By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, August 29, Mana: Environmental experts from Thursday convened in Salima district to develop actionable strategies to address critical issues in landscape management and agricultural productivity.

The three-day multi-stakeholder meeting has been organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI).

Principal Secretary of Irrigation Services, Engineer Geoffrey Mamba has called for integrated approaches to restore the country's degraded landscape.

He said the country is currently struggling with land degradation hence developing actionable strategies for managing and restoring the environment is vital.

"We need to build a shared understanding of landscape restorative approaches by identifying key priority areas," he said.

Mamba emphasized that the solutions that will emanate from the meeting are a proactive step towards mitigating adverse weather conditions like El Niño, as well as combating recurring threats such as Army Worm infestations, which have plagued the nation in recent agricultural seasons.

He noted that effective landscape management is essential for ensuring food security, clean water, and reduced carbon emissions.

Global Director for Invasive Species at CABI, Hariet Hinz reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting Malawi’s environmental and agricultural reforms.

Hinz underscored the need for countries to come up with integrated approaches to address the challenge of low yields posed by climate change.

She observed that the country has huge bare land that needs interventions such as climate-smart agricultural methods and land restorative methods such as natural tree regeneration.

The meeting has drawn international experts in environmental management to share experience, lessons and develop actionable strategies.

CABI is actively involved in several key projects in the country, including the PlantwisePlus initiative and the Malawi Digital Plant Health Service (MaDiPHS), all aimed at strengthening the nation’s agricultural resilience.

By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, August 29, Mana: Head of Infrastructure Development in the Ministry of Health Dr. Sanderson Kuyeri has described the K10 billion magnificent radiotherapy center at the National Cancer Center (NCC) at Kamuzu Central hospital in Lilongwe, as a game changer in health service delivery in the country.

Kuyeri made the remarks Thursday in Lilongwe during a media tour of the facility which

he said will be operational by the second week of October 2024.

“This is a game charger. As you may be aware the country has been sending patients to South Africa, Tanzania, India, and Kenya for treatment and the government has been spending over $2 million (about K3.4 billion) per year, which is a huge amount of money. But now those services will be done right here,” he said.

Kuyeri said once fully functional, the facility will have four bunkers for radiotherapy and two bunkers for black therapy, which he said is a huge milestone in the treatment of cancer in the country.

“It has been a long journey, but we are now happy that we have reached this far. As of now, the installation of modern equipment has already been done and we are expecting that next week, we will be commissioning the equipment,” he said.

Kuyeri further said once operational, 80 percent of the patients will be treated within the country except those who may have complex conditions.

Malawi registers over 18,000 cases of cancer annually and presently, the country provides oncology, including chemotherapy and palliative care services for cancer clients.

The National Cancer Center is being constructed with funding from the OPEC Fund for International Development and Malawi Government.

On her part, Health Promotion Officer for Balaka District Hospital, Mercy Nyirenda said since the inception of the self-testing initiative in January, the district has seen an increase in people demanding to be screened.

Nyirenda, therefore, asked for an escalation of the initiative to all health centres across the district.

“From January to June this year Nandumbo has screened 626 women and Phimbi has screened 547 women which is a good development compared with the past trends.

“This project will increase awareness on the need for cervical cancer screening targeting women of childbearing age; thereby, detection of the disease in its early stages and this will reduce admissions due to cancer and in the long run reduce disease burden in the district,” she said.

Nyirenda, however, urged everyone in the district to work together in encouraging women in the childbearing age bracket to come in large numbers for screening, saying cervical cancer does not show signs in its early stage and the only way to be safe is to come for screening.

By Emily M’mangisa

Zomba, August 29, Mana: Vice Chancellor for University of Malawi (UNIMA), Professor Samson Sajidu has challenged newly graduated students to be creative to survive pressure in the industry.

Speaking during a graduation ceremony on Thursday at UNIMA in Zomba, Sajidu noted that creativity is the key to supplementing papers obtained from institutions of higher learning.

Sajidu’s remarks came against the background that most graduates are just languishing, waiting to secure formal employment by unknown prospective employers.

He said the market is being saturated by graduates who have nothing to do; thereby, demeaning the prowess of education.

The Vice Chancellor, however, warned graduates against being involved in corrupt acts.

“At this university, we don’t teach stealing or corruption tricks. If you find a graduate from this university involved in corruption, deal with him or her. We don’t teach corruption here, they are tainting the image of this highly recommended university,” Sajidu said.

Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Christopher Guta echoed remarks by Sajidu, urging graduates to put into use skills acquired from the college.

