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Public university students' upkeep allowance adjusted upwards
By Fostina Mkandawire
Salima, April 27, Mana: The Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Board (HESLGB) on Friday announced the upward adjustment of upkeep loan allowance for students in public universities from K280,000 to K560,000 effective April 1, 2024.
On March 6 this year, President Lazarus Chakwera, in his capacity as Chancellor for the public universities, directed the Ministers of Education and Finance to review the upkeep loans in light of changes in macroeconomic fundamentals.
Speaking at a press briefing in Salima, spokesperson for the Board of Directors of the HESLGB, Henry Chingaipe, said the application window for students who wish to be considered for the loans starts from May 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024.
"Stakeholders extensively deliberated on the scenarios that were provided to take into consideration before adjusting the upkeep allowance; specifically, we considered an average inflation rate of 30 percent and the last review of upkeep loans which happened in the academic year 2021/22," he said.
He added: "Ultimately, they decided on K560,000 as the new upkeep loan, which was derived from the calculation of the current inflation rate compounded over two outward years. This translates to a 60 percent upward adjustment applied to the current loan amount of K350,000."
He said it is worth noting that the K560,000 per student per academic year translates to K280,000 per semester of four months or K70,000 per month within a semester.
On this point, he revealed that World Bank, through a project called Skills for a Vibrant Economy (SAVE) Project, is further supporting students who are studying on the Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) mode in public universities in selected priority areas.
The priority areas are Education, Health, Agriculture, Energy, Information Communications Technology (ICT), and Industry.
Through the project, in the 2024/2025 loan cycle, HESLGB will consider 288 additional new female ODeL applicants in public universities in the mentioned priority study programmes.
Chingaipe, therefore, said that loans are only provided to students who apply and meet the eligibility criteria. Therefore, both existing and new ODeL beneficiary students must apply to express their interest to be considered for a loan for the 2024/2025 loan cycle.
HESLGB was established in 2015 as one of the reforms for the Ministry of Education in financing higher education. It is mandated to provide loans and award grants to needy and academically outstanding students, pursuing higher education in accredited institutions of higher learning in Malawi.
Ministry set for devolution process
By Andrew Mkonda
Lilongwe, April 27, Mana: Ministry of Information and Digitalization says the devolution process that it is undertaking will reduce numerous challenges that the District Information Offices encounter.
Director of Administration in the ministry, Hillary Namainja, made the remarks Saturday at Mponela in Dowa during the official opening of a day-long meeting aimed at validating guidelines for the devolution to the local authorities.
He said district offices are failing to access direct funding from central government and other development partners because they are not part of the devolved sectors at the council.
“As we are all aware, the benefits of devolution are enormous to all sectors. It helps the council to work as a single administrative unit.
“Devolution also improves and enhances service delivery to communities and other stakeholders in the districts,” he said.
Namainja further said through devolution, communities will easily and quickly access information and communication services aimed at promoting participation and development of the local authorities.
He then thanked the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture and National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) for the guidance they have been providing throughout the process.
Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA) Executive Director Hadrod Mkandawire commended government for finally moving to devolve District Information Offices, which he said are very critical in information management and dissemination in local authorities.
“As it is said, better late than never. We hope there won't be any more delays in the process so that the devolution takes place as soon as possible for the benefit of local authorities and the citizenry across the country.
“We believe this move will not only help in the provision of information to the masses, but also assist in promoting transparency and accountability," said Mkandawire.
Balaka District Information Officer (DIO) Mary Makhiringa thanked the ministry for the move, saying DIOs in some councils were not taken as part of the council because they were not devolved.
She said: “At times, we have been using our own resources to gather and transmit stories due to lack of resources.
“And in some councils, DIOs have been meeting some resistance from other devolved sector heads when we ask for their assistance like internet and vehicles to carry our duty.”
Government started devolving some powers to councils in 1998 and currently, 21 ministries, departments and agencies have already been decentralized.
Performance Based Grant enhances service delivery at Salima District Council
By Fostina Mkandawire
Salima, April 27, Mana: Director of Public Works at Salima District Council, Harris Kumwenda, has commended Performance Based Grant (PBG) supported by Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) for enhancing collaboration and accountability among sectors.
In an exclusive interview on Thursday, Kumwenda explained how Salima District Council ensures it qualifies for the Performance-Based Grant after being assessed through Local Authority Performance Assessments (LAPA).
