Items filtered by date: May 2025

By Chisomo Kambandanga

Nkhata Bay, March 17, Mana: Programs Manager for Mtisunge AIDS and Community Development Support Organization (MACODESO), Michael Kameta, has urged expectant women and youths in Nkhata Bay to get an HIV test saying this will reduce HIV prevalence and help them access the needed support.

Kameta said this Sunday at Bandawe Primary School Ground in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Malengamzoma during "Ndife amodzi know your rights" awareness campaign aimed at strengthening community systems to prevent stigma and discrimination against women and children living with HIV.

According to Kameta 6.4 percent of Nkhata Bay's population lives with HIV and AIDS and to avoid further transmission it is essential that women and youths know their status.

"In the course of our work, we are still meeting resistance from certain groups to undergo HIV testing.

"There is also resistance from women who after testing positive do not initiate ARV treatment resulting to high rate of transmission hence the call for women and mostly youths who are sexually active to get tested to curb the transmission rate," he said.

Antiretroviral Therapy Nurse at Bandawe Health Centre, Mary Mkandawire, hinted on the importance of couples getting tested together.

"It is good for expectant women to go for HIV testing together with their husbands so that they can be advised on how best to protect unborn babies from the virus, “she said.

Chintheche Police Unit Officer Sergeant Rabecca N'deza linked the high HIV prevalence rate in the district to gender based violence.

"Our unit receives so many cases connected to gender-based violence.

"Women and young girls are being raped and some are left without support, which has contributed to the high prevalence rate of HIV," she said.

Group Village Head Nabayoti commended MACODESO for educating his community about HIV testing and treatment.

"We are grateful for this campaign as it has been an eye opener to many. I am optimistic that this will help change attitudes and behaviour especially among the youths," he said.

The campaign was conducted in partnership with COWLHA, Reach Trust and Y+, under the project called ‘Kids Health, Kids Rights: Enhancing HIV testing, treatment, and adherence among Kids, pregnant women and lactating mothers living with HIV’ with financial support from AIDSFONDS.

By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, March 17, Mana: Dedza District Council Gender and Development Officer, Lisnet Dauya, has disclosed that this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) commemoration for the district will be done through cheering patients in both female and antenatal wards at Dedza District Hospital.

Dauya disclosed the plans Monday during a Gender Technical Working Group, which met in preparation for the event scheduled for Thursday this week.

She said the idea comes about due to resource constraints, as this year’s plan was to bring together women aspirants for an engagement so as to enable them realize that they have the zeal to compete just like any other candidate.

“We, therefore, emphasize the importance of women’s participation in politics as a crucial aspect of achieving gender equality. We believe that increasing the number of women in leadership positions will accelerate progress towards gender equality and improve the lives of women and girls,” she said.

According to Dauya, the event on Thursday will see them cheering about 120 women at the district hospital.

“We plan to buy them sugar, flour as well as soap. We realize that sickness is something that one doesn’t plan and when such happens, a lot of problems come in hence the support,” she said.

According to Dauya, their initial budget was pegged at K4 million but they have been supported with about K600,000 as well as other material support from the Ministry of Gender, Self Help Africa (SHA), Gender Injustice and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP).

The global day celebrates women’s social economic, cultural and political achievements. It also recognizes women’s achievements and calls for action to accelerate progress towards gender parity.

In line with Malawi 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality), this year’s theme: “Accelerate action, emphasizing the need for swift and decisive action to achieve gender equality” aligns with the national and global commitments to achieving gender equality.

By George Bulombola

Mzuzu, March 17, Mana: Northern Region Top 5 Supper League Teams Bonanza has been renamed ‘NBS Bank Northern Region Top 5 Supper League Teams Bonanza’ following a whopping K10 million sponsorship towards the bonanza by the Bank.

Speaking Sunday when the organizers of the bonanza unveiled the bank as the main sponsor Service Centre Manager for Mzuzu NBS Bank, Aron Gumbo said the bank is committed to the development of football in the country.

He said despite hard economic conditions, the Bank decided to sponsor the bonanza in demonstrating its commitment to social corporate responsibility by giving back to communities.

“To continue portraying this commitment we intend to hold NBS Bank Charity Shield on April 29 and NBS Bank League in May, 2025.

“As a Bank which is concerned with development of football we will continue providing more sponsorship for the development of football, especially in the northern region, so that we can produce the much needed players that feed into the national team,” said Gumbo.

He said the sponsorship is also part of the banks broader strategy towards youth development and empowerment by providing opportunities for them to showcase their talents.

