By Elia Chibwe

Lilongwe , April 28 Mana: President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Sunday left Malawi for the Republic of Kenya to attend the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) Summit which will be held in Nairobi slated for 28^th April 2024.

 In an interview Chakwera hailed World Bank for its consistent support whenever the country goes through challenging times.

He said the World Bank plays a crucial role in advancing Malawi's developmental projects, thus enhancing the country's resilience.

"We are grateful for World Bank and for always being there when we are facing challenges. World Bank is also helping  us make strides in actual development issues that will make Malawi more resilient, and all the development projects for instance irrigation, this  will help this country to produce more and add value," Chakwera said.

The World Bank has donated K100 billion Kwacha to support the country's challenges caused by natural disasters like El Niño. This assistance comes in response to the President's Declaration of Disaster in 23 districts affected by El Niño weather conditions.

President Lazarus Chakwera is expect to address the summit.

President Chakwera's participation follows an invitation extended by President of the Republic of Kenya William Samoei Ruto, in acknowledgment of the World Bank's recent approval of 100 billion Kwacha in support of Malawi's endeavors to achieve food security.

The International Development Association (IDA) is a pivotal arm of the World Bank dedicated to aiding the world's low-income countries. Through grants and low-interest loans, IDA facilitates investments in the future, enhances livelihoods, and fosters the creation of safer, more prosperous communities globally.

The Airplane carrying the Malawi leader departed the Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) at 14:00 hours and the President is expected to return home through the same airport on Monday 29th April 2024 at 17:00 hours.

by Ousman Manda

Lilongwe, April 28, Mana: Rotaract Club of Lilongwe, in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of Luanar, organised a Market Clean-up Day at Biwi market to address the issue of environmental degradation and promote community engagement in preserving the environment.

Speaking after the clean-up exercise on Saturday, President of Rotaract Club of Lilongwe, Esther Bonyonga reiterated the importance of environmental conservation in addressing the root causes of environmental degradation.

He said the clean-up efforts has not only addressed environmental concerns but also improved the overall cleanliness and appearance of Biwi market, in enhancing its hygiene and aesthetics.

The President also highlighted that the Market Clean-up Day at Biwi market showcased the Rotaract Club of Lilongwe's dedication to environmental stewardship and community service.

In a separate interview, President of the Rotaract club of Luanar, Makhalo Matola commended the market vendors for helping with the clean-up exercise, saying their involvement was key to making it successful.

"The positive response from the community has really indicated a growing awareness and willingness to contribute to environmental preservation efforts," Matola added.

The market clean-up initiative event was in line with this month's Rotary theme, which is 'Environment Month'.

By Elia Chibwe

Lilongwe April 27 MANA: Malawi Tourism Council has urged people in private sector to use Malawi International Tourism Expo (MITE) as an opportunity in a year for showcasing their products to the local and international buyers.

Speaking during the 5th edition 2024 MITE celebrated under the theme’ ‘Takulandirani" in Lilongwe, Executive Director for Malawi Tourism Council, Memory Momba Kamthunzi said the event gives an opportunity to all private sectors including domestic tourism.

"As a council we would like to encourage you to say this expo is for us the people in private sector. This is the only opportunity that we have in a year, almost every April we are able to showcase the products. Let us make use of this opportunity," Kamthunzi said.

She added that starting from 2023, they have always been promoting domestic tourism.

Kamthunzi further said the objectives of the event have been achieved this year as more operators across the country have showcased their products, offering to the public and buyers.

"This year we have achieved our objectives, all establishments that showcased their products have been able to interact with the buyers that came through, and there was also a special day open for the public. Alot of people came to appreciate the products that different tourism enterprises offer here in Malawi," she said.

In a separate interview, Creative Director for Queen Tenge, Linda Zamaere said the event played a great role in increasing collaboration and brand awareness.

". For business people it is always good to be part of a special event because this enables us to network with other companies and other participants. This has also increased collaboration and brand awareness and a big patronage at our shops,” Zamaere said.

She further appreciated the growth of fashion industry in Malawi, saying for several years people did not see fashion as a career.

Products, marketing and Communications Manager for Sunbird Tourism, Widdey Nsona said it was a great opportunity to network and meet different potential clients.

"Those who missed the event, next year they should definitely come. It is a great opportunity to make new connections and network with buyers and different potential clients," Nsona said.

Malawi International Tourism Expo is held every year in every April. This year it was held from 25th to 27th April with the theme "Takulandirani"

By Yamikani Yapuwa

Thyolo, April 28, Mana: Business operators around Ntambanyama market in Thyolo district have high hopes that the construction of market structure under Governance to Enabled Service Delivery (GESD) World Bank funded programme will boost their profits as the structure will give capacity for sellers to serve customers with all varieties of goods.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency on Saturday, Chairperson for the market, Wyson Unyolo said the new market structure has been built in a modern way because it has various sections that can accommodate all types of business.

