The Nation broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has secured rights to beam all 52 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) games, MBC Director General George Kasakula has confirmed.
He said MBC is working with partners that have helped to secure the rights and has since asked prospective sponsors in the country and beyond to seize the opportunity and advertise their products and services on MBC platforms during the games.
MBC Director General George Kasakula
The games kick off tomorrow, the hosts Cameroon taking on Burkina Faso at 6 pm and the second game of the day will be Ethiopia up against Cape Verde at 9 pm.
According to Eurosport, the reigning champions, Algeria, are in imperious form heading into the tournament and are intent on extending their record unbeaten run when they face Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and even Ivory Coast in Group E. The Elephants are also gunning for glory despite perhaps lacking the star power of years gone by.- MBC Online Services.
President Lazarus Chakwera has appointed Justice Rizine Robert Mzikamanda as the new Chief Justice to replace Justice Andrew Nyirenda who recently left office upon reaching the retirement age of 65.
According to a statement signed by the Secretary to the President and Cabinet Zangazanga Chikhosi on Friday, January 7, 2022, Mzikamanda’s appointment was with immediate effect.
Reads the statement: “The general public is hereby notified that in exercise of the powers conferred by section 111 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi, has appointed Justice of Appeal Rizine Robert Mzikamanda, SC to the position of Chief Justice.”
Before the appointment, Justice Mzikamanda was already serving as Chief Justice but in an acting capacity. He was appointed as Malawi High Court judge in 1997 after serving for many years in the Magistrate Court. He also, for a period of two years, served as director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Mzikamanda was appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2012 by former President Joyce Banda after being “sidelined” by the late President Bingu wa Mutharika.
As Judge President for Lilongwe Registry, Mzikamanda was one of the deserving officers who were sidelined by the Mutharika administration when it promoted judges. Justice Mzikamanda delivered rulings without fear and in defence of the constitution during the Bingu wa Mutharika’s autocratic rule.
Acting Chief Executive Officer for Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), Clement Kanyama, says the sector is doing its best to make sure that they eliminate bribes from customers as one way of ending corruption while at the same time delivering the best services to customers across the country.
The remarks were made in Lilongwe on Friday during a press briefing under Government Faces the Press.He said ESCOM has put a number of mechanisms to make sure that this comes to an end.”We are aware of the malpractice that is happening across the country and we have a number of instances where our employees were found receiving bribes. We have a mechanism called whistle blowing where customers are advised to report if they suspect any fraud or corruption,” said Kanyama.
He further said ESCOM in collaboration with Government of Malawi will starting this year be connecting electricity for free.Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako, said ESCOM is the face of electricity in the country and there is need to have access to good delivery of the services.”Electricity is one of our priority areas because a lot of things requires electricity.
We have a lot of developments that require electricity and energy is indeed crucial for the development of the country and there is need for lots of electricity.When we sort out the work of electricity, we will fasten the developments of the country,” said Kazako.
Malawi Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda recently announced notice for termination of the US$60 million (K49.04 billion) passport contract awarded to Techno Brain Global FZE. The firm was contracted to upgrade the passport issuance system and introduce an E-passport. However the firm has issued a press statement, clarifying its position and why the contract was offering many benefits to Malawi.
In the statement Techno Brain, a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, wishes to make clear its position following news stories covering the cancellation of its contract to deliver e-passports for the Government of Malawi.
“We have noted several stories circulating that include misinformation and unfounded allegations in relation to the matter, as well as Techno Brain as a company more broadly, which we strongly dispute and, regretfully, have required that the company takes legal action” reads part of the statement.
The company went on to clarify details of the contract it has with the government. “The contract between the Government of Malawi and Techno Brain was the product of a competitive bidding process that followed all the relevant procurement regulations. We strongly dispute any claims that Techno Brain has breached the contract or that it favours the company at the expense of Malawians.
“The cost of the contract reflects the quality of the offering being delivered, which includes high-end security features and conforms with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)”.