The PBG, funded by the World Bank, incentivizes local authorities to manage resources effectively and deliver responsive services to citizens.
He said through PBG, it has been established that implementing flagship projects should not be compromised by spreading resources to implement small projects that do not have required facilities and amenities, in the long run not producing the desirable impact.
Kumwenda cited an example of the first project that Salima District Council implemented through the first grant that the district received under GESD, which is Mnema Maternity Wing in the area of Senior Chief Makanjira.
"Construction of Mnema maternity required essential facilities such as staff houses, a dispensary, water tank and proper toilets, for it to be certified as a proper health facility that can offer quality services to the community," he said.
The council works collectively with Members of Parliament, Councilors, and chiefs to ensure transparency and community-centric developments.
"It is collective responsibility for us to better serve people; we work as a team, every head of sector has been given a role to play to ensure that we do not backslide and miss out on the incentive that is much needed to develop the district," he said.
Kumwenda emphasized that the PBG has enhanced the council's skills in planning, investment, budgeting, and procurement processes, which must follow stringent guidelines.
He added: "Spending under PBG has to follow stringent guidelines; these guidelines have taught us that we have to trickle financial discipline to all projects we are implementing, even District Development Fund and Community Development Fund projects."
Ward Councilor for Lipimbi West located in Salima North West, Ephraim Manthepa, said PBG has indeed enhanced service delivery because all affiliations are left aside when identifying projects so that the district should develop impactful projects.
Manthepa was quick to mention that the LAPA brought misconceptions and fears, adding that through rigorous trainings and district engagements, the fears were cleared.
He further said when time to identify the first project to be implemented under GESD came, it was therefore not difficult to understand the modalities for selection.
District Community Development Officer for Salima Samuel Chimwaza hailed gains actualized through GESD and said that community aspirations are being achieved, citing an example of how Village Level Action Plans are also incorporated in planning for the implementation of projects.
Salima District Council was the most improved council in terms of service delivery in the 2021/2022 LAPA results, scoring 82 percent and securing second position among 28 districts.
Currently, the council is implementing several projects, including the construction of Mnema Maternity Clinic, Chagunda Police Station and the upgrading of Salima Community Ground, all funded through GESD.
Sparking disability inclusion through empowerment
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.
Malawi, US sign defence partnership
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.
Chilima courts Malawian community in Tanzania
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.
Chilima arrives back from Tanzania
By Moses Nyirenda
Lilongwe, April 27, Mana: Vice President Saulos Chilima has arrived back from Tanzania where he attended the celebrations of 60 years of the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which resulted into formation of the Republic of Tanzania.
The Vice President attended the celebrations upon invitation to Malawi by Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Other government officials who patronized the celebrations include Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Richard Chimwendo Banda, Deputy Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet, Janet Banda, and Malawi’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Andrew Kumwenda.
While in Tanzania, Chilima emphasized the importance of the country to attend event, saying that it would strengthen the bilateral relationship that exists between Malawi and Tanzania.
“A union means people coming together, doing things together, setting aside perceived or real differences as opposed to setting ourselves apart and dividing ourselves.
“Tanzania has 60 years of doing things together after Tanganyika and Zanzibar unified, so there are lessons to be learnt like putting aside differences which could derail development for our people,” Chilima said.
Malawi and Tanzania share a common border, primarily through the major land crossing at Songwe-Kasumulu.
Additionally, various ferries operate between the two countries on Lake Malawi between Mbamba Bay (Tanzania) and Nkhata Bay (Malawi) ports.
Tenancy labour a barrier to inclusive wealthy Malawi
By Levison Lester
Lilongwe, April 26, MANA: Minister of Labour, Agnes Nyalonje says a report which National Statistical Office (NSO) has launched indicates that the country needs collaborative efforts from stakeholders and government in order to address work deficits and rights of workers in the tobacco sector.
Speaking in Lilongwe on Friday during the launch of the report on the survey of Tenant Growers in Malawi’s Tobacco Industry, Nyalonje said the country is comprised of people whose majority are the youth, as such the issue of tenancy labour needs to be addressed if Malawi is to achieve inclusive wealth by 2063.
She said that tobacco industry is one of the biggest employers in Malawi hence workers in the sector needs to be protected against the challenges they face.
“In 2021, the government amended an employment Act to abolish the tenancy labour in the tobacco industry. When you pass a law, the implementation is a process which requires a baseline of information. So in 2022, the government through the ministry of labour commissioned the study which NSO carried out. The report is a confirmation of why the government was committed to abolish tenancy labour.
