By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, May 29, Mana: Principal Nutrition and HIV Officer (PNHAO), for Dedza district council, Lottie Makina, on Thursday, hailed the Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) alliance partner, Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE), for updating the council and partners on programme progress.

In Dedza district, under the alliance, CYECE has been implementing a program pilot dubbed “TlivesSHARP (Transforming Lives-SRHR Accountability, Resilience and Policy transformation for African Young People) in Malawi” around Chikuse Health Centre in the area of Traditional Authority Kasumbu.

Speaking at the closing of a program’s review meeting which brought together members of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) and District Aids Coordinating Committee (DACC), Makina said it is important that when partners start a project, they need to come back to relevant committees for update sharing.

“It is through these forums that we address the challenges encountered in the course of project implementation. It is disheartening to see projects dying once a partner leaves because we do not have an exit strategy,” he said.

According to Makina, transmission plans, exit strategies as well as building capacity at the local level are some of the key features in the sustainability of every program and these are planned well when project progress is shared.

He however hailed the SRHR alliance for ensuring that youths are greatly taking part in the project implementation.

“The youth are the future of the nation. Above all, 2063 is youth-centric. So, very sick or unhealthy youth cannot contribute effectively hence a need for them to fully access the SRHR services,” he pointed out.

On her part, CYECE’s District Coordinator for Dedza, Chifundo Kamulete, said the program aims to ensure that young people are able to access SRHR services by aligning the digital tools in order to advocate for access to SRHR services among young people.

“We trained some youth champions in the area who were able to reach out to their fellow youth and to demand services of SRHR as well as to make them aware of what SRHR services are at the facility and also what SRHR issues and barriers that young people are facing in their communities,” she said.

She further said more youth prefer reaching out to the champions and hearing how they could access the services, health centres as well as nearby facilities.

“As the program seeks to progress, there is a need for service provision and collaboration with different service providers, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and also scale-up to other areas,” she stressed.

The programme is being implemented with funds from SIDA through SAFAIDS.

By Joel Phiri

Mzimba, May 29, mana: District Elections Officer for Mzimba Chrispin Chakhumbira has asked all registered voters in the district to go to their registration centres and verify their names in the voters’ register.

Chakhumbira made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with M’mbelwa District Council’s district elections support (DEST) team, a briefing on preparedness ahead of the verification exercise which will run from 29^th May to 31^st May 2025.

Speaking during the meeting, Chakhumbira said all materials and staff have been deployed to all registration centres where people will do the verification.

“We have deployed all the materials such as verification machines, gensets and human resources to ensure that every registered voter should be able to verify their details in the system,’’ he said.

Team Leader for Mzimba Elections Team Henderson Kaliati said in Mzimba South they have 322 verification centres where people will go to do the verifications.

“We started deploying staff and machines three days ago and almost everything has been done. We are all set for the verification exercise,’’ said Kaliati.

Kaliati said registered voters going for verification should remember to carry the National Identity Card and the voter registration certificate to verify their names.

“Those who may fail to bring these should remember to give out their biographic details that would enable them to verify their names in the system,’’ he said.

Director of administration for M’mbelwa District Council Viston Mulungu said members of DEST are ready to render support to the verification process as well as to monitor the entire verification exercise.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, May 29, Mana: District Commissioner for Lilongwe, Lawford Palani, has urged people in the district to go for voter verification to confirm if their personal details are correct.

Palani was speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) Thursday at the beginning of the voter verification exercise in the district.

“This is the right time for everyone who registered to go and check if his or her particulars were correctly registered. This exercise is only for three days in each district so let the people take it seriously,” he said

Palani assured all the people whose particulars were not correctly captured to submit their concerns saying they will be assisted during the exercise.

Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Coordinator for Lilongwe East, Madalo Nyambose, said the Commission is ready to sort out any irregularities that people will bring forth during the exercise before coming up with the final voter register.

“This is an important exercise which should be taken seriously. Apart from going to registration centres, people can check their particulars on their mobile phones by dialing *2509# and follow instruction. If they have concerns, we still encourage them to go to the centres where they registered and they will be assisted,” she said.

Phase three of voters’ verification starts from May 29 to 31, 2025 in Mzimba, Lilongwe, Lilongwe City, Mangochi, Mangochi Municipality, Mwanza, Chikwawa, and Nsanje.

MEC is conducting the exercise to allow registered voters verify their details and give room for correction of errors before polling day.

By Santos Zefania

Lilongwe, May 29, Mana: The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has urged registered voters to verify their details to avoid issues on polling as they roll out the third and final phase of the voter inspection exercise in preparation to the September 16 general elections.