Attorney General Thabo Chakaka, terminated Techno Brain contract
Techno brain also highlighted the fact that the contract is not solely for the delivery of e-passports, but also for a comprehensive upgrade to the country’s entire passport issuance system that transitions the country to a digital platform. The project encompasses everything from training and capacity building for over 125 Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services (DICS) officers to the digitization of over one million records and rollout to 19 embassies globally.
The full scope includes setting up a data centre, Disaster Recovery Center, and PKI infrastructure; the design and origination of e-Passport booklets and consumables; the supply of e-Passport personalization equipment; connecting all regional Immigration offices on a secure network; enrolment terminal equipment; the supply of software licenses; project implementation services; and the training and capacity building of DICS officers. In addition to the core e-Passport Issuance System, it also includes integration with the systems of other Government departments; the rollout of the system to 19 Malawian embassies; the supply of trucks for DICS; the digitization of over a million manual records; the setting up of security systems and forensic labs; and other related services.
The company claims that this contract Offers many benefits to Malawi and it is not only the company that will benefit
“We maintain that the completion of this contract would be a win-win for the country, delivering both direct and indirect benefits for citizens and the Malawian economy. For example, the implementation of the system is expected to deliver substantial efficiency gains, both for the Government of Malawi and for citizens who will no longer have to travel to Lilongwe or Blantyre to apply for a passport, as well as critical security benefits, including the reduction of incidents of forgery and identity theft”.
The company took opportunity to clarifies some of the claims that were carried by some media houses in regards to its dealings in other African Countries
“We also wish to take this opportunity to clarify facts concerning a World Bank debarment relating to one of our projects in Liberia in 2018. We immediately investigated the matter involving the isolated incident and are cooperating fully with the World Bank to take remedial actions, including investing heavily to put in place a comprehensive Integrity Compliance Program that guards the company against a repeat of such violations. Techno Brain Global and its affiliates (except Techno Brain Kenya Ltd.) have been allowed to resume participation in World Bank financed projects since 8 August 2021.We are confident that the comprehensive actions being taken since the incident position the company for continued future success. We wish to make clear that there is no connection between the incident in Liberia and our operations in Malawi. Attempts to link the two are incorrect, misleading and damaging to the reputation of the company”.
Born in Africa, Techno Brain has expanded to more than 20 countries to become a global company that competes head-to-head and works in partnership with global and leading technology giants. We are proud of the strong role we play delivering innovative and ground-breaking solutions in response to local needs and challenges across Africa. Techno Brain’s strong track record on the African continent has been recognised time and time again, including in a 2018 report by The Boston Consulting Group that identified Techno Brain as one of the African businesses playing a critical role in driving economic integration on the continent. We were the first tech company in Africa to achieve CMMI Level 5 status based on our commitment to a proven set of global best practices
Office of the Attorney General has not made any comment yet on the Company’s recent statement.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Agnes NyaLonje, says Government, through her Ministry, is committed to supporting young people innovation as a way to boost socio-economic development in the country in line with the Malawi 2063 (MW2063).
The Minister made the remarks Wednesday during the 2021 Young Innovators Awards held at the Ministry of Education headquarters in Lilongwe. NyaLonje emphasised that the initiatives taking place at her Ministry will motivate young people to see visions and learn new ideas which will bring new developments to the country thereby achieving the MW2063 implementation. “As we are fully aware, Malawi is a young peoples country, commercialized with a digital world, there is a need for innovation exo system which helps improve the well being of people on a daily basis” said Nyalonje.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Agnes NyaLonje Awarding innovators
Meanwhile the Minister has commended the top 3 young innovators for complimenting efforts in innovating the gadgets, saying this will help in the countrys development activities.
The top three innovators are Kelvin Khauke from Lilongwe Technical College who has made an electric powered maize shelling machine, Astonie Mukiwa from Malawi University of Science and Technology( MUST) who innovated parliamentary sessions tracking tool, and Ruth Mtuwa from MUST who has innovated low cost IoT-based infant health monitoring system for monitoring the condition of infants.