Gumbo added that   football is a popular sport, which brings together people of different backgrounds from different areas; hence, it plays a big role in fostering community engagement, keeping young people engaged in productive activities thereby keeping them away from negative influences.

Chairperson for NBS Bank Northern Region Top 5 Supper League Teams Bonanza, Alexander Ngwala, said the organizing committee of the bonanza and participating teams are excited with the sponsorship.

“This sponsorship addresses the practical theory of responding to our request for support towards the bonanza as we strive to grow football in the northern region and the country as a whole,” said Ngwala.

He pledged that the organizing committee will ensure that there is transparency and accountability in utilization of the sponsorship.

“Apart from NBS Bank, we have the Blue Fish Lodge that has pledged K500, 000 towards the bonanza. We also have Hon. Mike Bango who has provided us with K200, 000 and this amount is earmarked for the would be top goal scorer.

The winning team will go away with K1 million while the runners-up will get K 500,000 while those on positions three and four will pocket K250,000 and K200.000 respectively,” said Ngwala.

The ceremony was witnessed by representatives of Northern Region Football Association and NBS Bank Service Manager for Karonga and Chitipa.

The five teams participating in the bonanza are Songwe Border United Football Club, Moyale Football Club popularly dubbed as the Lions of Kaning’ina Forest, Karonga United Football Club also called Ingwina Syamwakaronga on field of play and Chitipa United and Mzuzu City Hammers.

The bonanza is scheduled to take place from March 21 to 23 at Rumphi Stadium.

By Chisomo Masaiti Chiusiwa

Ntchisi, March 16, Mana:  Police in Ntchisi have arrested 15 people on three counts of being found in possession of charcoal without license, entering into a protected area without permission and conveying weapons.

Spokesperson for Ntchisi police, Sub Inspector Salome Zgambo, confirmed the incident, saying it occurred on Saturday at Fumbati Forest Reserve in the area of Senior Chief Nthondo.

"In a joint operation between police, forestry officials and African Parks, the team raided the forest and arrested the 15 suspects who are aged between 13 and 49," she said.

Zgambo said out of the 15, five are women, aged between 29 and 49.

She said the suspects were found with over 100 bags of charcoal in their temporary shelters and were immediately arrested and had their axes and panga knives seized.

All suspects were taken to Ntchisi police station and will appear before court soon to answer their respective charges.

By Jeremiah Mphande

Mzimba, March 16, Mana: The Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) has reiterated its commitment to ensuring fair pricing for all consumers in Malawi.

The commitment was reaffirmed on Saturday when Malawi joined the rest of the world in commemorating the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) celebrations.

The celebrations, held under the theme ‘Fairness in Pricing for a Sustainable Future’, focused on the need for transparent and justifiable pricing in the market.

In an interview, CFTC Public Relations Officer Innocent Helema emphasized that the commission is working tirelessly to protect consumers from unfair trading practices.

Helema said: “We have been conducting inspections and market surveillance to identify and address unfair pricing. Investigations have been launched, and interim orders have been issued against businesses suspected of excessive pricing.”

He said the commission’s goal is to create a fair and sustainable marketplace where both consumers and businesses thrive.

According to Helema, CFTC has received a growing number of complaints regarding excessive pricing, particularly for essential goods such as food items, building materials, fertilizers, and poultry feed.

“The commission is actively engaging businesses to ensure compliance with fair trading laws while imposing penalties of up to 10% of a company’s annual turnover for those found guilty of exploitative pricing,” he said.

In his remarks, Executive Director for the Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA), John Kapito, commended the ongoing efforts by CFTC but called for more consumer participation in economic decision making.

“Our role as a watchdog is to advocate for policies that protect consumers, however, real change comes when consumers themselves speak out.

“We have seen vendors organizing themselves to demand price reductions, which ultimately benefits all consumers, unfortunately many Malawians remain reluctant to take part in such initiatives,” observed Kapito.

Kapito further noted that market regulation remains a challenge due to weak enforcement systems and corruption within regulatory bodies.

He highlighted the commendable efforts of the Minister of Trade Engineer Vitumbiko Mumba, who has been personally engaging in market inspections to expose unfair pricing practices.

Kapito noted that government through Ministry of Trade has been proactive in addressing market irregularities through policy interventions and stronger consumer protection mechanisms.

“While the government and consumer rights organizations play a critical role, consumers themselves must also take an active stance in safeguarding their rights.”

He finally urged Malawians to demand transparency in pricing and stand united against unfair business practices.

