Malawi’s Premier Food and Music Festival returns this year with a great deal of diverse delicious treats on the menu.

Ovation Advertising Agency public relations manager Rogers Siula disclosed that the Fusion Festival is scheduled to run from 27-29 October at the Bingu International Convention Centre’s Malawi Square. 

Siula highlighted that the 2017 return of the festival is bound to make a difference and shall build on the momentum the maiden version attained last year.

“This year, Ovation is extending its initiative to involve instrumental partners and we have a lot of exciting things lined up to make this year’s festival incredible and attractive. This is Malawi’s one and only festival that celebrates food with a fusion of music, it remains the biggest family outdoor entertainment,” he said.

Key on the menu for this year’s festival will be the partnership with Think Pink Malawi—a group that raises cancer awareness. Among other things, Think Pink’s annual parade will wind up at the festival on October 28.

At the festival, Saturday will have wear a pink theme.

Among other activities at the festival are Malawi Bake-Off Contest and bean twist.

The finals of these two challenges will take place at the Fusion Festival.

Meanwhile, Siula says the international music act to grace this year’s festival and ultimate prizes for the two challenges will be unveiled in due course.

New Living Gospel Church’s Neligo Women Choir, whose members don school uniform when performing, will on April 23 launch its second DVD, Ndioloke, at Robin’s Park in Blantyre.

 The choral group, based in the city’s Ndirande Township, promotes girl-child education by paying school fees for underprivileged girls and encourage them not to drop out of school.

In an interview, choir treasurer Pastor Triza Gunde said they will be supported by various gospel artists and groups such as Ndirande Anglican Voices, Prophets of Vision (POV), Llyod Phiri and Favoured Martha.

 “Ndioloke features such reggae hits as Go Konko and Mbuye Amandikonda among others.” said Pastor Gunde.

 She said it is the choir’s vision to have many girls from the grassroots get empowered through education.

 “We put on school uniform as one way of motivating schoolgirls by reminding them that before we became mothers, we were also girls.

“Girls should embrace Christ because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.” Gunde advised.

The choir became popular with its song Msaona wa ku Yeriko from their first album Mbuye Chikondi Chanu.

To many, ‘once bitten twice shy’ is a familiar saying.

But it does not seem to apply to the Roads Authority (RA), which is in charge of the country’s vital roads.

Laxity in controlling quality of works on the country’s main transport corridor came to the front when a culvert at Jalawe in Rumphi was washed away two weeks ago.

Not once or twice has it been hit, but three times in two years.

And torrential rains wrecked it with devastating effect this month, asking obvious questions about the quality of the works to close the gaping pit that opened when the same spot was shattered in January.

In the recent episode, the torrents in the Northern Region easily swept away the disaster-prone section of M1 three times in a week.

Delayed and irked

In all instances, scores of motorists came to a lengthy standstill.

But this is a no mean road.  Daily, busloads of travellers and truckloads of goods make way on the Northern Corridor which passes through Mzuzu, Rumphi, and Karonga. The sight of loaded trucks and unregistered vehicles stuck in the stock-still queue points to disruption of international trade, for this is the transit route of nearly all exports and imports that pass through Tanzania’s coastal port of Dar es Salaam.

Still, the RA, which enlisted the hands of military engineers to replace the rusty culvert with a temporally metallic bridge, seems to continue doing business as usual, with no lasting solution in sight.

Before Malawi Defence Force (MDF) established the Bailey bridge, contractors engaged by the authority kept backfilling the devastated section with gravel.

Such is the height of short-term measures that make the country’s main trade route no less vulnerable to water-related disasters.

Following the January tragedy, RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga promised that the authority would fix concrete bridges in place of Jalawe culverts.

Broken promises

But the travellers caught in the long jam this month were left asking: When is the promised lasting solution coming to fruition?

In their words, they are sick and tired of hearing the song of mediocrity as disasters still happen.

“It is a cycle of mediocrity that repeats itself,” says Vitima Munthali, a truck driver who transports coal from Karonga to Blantyre. “When is it coming to an end?”

To the road user, the shattered section mirrors government’s indifference to the sorry state in which the northern tip of the M1 lies.

