Monday, April 20, 2026
No menu items!
spot_img
Home Blog Page 1504

Malawi’s economy on its recovery path

0

By Kondanani Chilimunthaka

The country’s economy that was put on a sickbed into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led administration has now taken its recovery path following the gambling decision by President Lazarus Chakwera and his administration to devalue the local currency by 44 percent to align it with the major exchange rate of USD.

With only a month in office as a Minister of Finance, Simplex Chithyola Banda announced a devaluation of 44 percent which was a total sacrifice for Malawians and did not go down well with many who were already meeting various challenges including fuel scarcity, and shortage of foreign currency reserves (forex).

Minister of Finance, Simplex Chithyola Banda

Little did Malawians know that Chakwera’s leadership is full of wisdom from God, little did Malawians know that the appointment of Chithyola Banda was the beginning of a new journey for the Kwacha from the cross-roads where it stayed for long as contributed by the DPP’ crooked way of managing the local currency against the dollar.

In his statement, President Chakwera said the devaluation was to bring the country’s currency to its real value rather than pretending it had strong value against the USD.

On the other hand, Chithyola Banda said in one of the interviews soon after the Kwacha was devalued saying:”One of the reasons we did the currency rate alignment was in order to bridge the gap that was there between the parallel and official market.”

Since the devaluation of the Kwacha, the country started to experience positive changes highlighting the recovery of the economy which include; No queuing for fuel at all filling stations in the country, availability of forex in the country, the return of International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and with many other donor partners trickling down to Malawi to join hands in restoration of the currency, years after suspending their assistance.

Meanwhile, National Advocacy Platform (NAP) has applauded the Minister of Finance for pivotal initiatives including restoration of budget support.

Government partnership with Mary’s Meals key to improved primary education- Kambauwa

0


By Kondanani Chilimunthaka

Madalitso Kambawuwa Wirima who is Minister of Education has described the partnership between Malawi Government and Mary’s Meals as a key to improved primary school education in the country.

Wirima made the remarks on Tuesday January, 23,2024 in Kasungu during the visit by the Chief Programmes Officer for Mary’s Meals Graeme Little and the delegation to Chithiba Primary School.

Speaking during the tour, Wirima said apart from providing feed for primary school learners, the programme is also improving farmers economic status as its model promotes procurement of corn soy blend produced locally, adding that the programme has among others achieved improvement in enrollment,attendance, and reduced school dropouts.

“Today is a great day as the Government and Mary’s Meals have come to this school to support the School Feeding Programme.

“School Feeding is one of the priority programs for contributing to attainment of educational outcomes as well as improving health and nutrition status of our learners. This is reflected in the National Education Sector Plan (NESP),” said Wirima.

The deputy minister further said the School Feeding Programme in Malawi is very important as it is one of the priorities that support to achieve the First Educational Policy Objective, of increasing access to equitable education in primary schools.

However, Wirima admitted that Malawi as a country continues to face challenges in learners attendance and dropouts, especially in those schools where the feeding program is not being implemented.

But she was quick to say Malawi Government is committed to continue working with all its partners to mobilize more support to scale-up the program to all public primary schools across the country.

Currently, there are 931 primary schools in 24 districts in the country where the government is implementing the School Feeding Programme with support from Mary’s Meals, and the visit by Little comes a few weeks after the opening of the second term in schools.

Malawi,Mozambique launch investigations into the assault of a Malawian truck driver by Mozambican police

0

By Chisomo Phiri

Malawi and Mozambique have launched investigations into the alleged assault of a Malawian truck driver Elasto Ngonyani by Mozambican police last week.

According to Malawi Consular General in Tete Happy Saka, the two countries have launched a probe to appreciate what exactly happened for the Mozambican law enforcers to manhandle Ngonyani who was on his way to South Africa.

On Monday, Saka met Mozambican consular general to Malawi Mr.Matusi following the incident which occurred at Zobue Boarder in Mozambique.

Saka said he had engaged the police commandant for Tete province who assured him to follow-up on the incident whose video clip went viral this week.

The video clip shows uniformed Mozambican police captured ruthlessly beating a defenceless Ngonyani and squeezing him to the truck’s tyres.