“Solidarity is key and we must challenge price manipulation, misleading advertisements, and demand transparency in the distribution of goods and services,” Kapito added.

As Malawi moves forward, the call for fairness in pricing remains crucial in fostering a sustainable and inclusive economy where all consumers can access goods and services at reasonable prices.

World Consumer Rights Day celebrations come just days after vendors in some regions in the country protested against the rising prices of certain essential goods on the market, prompting renewed calls for stronger consumer protection measures and fair pricing regulations.

By Sylvester Kumwenda

Dowa, March 16, Mana: Police in Dowa on Saturday arrested a 34-year-old man for possession of suspected stolen items worth K900,000.

Dowa police station public relations officer Alice Sitima identified the suspect as Luciano Nickson from Chamveka Village, Traditional Authority Mponela in Dowa, who was arrested during a routine search on a minibus at Chibvala Police roadblock along the Lilongwe-Kasungu road.

"During a routine search on a minibus heading to Lilongwe, officers discovered various stolen items like a 32-inch plasma TV, a Redmi cellphone, a bag containing 7 kilogrammes of beef, cooking oil, five pairs of shoes, and dried fish suspected to have been stolen.

“The minibus conductor identified Nickson as the owner of the items. When confronted, the suspect attempted to flee but was swiftly apprehended by the officers. And during interrogation, Nickson admitted to having stolen the items from a residence at Mponela trading centre," said Sitima.

Following this, she said Nickson was taken into police custody.

Sitima said the rightful owner of the items has already positively identified the items as hers and has since collected them.

Nickson is expected to appear in court to face theft-related charges.

By Steve Chirombo

Dedza, March 16, Mana: Director of Finance for Dedza district council, Idah Mphangwe, has said the ongoing smooth pay parade for the participants under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme (CS-EPWP) clearly indicates that communities now understand the project’s requirements.

Mphangwe said this on Friday during the supervision of some sites where the pay parade was being conducted in the area of Senior Chief Kachindamoto in the district.

She expressed satisfaction with the progress of the pay parade, saying, unlike the previous phases, no grievances were being reported.

“In our previous pay parades, we could have serious issues being reported which could choke the processes but that is not the case now,” said Mphangwe.

She said issues like missing names and IDs marred the previous pay parades, which could affect other participants' access to their money up until such grievances were sorted out after some days of waiting.

Mphangwe said it has always been the message from the council for the participants to ensure that the money is used for the intended purposes so that their livelihoods are transformed.

“We are glad to hear testimonies from most participants that the money is helping them in one way or the other. For example, others have told us that they used the funds for the previous phase to buy fertilizer while others bought food,” she stated.

While pleading for the continuation of the programme, she further said that there is a great impact on the communities, adding that aside the monetary aspect, the environment is being cared for and that more assets are being created.

The council’s CS-EPWP District Project Facilitator, Jocaster Mnemba Khoriyo, echoed Mphangwe’s sentiments, saying the pay parade in all the 24 catchments was progressing well.

“There is order in all sites, systems are stable and people are getting their money properly, which clearly shows that they can understand the processes,” she said.

One of the participants, Ethel Size, from Group Village Head Mkwaila in the area, who was receiving her money at Mganja Primary School, said just like in the previous phases, the money came at the right time as the beneficiaries were able to sort out some problems at household level like buying food, clothes and also providing for their school going children.

“Through the programme, most trees have survived which is a plus for us. We were greatly hit by deforestation. I call upon fellow communities to utilize this opportunity for their betterment and the future generation,” she said.

Another participant, Davite Zakaria of Kabulika Village, hailed CS-EPWP, saying apart from receiving cash, their livelihoods have improved through the construction of swales, planting of vetiver grass, among others, describing them as assets that have prevented wash aways which used to affect their crops.

“Let me thank government and other partners for this programme. I also appeal to my fellow community members to keep on with the program as it is also equipping us with certain skills,” he said.

There are 21,411 participants in all the 24 catchments with each receiving K48,000 in the fourth phase of the pay parade in Dedza district.

CS-EPWP is one of the components of the Social Support for Resilience Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) being implemented by the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) with funding from the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

By Mtisunge Gwedeza

Blantyre, March 16, Mana: University of Malawi (UNIMA) Child Rights Clinic, in collaboration with the Student Law Society, on Friday held a seminar to discuss child rights and protection and challenges in the justice system that compromise rights and protection in the best interest of the child.

During discussions at UNIMA campus in Zomba, students and staff presented their research findings and possible solutions for child protection against wider range of abuse, violation and neglect.