“This market once opened will serve many people for example, communities from Semu, Chimbeta, Njobu and Mpeni villages with varieties of businesses like vegetables among others.” He said.

Unyolo added that currently people are selling their merchandise along the road exposing both vendors and customer to accidents that can happen along the road.

He however pleaded with the district council to fast track the opening of the market for people to start benefiting.

One of the fruit sellers from Traditional Authority (TA) Changata Mary Mokowa hailed the council for constructing the modern market which will provide them with safe space for business.

"Currently, my business does not realize more profits because when weather conditions are harsh, I am forced to leave the place because there is no shed to protect me," said Mokowa.

On his part, Barbershop operator Maxwell Mulinde said he anticipate his daily earnings to rise from K5, 000 to K8, 000.

Village Headman Semu from TA Khwethemule said the new market sets a milestone to wealth creation among people in his community.

"We are very grateful to government for giving us this market and as community leaders, we will ensure that there are strong measures that will protect the structure, “he said.

The newly constructed Ntambanyama market is among the GESD major developments such as school blocks, rehabilitation of irrigation schemes among others that are being done in Thyolo district.

By Wanangwa Tembo

Kasungu, April 27, Mana: When Tilile Nabanda of Mponda Village in Traditional Authority Kaomba in Kasungu got pregnant in 1976, she did not think about the possibility that she would give birth to a child with some form of disability.

However, when the baby came out to the world, Nabanda noticed that its legs were not in the right shape. 

“No woman expects that to happen to her child. But it is something you do not have control over,” she says.

Nabanda, now in her early 70s, says children, whether born with some disability or not, are precious gifts and must be given the best care a parent can offer.

“Unfortunately for me I did not have anything to offer my child. We were a very poor family such that we couldn’t even send the child to school,” she recollects.

That child, named Monica Kafantandala, needed assistance in form of mobility assistive gear to attend school but the parents couldn’t afford any.

At 48 years old now, Monica is a poor illiterate single mother of two, struggling with the realities of life.

“It was my wish to get educated. Unfortunately, schools were at far distances and I couldn’t walk. At least if there was a wheelchair my story could be different,” Monica says.

Her two children, born in 2000 and 2004, dropped out of school upon reaching standard 7 due to lack of parental support after the father bolted away.

“He told me he was going to Lilongwe to look for piecework and that was it. He never came back.

“So the children have grown up in very difficult conditions. They both just dropped out of school and started doing piece works to support me,” she says.

Monica attributes her family’s impoverishment to the disability which made her fail to get to school.

She is not alone.

District Social Welfare Officer for Kasungu, Ephraim Njikho, says people with disabilities often suffer in silence because they are invisible as they lack exposure.

“In most cases, they are confined to their homes and end up missing out on socioeconomic opportunities.

“When they meet various difficult situations, such as being excluded in socioeconomic activities, they don’t come in the open. They are invisible and suffer in silence,” Njikho observes.

He says there is need to raise community awareness through advocacy and trainings to help them enjoy their rights on equal footing like anyone else.

Esther Luhana, who chairs Kasungu District Disability Forum, says in most families headed by a person with disability, there are high levels of poverty because of lack of education.

“While there may be some systematic exclusion of people with disabilities in some cases, the major cause of poverty is that most of our members did not get proper education because of their conditions.

“Most of them have not received proper support in terms of education hence they are living in miserable conditions,” she says.

According to the 2018-2023 National Disability Mainstreaming Strategy, there are over 1.5 million people with disabilities in the country and about 90 percent of them live in the rural areas surviving on subsistence farming.

International Labour Organisation (ILO) noticed this challenge and hatched the Sparking Disability Inclusive Rural Transformation (Spark) project for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Broadly, the Spark initiative seeks to ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly women like Monica, and youths, actively participate in, and benefit from, rural development projects tailored to fit the specific profiles of their disabilities, priority needs, constraints and opportunities.

The two-year project seeks to create and promote employment opportunities among people with disabilities in programmes that are funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) in Malawi.

It also aims to expose them to opportunities that are there so that they live a quality and independent life through participation in inclusive socioeconomic activities.

National Project Officer for Spark, Vincent Kavala, says at least 300 people with all kinds of impairments have already found opportunities in the IFAD funded projects, specifically Transforming Agriculture through Diversification and Entrepreneurship (TRADE) and Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise (FARMSE).

The TRADE project supports rural communities in the agriculture value chain while the FARMSE programme supports household economic development through promotion of access to financial services.

Kavala says: “We are targeting people with any type of impairment through a rights based approach towards inclusion. We understand that people with disabilities face a number of barriers, including attitudes from communities, extension officers and inaccessible infrastructure which hinder their participation.