MEC Director of Communication and Public Relations, Sangwani Mwafulirwa, confirmed the development in an interview on Thursday.

The Commission is conducting the last phase of voter inspection from May 29 to 31, 2025 in Mangochi, Lilongwe, Mzimba, Mwanza, Chikwawa and Nsanje.

“We are into the final round of the exercise. Therefore, I’m encouraging everyone who registered to take part in the exercise in the affected councils to verify their details to avoid issues on polling day.” Mwafulirwa explained.

National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Trust Programs Officer, Daniel Malango, described the exercise as a crucial step in the electoral process, saying when anomalies are found, they are resolved on time.

“I advise voters to check their details at a registration centre or via a USSD facility on their mobile phones so that the Commission should map a way forward by addressing all challenges purposed to deliver fair and credible general elections,” said Malango.

By Gift Wahuta

Blantyre, May 29, Mana:  Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, warned that private schools that fail to meet standard educational requirements will be closed, as government is committed to improve standards for quality education in Malawi.

The minister said this on Wednesday when she opened the Independent Schools Association of Malawi (ISAMA) National Conference at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre under the theme; Advancing Quality in Schools: Embracing Inclusion, Digitalization, and Corporate Governance for a Sustainable Future.

Wirima emphasized government’s commitment to improve education quality in both public and private institutions, saying the ministry will not tolerate schools that fail to meet government-set standards.

“Running a school is not just a business but a responsibility. We will not allow any school to operate without qualified teachers, learning materials, or proper infrastructure,

“These are basic requirements. A school that fails to meet these requirements puts learners at risk,” said Wirima.

She added that, while government values the role of private education institutions in expanding access to learning, the ministry will continue deploying education inspectors to assess and shut down schools that fall below the required standard.

“The ministry has intensified inspections across the country. Schools operating without licenses or with unqualified teaching staff will be closed,” Wirima said.

ISAMA President, Bishop Wycliffe Chimwendo, acknowledged the minister’s concerns and said the association will operate in line with the ministry’s mission to deliver quality education to all learners in Malawi.

“The conference theme resonates well with the ministry’s mission to provide education that responds to today’s challenges and equips learners with practical skills. I would like to assure you that ISAMA is committed to support both our schools and the ministry in the quest for education excellence,” he added.

Chimwendo therefore called for closer collaboration with government to review policies that may hinder the operations of private schools, particularly those serving rural populations or low-income earners.

The conference had presentations from education experts from South Africa and Zambia, who shared strategies for improving governance and internal management in schools.

Director of Rise and Shine Private School, Vincent Kambuka, said a session on corporate governance inspired him to strengthen his school’s management structures.

“A school without a board of directors or a parent-teacher association (PTA) is like a ship without direction. That stayed with me. I now plan to set up proper systems to support effective learning,” he said.

The two-day event also tackled topics such as; digital learning, inclusive education, and integrating learners with disabilities into mainstream classrooms.

The conference will enter its second day on Thursday with a general meeting and elections to choose a new president of ISAMA.

By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, May 29, Mana: In a bid to promote socio-economic empowerment among women in Salima District, JCM Power has trained over 30 women in soap-making skills under its Livelihood Restoration Programme (LRP).

The initiative is part of the company’s broader mission to support sustainable development as it operates as an Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Malawi.

Speaking during supervision of the training on Wednesday, at Kamzimbe village in the area of Senior Chief Kalonga, Trade Officer for Salima, Humphrey Phiri emphasized the importance of such skills in addressing challenges that women face.

“Malawi imports more than it exports. We need to improve skills, especially among women, to empower them economically. Skills development is vital the knowledge gained here will significantly enhance these women’s livelihoods,” Phiri said.

He said his office will continue working closely with the women until they reach their full potential in soap-making skills and also identify better markets for them.

JCM Power’s Community Liaison Officer for Salima, Levison Masamba, reiterated the company’s commitment to inclusive development.

“We believe in driving social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Working hand in hand with the District Council, we aim to ensure our business operations benefit the surrounding communities,” he said.

Masamba said the women gained practical skills in soap making and product moulding.

The training cost K 3 million with K 2 million allocated to training activities and K 1 million for the provision of essential materials to the participants.

A beneficiary from Sadzu Village, Nelliya Chiphiko, expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

“We are thankful to JCM Power for imparting these skills. What we have learned will go a long way in transforming our lives and our communities. We intend to use these skills to start small businesses and support our families,” she said.

The training is expected to create sustainable income streams for the women involved, reducing dependency and promoting economic resilience within the targeted villages.

The four-day training, involved 31 women from Sadzu and Waya villages under Traditional Authorities Salima and Kalonga respectively.

The women were drawn from two Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) groups under Makande and Nanjoka.