The Child Rights and Justice System Seminar also focused on awareness programmes on child rights and protection, enforcing laws that protect children from becoming parents, apart from discussing the urgent need to revise laws that protect children from cyberbullying.

Ruth Mchidzi from the Faculty of Law presented her findings on: Rethinking Child Maintenance Laws, a pathway to population control and sustainable economic growth in Malawi.

“We should shift from obligor-centric to child centric and child maintenance approach. This approach focuses on the best interests of the child and encourages responsible family planning which will help with child protection,” she said.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency, Students Law Society executive member Sungeni Mkwanda said there was need for collective action to ensure that every child is protected in the best possible way.

“Apart from presenting our findings, our goal was also to engage the broader community beyond just law enthusiasts in order to bridge the gap that is there so that we work together to deal with these issues. This is why we invited all the UNIMA societies,” she said.

Public Administration Society president John Peter said the seminar, organised by Private and Public Law Department, was relevant as, among other issues, it highlighted wide range child rights, including the plight of street connected children.

“The seminar inspired me to advocate for children’s rights,” he said and expressed optimism that the UNIMA Child Rights Clinic will contribute positively to policies and laws that protect children in Malawi.    

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an important agreement by countries, including Malawi, that promised to protect children’s rights as the convention explains who children are, all their rights, and responsibilities of governments in protecting children’s rights. 

By Martin Chiwanda

Machinga, March 15, Mana: Machinga District Council has called upon people in the district to continue promoting equal opportunities, fair treatment and strive to create space where every woman’s dream should come true against all odds

District Commissioner, Rodrick Mateauma made the call on Saturday at Traditional Authority Sitola’s area as the district commemorated International Women’s Day.

He said previously, men had more privileges in every aspect of life in the society at the expense of women.

Mateamu said empowering women is a collective responsibility but also vital for gender equality, adding that there was need for the society to accord women opportunity to take up various positions that should give them room to contribute to socio-economic development.

“Society benefits when women are treated with respect and are not treated as second class citizens. Today, we are celebrating remarkable achievements of women who shape our communities, lead our organisations, and inspire future generations,” he said.

He therefore appealed to women to uplift and support one another and continue to break barriers, saying when women rise, the world also rises.

Mateauma asked people in the district to stand against child marriages in their respective areas, observing that some communities entertain child marriage at the expense of children’s future.

Machinga Police, Officer In charge, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jane Mandala advised women to speak out whenever they are oppressed or encounter any form of abuse.

She said Machinga Police, under Victim Support Unit was always available to address all issues relating to gender based violence (GBV).

“Most of the women here in Machinga conceal information whenever they are abused. Let me ask you women, youths and even men to come out when you experience any sort of gender based violence,” said Mandala.

In his remarks, Traditional Authority Sitola said local leaders in the area were doing everything to deal with GBV but said there was still more to be done to completely stop GBV.

“Child marriages are still rampant in our communities despite our effort to eradicate them. We are however trying our best to ensure that such malpractices are dealt with now and forever “ he said.

This year’s International Women’s Day is commemorated under the theme; For all Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment.

By Nellie Nyirenda

Blantyre, March 15, Mana: Humanitarian organization, Gift of the Givers Foundation has disclosed that over K8 million worth of relief items will be distributed to people that were affected by the recent Tropical Cyclone Jude in Phalombe and Mulanje districts before extending to other districts such as Mangochi.

So far the cyclone has affected 20,646 people across 11 districts, with approximately 4,588 households displaced, according to Gift of the Givers Foundation.

The organisation`s Country Director, Sherifa Mia told Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Friday that in response to effects of Tropical Cyclone Jude, the foundation was distributing to victims’ relief items such as 2,000 kilograms of maize flour, 1,000 packets of soya pieces, tinned fish, salt, cooking oil, cartons of water guard, cartons of soap and plastic buckets.

“Many of the displaced individuals have lost food and non-food items including kitchen utensils, clothes and blankets. We are now providing them with food and hygiene supplies,

“Once we have a clearer picture of their needs, we will provide a return-home pack to the affected families,” Mia added.

She said while Phalombe and Mulanje were there immediate focus, the organisation intended to extend assistance to other severely affected districts such as Mangochi in the coming weeks.

The humanitarian organisation also urged individuals of good will and other organisations to contribute towards Tropical Cyclone Jude victims “through finances or in-kind donations”.

Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) Public Relations Officer, Chipililo Khamula, thanked Gift of the Givers and other organisations for assisting affected communities.

“We are thankful to organisations such as Gift of the Givers and others for the support they are providing to affected communities,” he added.