News In Central Region (1292)
GO Jet Agro-Dealer Emerges Best SEEDCO Malawi Distributor
Ahead of the new farming season, a seed manufacturer and distributor SEED CO Malawi has awarded an agricultural enterprise, Go Jet Investment as the best seed distributor for the North in the 2022 – 2023 selling and farming season.
Non-Revenue Water Cost Billions
The amount of water which the country is losing across all water boards, before it reaches consumers (Non-Revenue Water) has slightly increased from 35% last year, to 39% this year, officials have revealed.
The loss translates to MK60 billion total annual revenue that the country’s water boards are failing to realise.
Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) alone according to the institution’s Chief Executive Officer, Silli Mbewe loses MK15 billion Kwacha annually, a majority of this through leaked pipes, theft and illegal connections.
“We have two major causes, physical and commercial losses, we are losing more water from the physical loss and these are pipe breakages and vandalism,” said Mbewe.
Mbewe further revealed that, through the Strengthening the Capacity of Non-Revenue Water Reduction for Lilongwe Water Board project (LiSCap), LWB intends to strengthen institution and human capacity to sustain interventions towards abating the vice.
Image: Sili Mbewe
LWB on Wednesday held a 9th Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) for the project which brought together officials from all the water boards to explore better ways of dealing with the problem.
Director for Water Supply Services at the ministry of Water and Sanitation, Prince Mleta asked the water boards to invest in water supply systems as he said this is key to achieving development.
“Issues of non-revenue water are very well connected with initiatives that Government is taking, because we are using so much resources to clean the water to make sure that we are suppling the customers. So we are in line with the policy of sustainable goal number six, but also the Malawi 2063 development agenda,” Mleta said.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is an implementing partner for the project and its Chief Representative, Kazuhiro Tambala is hoping that through the project, Malawi will see a reduction in non-revenue water.
Said Tambala; “We work together in the formulation of strategic plan to reduce non-revenue water, as well as actual ground to find ways of how to solve the problem.”
LiSCap was designed to enhance capacity for NRW reduction management for LWB an reduce improve the efficiency of water-use in the city of Lilongwe.
Africa Unites on Inclusion of Health on Climate Change Debate
Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has warned that if not checked, climate change may undermine all progress that has been made in global health.
Advocacy Group for Youth-Friendly SRH Responsive National Budget
Some youth groups operating under Sexual Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent (SRMNCAN) Youth Platform have called for re-alignment of national budget indicators as well as budget lines to allow the youth to effectively participate in budget and policy processes in the country.
Old Mutual Group Donates MK5 Million to ICAM
Franklin Mtambalika
Old Mutual Group on Tuesday donated a MK5 Million cheque to the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAM) to go towards the institution’s Annual Lakeshore Conference slated for September 14th to 16th 2023.
Head of Property Services at Old Mutual Group Elliot Jambo said the the sponsorship is to enable ICAM successfully organise the conference.
He hopes this will add value to the attendee's professional development and experience at the conference.
“As a responsible business entity, Old Mutual want to help the accountants body properly organize the conference. We believe they will exchange ideas which will help them achieve professional growth in the country,” said Jambo.
ICAM president Moffat Ngalande hailed Old Mutual for the support, adding, for the country to achieve MW2063, collaboration and partnerships need to be encouraged.
“We think that partnerships are critical if we are to transform Malawi into a wealthy and self-reliant industrialized upper middle-income country by the year 2063, hence encouraging key partners to work together.
“Old Mutual has just demonstrated that, by making this donation. We appreciate their work in the country, and most of our members are engaged by this institution in some of its projects,” said Ngalande.
Ngalande also urged accounting professionals to desist from corruption and fraud, and remain good stewards of resources they manage for the betterment of the country.
The Annual Lakeshore Conference by ICAM, will be commemorated under the theme “Creating Value, Building sustainable economy towards MW2063".