“Our High Commissioner to Malawi Wezi Moyo asked my office to follow up and I have engaged the relevant authorities in Tete on the issue.

“My counterpart, the Mozambican consular general in Malawi, also rushed to Zobue to get to the bottom of the issue. The matter is under control now,” said Saka.

Meanwhile, a recent medical report indicates that the 35-year-old truck driver may face challenges in working in the future due to sustained injuries.

The report from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital(QECH) in Blantyre reveals lumbar sliding disc loin pain on the right side, scalp lacerations on the head, pain in the right knee, and pain in the left ankle with a few lacerations.

“The victim currently experiences severe headaches, general body pains, chest pains, shortness of breath, and numbness of the feet resulting from the assault,” says the medical report.

Ngonyani is however,calling on the Malawi government to employ diplomatic means to end police brutality on Mozambican roads, especially towards foreigners.

Malawi and Mozambique share borders and the two countries are close neighbors.

Bantu Saunders Jumah claims Malawi is on the verge of civil strife

0

By Vincent Gunde

President and Commander in Chief of Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) Bantu Saunders Jumah, has claimed that Malawi has lost its direction and is on the verge of civil strife.

Jumah said seeing President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera being booed, seeing police officers trying to break tradition of making a funeral procession in Blantyre at HHI to stop along the way to the graveyard because the Head of State is on the driveway, and the transfer and relocation of police officers, is clearly showing the direction the country is heading to.



He said if Malawi had emigrated from the individualistic authority that favours tribes, regions, and if what happened in Blantyre and other parts of the country could not happen or could not be happening, the country has gone to the wrong direction.

Writing in a statement, Jumah said a President is the most highly regarded person in the country’s traditions, beliefs and laws of the country saying there is no way citizens can stone, boo, insult the president and convoy.

Jumah said three systems have created a situation where the country fails to unite, to conform, to collectively see the future with one eye observing that truth be said, for 60 years Malawi’s future has been planned tribally, regionally and individually.

He observed that there is growing anger with the relocation of many government headquarters from the commercial city to the capital administrative city, not because it is a wrong idea but the way it is done and the people doing it are wrong and tribalistic.

The MRP President said Malawi more than ever before needs and require “National Healing for Reconciliation” so that the cracks and debris created by the three systems be done with once and for all observing that looking at the political and economic set up, there is no hope that this healing and reconciliation will ever take place.

“The Ministry of National Unity that could spark this Truth, Reconciliation and Healing was given to a wrong person, today, one tribe {Chewa) is hated because of just few and a handful of men,” said Jumah.

He has assured Malawians that MRP was born to bring about the 4th Theory that will overhaul, cleanse, empty and burn down the current system in order to start a fresh and a new saying the Revolution is required in Malawi to harshly remove all the dirty oils in government.

Jumah has encouraged patriotic Malawians to always look into the tomorrow of tomorrow not today of tomorrow saying through Mindset Change, they can rebuild a new nation with the same people and the same people can change the future of the nation, Qatar did that, Benin’s are doing it, Singapore took as their birthmark, Malawi cannot be an exception.

MACRA satisfied with the implementation of new FM frequencies

0


By Dean Chisambo

The Malawi
Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA),has expressed satisfaction over the implementation of new FM frequencies across the country.

The sentiments were made in Lilongwe during a media briefing on the overview of the initiative as all the radio stations across the country have successfully switched to the new frequencies.

In an interview with journalists, Director General for MACRA,Daudi Suleman described the initiative as a great milestone to the regulator in regard to the granting of the new licences to over 150 new broadcasters.

Suleman



“This will assist in having a scalable network and Malawians will have a choice on where to access news and entertainment on radio, as there will be significant growth of the sector and there will be job creation,” said Suleman.

Suleman further disclosed that the initiative was collaborative between MACRA and radio stations to narrow the gaps that were identified in the process.

He also disclosed that MACRA has embarked on two key regulatory systems to be implemented such as revenue assurance system which will help the regulator to be in account for the revenue being made in the sector in billing correctly to the operators and the central equipment identification registry which will help the regulator in fortify the space around mobile devices in the country as it will combat mobile fraud but also,block any stolen and fake device to operate in the country.

According to Suleman,the initiative initially started in December 2022 and it has come into effect in January this year.