Ricardo Mtawali, a Head Chef at Max & Sherry Dine and Lounge in Blantyre, has emerged as the winner of the Battle of Chefs Africa Cooking Competition Season 3 Malawi.
Mtawali was announced as the winner at a Grand finale held at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe beating 6 other contestants.
Founder of Max & Sherry Hope Mezuwa has since hailed Mtawali for the achievement and putting the restaurant on the map.
Mtawali
Mezuwa also thanked people who have been supporting the Max & Sherry brand to be where it is today
“Thank you so much everyone who keeps pushing this brand up, who keeps raising our flag high and who keeps mentioning our name for good reasons,” said Mezuwa.
As the winner, Ricardo received K4million prize money.
Malawi leader President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is this Wednesday 2 July 2025 destined to launch the National Youth Summit scheduled to take place at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital city Lilongwe.
Addressing the Press conference, National Youth Council of Malawi Chief Executive Officer Rex Chapota said during the function , President Chakwera is also expected to launch the K2Billion youth fund.
Chapota
Held under the theme “Harnessing Youth Innovation for Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Job Creation Towards Malawi 2063,” the Summit will bring together over 1,000 young people, policymakers, development partners, and stakeholders for a transformative engagement on youth-led development and national progress.
Chapota said NYCOM received over 2,800 applications from across the country. Due to limited space and available resources, only a select number of youths have been shortlisted in this preliminary phase.
The Chief Executive officer said all selected delegates are expected to arrive today in Lilongwe and report to BICC to collect their official conference badge/name tag, which will serve as their accreditation for the Summit.
Chapota said all selected youths are required to complete online preregistration through the link shared by the NYCOM Secretariat.
To increase access to the National Youth Summit for a more diverse group of young people, the organizers are already implementing several strategies.
The CEO said the youth summit will help to explore the role of youth innovation in accelerating economic growth and job creation as well as offering a national stage for showcasing scalable youth-led solutions.
Chapota said the summit will help to promote inclusive policies and targeted programmes for youth entrepreneurship.
Boane District, (Mozambique)— Solidaridad, in partnership with Kvuno, Hiveonline, HEINEKEN Mozambique, and the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation, has officially launched the Promoting Regenerative Agriculture for Sustainable Livelihoods (PRASL) project. The launch, which took place earlier this quarter in the Boane District, marks a new era for smallholder farming communities in the region.
“In close partnership with HEINEKEN Mozambique and Solidaridad, we embark on a journey to transform the lives of 4,000 smallholder farmers in the Boane District over the next three years. Through this collaboration, we aim to indirectly reach and positively impact 20,000 individuals, creating a ripple effect of prosperity and resilience,” said Edwin Moerkerk, General Manager, the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation.
According to Moerkerk, the crux of their mission is to support Africa’s smallholder farmer communities in building their resilience, and helping them to adapt to challenges while improving their livelihoods.This commitment is accompanied by a 1.5 million euros investment (about 1.7 million USD) from HEINEKEN Africa Foundation throughout the 3-year initiative.
Empowering Farmers with Regenerative Practices and Data Innovation “The future of smallholder farmers in Mozambique depends on our collective decisions here today. Our presence here today is a testament to the realization that smallholder farmers matter and that together we can co-create sustainable solutions. PRASL helps farmers to do what they do best – feed the nation. We are fully committed to empowering farmers with trainings on regenerative agricultural practices to improve soil health and give farmers an opportunity to earn extra income,” says Francisco Nhanale, Solidaridad Country Manager (Mozambique).
It is against this backdrop that Nhanale emphasized the benefits of regenerative farming. PRASL participant farmers such as Delfa Nhobomba and Anna Langa, both members of the 15-member Empowered Girls Association, shared similar sentiments.
“I am part of 15 young ladies who work in the shed nets while we raise money to buy our own land. Access to land is a huge challenge for female smallholder farmers in Mozambique. That, along with the investments to build structures such as the shed nets you see here, where we plant tomatoes, cucumbers and more on this land that belongs to the association. Organizations such as Solidaridad, with the support of their partners are gamechangers. They teach us how to harvest more on the lands that we are tilling. Even though this project is fairly new, we are already seeing the impact and so are our families who are also benefiting from our empowerment,” says Nhobomba.