“Our president, Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has audibly indicated that Agriculture is one of the pillars that can take the country into 2063. ATM aims at improving the productivity and commercialization in agriculture sector. So Malawi being a country full of young people, it means tenancy labour has not spared them. Therefore, there is need to address the issue of tenancy labour if we are to improve decent work in this sector,”
Nyalonje also added that the country has been struggling to deal with issues of tenancy labour because many Malawians take the issue as culture, as such it becomes difficult to change the people’s way of life.
Director of International Labour Organizations (ILO), Wellington Chibebe said the report by NSO has uncovered instances of harassments which needs to be quickly addressed for workers in tobacco sector to enjoy international labour laws.
He said the issue of child labour, land ownership, working conditions portray the existence of modern slavery, as such stakeholders should work hand in hand to abolish tenancy labour.
"The report has highlighted key areas relating to strategic decent work which include incidences of forced and child labour, food insecurity, household financial accessibility, and land ownership. In addition, the survey has also provided tenets that needs clear understanding of the issue at hand. The report has challenged us all to focus and do the needful in making sure that decent work is legal in Malawi following the abolishment of tenancy labour in 2021," He said.
In his remarks, Executive Director for Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM), George Khaki said the report is commendable because it will help to focus on areas of improvement in as far as policy implementation is concerned.
The report on the survey on Tenant Growers in Malawi's Tobacco Industry was conducted in 2022 in tobacco growing 15 districts.
The report indicates that 42.3 percent of children between ages of 5-17 engage in child labour, 99 percent of tenant growers lack knowledge on the importance of joining Trade Unions, and 75.9 percent of tenants are not informed in deductions that incur from inputs.
Muslim Journalists urged to be united
By Sheminah Nkhoma
Blantyre, April 26, Mana: Minister of Water and Sanitation Abidah Mia has encouraged Muslim journalists to be in the forefront in promoting Islam in the country.
Speaking on Friday during Annual General meeting of Association of Muslim Journalists (AMUJO) at Malawi Sun Hotel in Blantyre, Mia said it is the responsibility of Muslim Journalists to be reporting on issues that will unite the nation.
“There are a lot of fake news that are published about Muslims in the world so as journalists I urge you to be writing on issues that are true and will not divide the nation”, Said Mia.
She further said as Muslim Journalists they should make sure that they follow the Islamic teachings as well as the laws of the country when they are working.
In his remarks Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) general secretary, Dr Alhaj Twaib Lawe emphasised on working together with the Muslim Journalists in the country.
“As a mother body of Muslims in the country we are going to make sure that we give support to the Journalists because they work so hard in disseminating information to the public “, Said Lawe.
Organising chair for the event Alhaj Chekaukutu Ndege says the gathering will help shape the way for the organisation.
The two days meeting is under the theme "Empowering Muslim journalists to dispel misconceptions about Islam and bring sanity to the world"
Luchenza business operators petitioned municipal council over tax hike
By Andrew Phiri
Thyolo, 26 April, Mana: Business operators at Luchenza Municipal Council in Thyolo District have demonstrated and petitioned Luchenza town assembly over tax hike of about 400 percent on various businesses and substandard public infrastructure such as bus depot which was constructed few years ago but is said to be in a sorry state.
Delivering the petition to the Luchenza Municipal Council Chief Executive Officer, Wanyapakucha Mzumara, one of the leaders for the group, George Jubeki, said it was worrisome to see the council raising business tax with 400 percent as majority of businesses are small.
He said the demonstrations have provided opportunity for them to raise their concerns, adding that businesses such as kabaza bicycles operators, mandasi and chips sellers face various abuses from council’s mobile tax collectors.
“We hope that the issues we have raised in our petition will help the council to reduce the taxes because we have been paying tax for many years but there is no tangible development.
" Many businesses are closing because they are failing to operate with the tax standard so it is our hope that by next month, all these issues will be addressed," he said.
Speaking after receiving the petition, Mzumara said before raising the business license fees, the council made systematic review in all areas.
"We normally do consultations and we engaged one of the business leaders in the previous meetings and expected to receive feedback from them which has not been the case until today,
"We will ensure that there is good relationship between our members of staff and business people because Luchenza is a business oriented municipal council," he added.
People demonstrated from Makande Trading Center via Luchenza community ground to the municipal offices and this was the first time for business operators in the area to hold peaceful demonstrations.