“We have made good strides in that we have over 300 beneficiaries included in IFAD funded programmes in Kasungu only, against our target of 428. We are sure by the end of this year we will have reached our target.”

In Kasungu, the project is targeting persons with disabilities in Traditional Authorities Chulu, Chisemphere, Kaluluma and Kaomba. Elsewhere, it is also being implemented in Thyolo, Nkhata Bay and Chitipa.

So far, the project has trained 20 Disability Inclusion Facilitators from each of the target districts to provide professional advice on understanding disability and how to make disability inclusion work.

In turn, the facilitators have helped to build capacity of IFAD programmes and implementing staff on how to include people with disabilities in the various livelihood and agricultural value chain programmes.

In line with the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, the 2021 ILO Disability Inclusion Policy commits to mainstreaming disability inclusion in its quest to promote decent work for all people including those with disabilities.  

Malawi Council for Disability Affairs (MACODA) District Manager for Kasungu, Wisdom Mseteka, says the Spark project has helped to built capacity of organisations of persons with disabilities to enable them to effectively represent the needs of their membership and offer technical expertise on disability inclusion.

“There are many people with disabilities in the district who live in similar circumstances like Monica’s.

“But we are thankful to ILO through the Spark project for uplifting their lives, giving them the dignity that they deserve just like any other person,” he says.

Mseteka says the Spark project has assisted a lot in terms of mobilisation of persons with disabilities, fighting for their inclusion in various community projects and also empowering them.

“Through awareness conducted by Spark disability inclusion facilitators, most people with disabilities have joined cooperatives and farmers’ clubs, which is helping to uplift their livelihood.

“And again as MACODA, through our partnership with the Spark initiative, we have managed to conduct awareness activities through which we have identified people with disabilities and linked them with service providers, especially those that provide assistive devices,” he says.

According to Mseteka, over 131 people with disabilities identified through the project activities, including Monica, have already been assisted with tricycles and clutches to enable them to participate in development activities and conduct businesses that have improved their livelihoods.

“We want to see total inclusion, making sure that the rights of people with disabilities are respected and recognised at all levels. We do not want them to lag behind.

“People with disabilities must take up positions in their communities and that whoever is carrying out development initiatives in the community must recognise them by ensuring their involvement,” Mseteka says.

Funded to the tune of $230, 000 (about K400 million), the Spark project is implemented together with the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare as the policy holder on disability issues.

Furthermore, ILO is also working with Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi, Ministry of Labour, Malawi Congress of Trade Union, and Employers Consultative Association of Malawi, at both national and district levels.

By Patricia Kapulula

Lilongwe, April 27, Mana: Malawi, Zambia and the North Carolina National Guard, courtesy of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP), have signed the first ever trilateral partnership agreement at a ceremony that took place at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Saturday.

President Lazarus Chakwera hailed the agreement, saying it will enhance cooperation for the benefit of the people in the two countries.

“Malawi has been working with the United States in a number of areas such as health, infrastructure development, disaster management, governance, diplomacy, peace and security. This partnership is important as it will extend the already existing relationship,” he said.

Minister of Defence Harry Mkandawire said the partnership is not only about defence but goes beyond several sectors like agriculture and health for the benefit of the people.

Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Commander Paul Valentino Phiri said the partnership is an opportunity for MDF to boost capacity building and vital equipment to strengthen defence infrastructure.

“This cooperation will provide an opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in cyber security, as well as search and rescue operation, among others. It will also enhance innovation in the realm of security and defence,” said Mkandawire.

North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said the cooperation will go a long way in teaching best practices and techniques in the military.

Since its inception in 1993, SPP has been a cornerstone of US security cooperation efforts around the world.

Malawi and Zambia join over 100 other partners with National Guard Units of all 54 American states and territories.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dar es Salaam, April 27, Mana: Vice President Saulos Chilima on Friday urged the diaspora community in Tanzania to contribute towards the socio-economic development of Malawi.

He made the remarks after a meeting with the Community of Malawians living in Tanzania (COMATA), which was held at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dar es Salaam after he attended Tanzania’s Union Day commemorations.

Chilima said the meeting dwelled on a variety of issues ranging from challenges the community is facing to how they can contribute to the development of Malawi.

“They raised a few issues some of which are not new. These include how they can do diaspora remittances, land allocation issues and about bringing in investments back home. Most of these are already being handled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs level, but we have assured them that we will make appropriate follow-up.

“But we have encouraged them that we all have responsibility to Malawi.  It does not matter which corner of this planet we operate from; we have the responsibility to contribute to the socio-economic development of our country,” said Chilima.

He added that the meeting also presented a chance to know who is where and what they are doing.

Some of the members included representatives of businesspersons, students and staff working at the High Commission of Malawi to Tanzania, among others.