Langa echoed the sentiments by describing how the regenerative agricultural practices are of interest to young smallholder farmers in their group. Farmer after farmer stated how their activities were recorded and data captured by Kvuno who worked on the ground with the farmers. Data is uploaded at different stages in the process using Kvuno Farmer IDs to map fields and enable farmers to take data-driven interventions.
“Through Kvuno’s data-driven interactions, we are contributing to bring wealth to the farmers. By accessing the data, they can know what the market price is and thereby negotiate for fair wages. They can also make informed and up-to-date weather predictions which can help them know when to plant and reap. We are all up for collaborative efforts that can improve the quality standards, improve production and impact the lives of our smallholder farmers in Boane District, Mozambique and beyond,” elaborates Igor Espanol, Kvuno’s Regional Manager for Mozambique.
A New Beginning: Collective Action for Sustainable Futures Shungu Kanyemba, Former Managing Director of Solidaridad Southern Africa, who was present and part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside key partners, offered a powerful reflection:
“This launch feels very much like the birth of a child — a moment filled with promise and responsibility. Just like raising a child, growing this work will require nurturing, commitment, and the participation of an entire community. PRASL project embodies Solidaridad’s pulse, which sees smallholder farmers not only as recipients of aid, but as active agents of sustainable development. If we walk together in solidarity, we can raise this initiative to maturity, where it thrives and transforms the future of farming across Mozambique and beyond.”
Malawi’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Vitumbiko Mumba has commended National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc over its commitment towards supporting the growth of Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) in the country.
Mumba made the remarks after making a surprise visit at Gateway Mall in Lilongwe, where NBM plc organised an SME Day exhibition involving over 50 SMEs from across the country on Saturday.
He described the gesture as a catalyst for economic transformation as the world was commemorating the Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) Day.
“Commercial banks have a vital role to play in advancing national economic development by directly supporting the SME sector, which is Malawi’s economic future. When I read in the papers that NBM plc has set aside K60 billion to support the SMEs in the country, I personally called the CEO to thank him because this is the kind of support we need,” he said.
Mumba
NBM’s Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager, Akossa Hiwa said the Bank organized the MSME Day event to provide a platform to the SMEs to network, showcase their products, and explore new market opportunities.
She said the event was part of a broader month-long celebration by the Bank in recognition of MSMEs and their role in national development, in line with the AU Agenda 2063.
“In May this year, we also supported about 30 SMEs to participate at the Trade Fair where they also showcased their products,” she said.
Mark Chiweza Banda from Apoche Farms which rears fish, also commended NBM plc for the gesture.
“We produce a lot products, but we don’t have a platform to reach out to potential buyers, but such events provide us that needed platform. We thank NBM plc,” he said.
Apart from the exhibition, the event has other activities for children, while top artists like Teddy Makadi and Mazani entertained fans with their music performances.
The Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) President,Enock Chihana, has warned that if people are not careful, the country will be led by leaders who promote violence and conflict.
Speaking to party supporters at Grace Bandawe Conference Centre (GBCC) in Blantyre on Sunday,Chihana said the recent violence and unrest should serve as a warning to Malawians.
He urged Malawians to elect leaders who will promote peace and stability in the country in the upcoming September 16 general elections.
Chihana
Chihana further urged Malawians to elect him as the country’s next president to advance the country’s development.
“AFORD promotes democratic governance and does not support violent politics. I, Enock Chihana, am ready to serve the Malawian people,” he said.
The AFORD leader also urged other candidates to work together to combat the trend of violence and protect Malawians from such behavior.
AFORD came in the political limelight in 1993 and its founder the late Chakufwa Chihana is known as one of the key fighters for multiparty democracy in Malawi.
In the june 23,2020 court-orderd presidential election, the party was part of the Tonse Alliance , which had in tow the Malawi Congress Party (MCP ) United Transformation Movement (UTM ), People’s Party (PP ), Umodzi Party (UP ), Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (MFUD),Freedom Party (FP), among others.
The parties’ torchbearer was Lazarus Chakwera ,with former vice-president Saulos Chilima (now deceased ) as running mate.
