply a lack of money, or is it a deeper issue rooted in weak institutional mindset and poor planning?
Tollgates have proven their capacity to generate revenue and support road rehabilitation, but unless there is transparency, efficiency, and strategic implementation, the tollgate project may fall short of its intended impact.
To truly benefit from tollgate collections, Malawi must pair financial mechanisms with a shift in national mindset—one that prioritizes integrity, inclusivity, and long-term development.