Ministry of Health to Administer 250,000 Cholera Vaccines in Lower Shire
By Franklin Mtambalika
The ministry of health has secured an approval by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Cholera to administer 250,000 cholera doses in the districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje with special focus on hotspot areas.
The ministry’s spokesperson Adrian Chikumbe has told Zodiak in an interview on Monday that preparations are at an advanced stage for the five-day campaign, which commences on 28th August 2023.
“We have at least 250,000 cholera vaccines, to administer in the two districts, in areas where cholera cases are still being reported,” said Chikumbe.
He said government has high hopes all doses will be absorbed in the targeted areas which were hard-hit by Cyclone Freddy.
He adds that now people have realized the importance of getting the vaccine in preventing the disease.
Chikumbe emphasized that the interventions will then later be spread to other districts.
A public health expert Sandra Mapemba has commended the government for prioritizing areas which were affected by Cyclone Freddy.
She says access to clean and portable water remains a challenge in those areas.
“This is a welcome development, considering the fact that these areas have experienced perennial flooding, and stagnation of water and access to portable water has become an issue. This has left a lot of communities more vulnerable to a wide range of diseases including cholera,” she said.
Although the cholera situation has been controlled in the country, the ministry of health says a lot of work needs to be done, especially in three districts of Mangochi, Zomba and Chikwawa, where sporadic cases of cholera are being reported.
The cholera vaccine is a complementary intervention, and the main strategies for cholera control remain ensuring good hygiene practices, using safe water, food hygiene, regular hand washing with soap and no open defecation.
Training Aircraft Crashes Near KIA
The authorities have confirmed a plane crash involving a light aircraft in a village near Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe this morning.
EGENCO Warns of Reduced Power for Two Days
The Electricity Generation Company Malawi Limited (EGENCO) says it will reduce its power generation capacity at Tedzani Power Station this coming weekend.
EGENCO public relations officer Moses Gwaza has told Zodiak, that at that time, the institution will conduct maintenance from Saturday, 26th to 28th August.
The maintenance works according to Gwaza will also see the reduction of power generation at Nkula and Kapichira stations due to water reduction of water flow in Shire River.
"We are carrying out the works now, to ensure that intake screens are in perfect working condition before the rainy season," Gwaza said.
Executive director for the Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) John Kapito has expressed concerns on the development saying it will affect the welfare of consumers.
The development will bring fresh memories of frequent power cuts the country experienced, before things stabilized early this year.
Recently EGENCO emerged as the star performer among parastatals in Malawi.
Jehovah's Witnesses Release New Chichewa Bible
Jehovah´s Witnesses in Malawi released a new revised translation of the Holy Bible entitled, The Revised New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, in Chichewa, titled Baibulo la Dziko Latsopano la Malemba Opatulika (Lokonzedwanso mu 2013).
Malawian Author Launches Book in Tanzania
Malawian Author Professor Malango Chinthenga, a lecturer at Hebron University in Lilongwe has launched his book “Africa Magufuli and Change”, in Mwanza and Dar es Salaam Tanzania respectively.
The launch in Tanzania follows similar event held in Lilongwe in June this year.
Speaking to Zodiak Online after the two launches, Professor Chinthenga said expressed gratitude with the support he received during the launch, and the interest the book has received there.
He said that he sold over 400 copies on the two launches, and he received several requests that it should be translated into Swahili, a thing he says he is already working on.
The book discusses former Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli who confronted neocolonialism.
“First we launched the book at St. Augustine University in Mwanza on August 5, before the second launch at Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Dar es Salaam days later. I am very happy with the overwhelming response and support,” said Chinthenga.
He added; “As demonstrated by Magufuli, Africa has the capacity and resources to develop at the same pace, if not faster than its colonial masters who continually want to keep it as slaves. This motivated me to write this book”.
According to Prof. Chinthenga, the book will soon be translated into Tanzania’s national languages Kishwahili, as requested by many Tanzanians and people from other East African countries.
While in Tanzania, the Author visited late John Pombe Magufuli’s mausoleum and had an interface with late Magufuli’s wife Janeth Magufuli.