Guta said implementation of good ideas remains a stumbling block to development, saying Rwanda copied Malawi’s Vision 2020 and executed it while the country is still lagging in projections of the vision.

Director responsible for Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Levi’s Eneya said government expects the new graduates to be innovative, saying: “We look up to you, be ambassadors of progress.”

One of the graduates, Comfort Mankhwazi promised the nation to dedicate the knowledge and skills gained through university education for the benefit of a common man.

At least 1 292 have graduated where 508 are females while 784 are males. Among the students, four have graduated with PhDs, 154 with masters, 1 002 with bachelor's degrees, eight postgraduate diplomas, 107 diplomas and 16 with certificates.

This marks the second congregation of 2024, following the first one held on March 13 and 14, earlier this year.

By Linda Likomwa

Phalombe, August 29, Mana: Senior Chief Nkhulambe of Phalombe died after a short illness on Wednesday night at John Chilembwe Hospital in the district.

Phalombe District Commissioner, Douglas Moffati confirmed the death of the female chief.

Senior Chief Nkhulambe was born Loney Nachamba on April 10, 1952.

She became traditional leader as Village Head Nkhulambe in 1989 and was made Group Village Head until she was elevated to Sub-Traditional Authority Nkhulambe in 2004.

She was elevated to Traditional Authority and later to Senior Chief Nkhulambe in 2019.

Burial is expected to take place on Saturday at her headquarters.

By Memory Kutengule Chatonda

Blantyre, August 29, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and his Mozambican counterpart, Dr. Filipe Jacinto Nyusi on Thursday jointly inaugurated the 20th National Agriculture Fair at the International Trade Grounds in Blantyre.

The fair has brought together various local and international players to connect and explore new business opportunities in the agriculture sector.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, President Nyusi said his country will continue to strengthen bilateral ties with Malawi so that it benefits in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, industry, tourism, information and communication.

He said his country is already investing in energy infrastructure as evidenced by the implementation of the Malawi-Mozambique power interconnection deal and the Nacala Railway, to ease transportation of goods and services and enable Malawi to become a vibrant economy.

Nyusi, therefore, encouraged business players in Malawi to take advantage of the trade opportunities available in Mozambique and neighboring countries to enhance the country’s export earnings.

On his part, President Chakwera said he is happy with the cordial bilateral relationship that exists between Malawi and Mozambique.

Chakwera said his administration is working tirelessly to sign deals across the globe to secure off-taker markets for the farmers’ crop produce.

“I have shared with you that in readiness for the boom in agricultural production and manufacturing that will come in the near future, courtesy of the Affordable Input Programme, Agriculture Commercialization Programme, Shire Valley Transformation Project, Mega Farms initiatives and dozens of irrigation schemes across the country, we are going around the world signing deals to secure markets,” he said.

“We want to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area to secure markets in various countries, including Asia, Europe, Africa, America and Mozambique,” the Malawian leader added.

“For this to happen, we need first of all, to build trade relations with our neighboring countries. That’s why, my first six months in office, I moved around to discuss this and I am delighted that Mozambique is one of them, which is of strategic importance to our goals,” he said.

Chakwera, however, reiterated that he would continue to stand by his vision of job creation, wealth creation and food security as stipulated in the Malawi 2063 Agenda.

The President said for the three pillars in the ATM strategy to happen, there is a need for concerted efforts to boost the production and manufacturing of goods, agriculture, tourism and mining for export.

The President of the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI), Dr. Wisely Phiri hailed the two presidents for gracing the fair.

Phiri said the presence of Dr. Nyusi signifies a strong bilateral relationship that exists between Malawi and Mozambique in fostering trade ties between the two countries.

He commended the Mozambican Government for collaborating with Malawi in the implementation of various projects such as the Malawi-Mozambique interconnector pool to increase agricultural productivity and commercialization as well as the Nacala Development Corridor, which provides direct access to the sea for goods and services.

Phiri, however, challenged the participating exhibitors to utilize the platform to enhance trade opportunities with other business players.

In his remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Samuel Kawale said the future of agriculture in Malawi depends on innovation, research and commercialization, stating that the theme for this year's fair resonates well with Malawi's 2063 aspiration of achieving inclusive wealth, reducing poverty and promoting food security.

Earlier in the day, the two presidents toured selected pavilions mounted by different players showcasing various products, innovations and services.

This year's fair will run for three days under the theme: ‘Driving towards export-oriented agriculture through commercialization and innovation.’