Three years ago, President Peter Mutharika, speaking at the launch of construction of Njakwa-Livingstonia-Chitimba Road, promised to start modernising the M1 in July 2015.

But the shocking reality is no worthwhile repairs have started even on the stretch that winds past Boliwoli Hills in  Chiweta and the 45km Karonga-Songwe  Road, which the President specifically promised to prioritise.

Not even lasting patching of potholes and jagged edges that make travelling on the M1 an experience to forget.

The situation at Jalawe, the worst hit spot, points at negligence and broken promises that will keep inconveniencing road users to the detriment of the ailing economy, irked travellers say with aptness.

“The road is important for the national economy because we use it as a trade route in the export and import of various commodities. Clearly, it needs to be given all the priority it requires,” says Munthali.

He is just one of numerous truckers who bore the brunt of the long wait for a way throughout the eight days the Roads Authority was groping for a temporary measure to open the cut-off road.

They all spoke of losses of business and time.

Others risked their lives by crossing the raging river to board minibuses on the other side of the broken bridge-for desperate situations call for desperate measures.

Even the aides of Vice-President Saulos Chilima had a fair share of the disappointment as his convoy spent a night in the snaking queue at Jalawe.

Interestingly, the Vice-President heads the reforms and transparency initiatives in the construction industry.

Chilima might have used a helicopter when he visited some of the 5 520 households hit by floods in Karonga.

Demand better

However, the sudden glitch faced by the VVIP motorcade should awaken the eminent champion of Construction Sector Transparency (Cost) to the unmet need for quality service provision.

Chilima must not only echo the cries of Malawians demanding better services from the people engaged to construct and repair the country’s roads.

He must make sure that State agencies and contractors diligently deliver work that is up to standard, not the shoddy stuff that the Jalawe catastrophe exemplifies.

The main losers of the awful example of terrible workmanship included the flood survivors desperately in need of decent food and shelter as some of the relief items from Chilima’s Department of Disaster Management were stuck at Jalawe for days.

Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi hailed MDF engineering battalion for quickly installing the Bailey bridge as a short-time measure.

Despite the commendable job by the peacetime army, the incident brings to light the out-of-date side of the M1.

The Chiweta-Bwengu section, which includes Jalawe, was last resurfaced by JR Construction of Germany in 2000.

Engineer Sam Kalua says lack of maintenance is the main challenge rocking the country’s road network.

“When a road has been constructed, it needs to be constantly resurfaced to maintain a strong finish,” he says.

 “But that is a challenge in Malawi and Africa in general due to lack of resources. It is very expensive to resurface a road. It costs billions which government may not have,” he says.

The engineer, however, urges government to make maintenance of the M1 and M5 (Lakeshore Road) a priority because they are the backbone of the economy.

“We need to maintain the roads within 10 years instead of waiting for tragedy to strike,” he says.

However, massive deforestation, mountainside agriculture, cultivation on riverbanks and other human activity in the hilly setting could also be to blame for the water-related disasters that threaten the road.

Any way forward?

Minister of Transport and Public Works Jappie Mhango concedes that the M1 has outlived its lifespan.

He reckons that government will start maintaining the road to avoid the recurrence of what travellers suffered at Jalawe recently.

He says government will also install weigh bridges to save the road surface from sagging under the weight of overloaded vehicles.

Also underway are plans to revive water transport which has been in decline since 1994 when government scaled down the use of cargo vessels on Lake Malawi in preference for overland tankers and trucks owned by some top-placed politicians and their business allies.

Even the railway sector lies in a derelict state, with some being reconstructed by Mota Engil.

The minister rightly opines that revamping marine and railway transport will ease pressure on the country’s roads.

But making sure that construction works and rehabilitation are up to standard is the single most important step towards putting in place resilient transport corridors as heavy rains, and other effects of climate change are becoming frequent.

A bad beginning makes a good ending. Such is the US trip of Ambassador Edward Sawerengera and Blantyre mayor Wild Ndipo, Daily News reporter ERIN BELL writes.

Nebraska, let alone Norfolk, is not readily known by many Malawians.

But the State is now on the radar of the Malawian Ambassador to the US who will visit the city later this month.

The situation arose rather serendipitously, too, says Joe Mtika.

In love with Malawi

Mtika, a resident of Norfolk, is still passionate about his country of birth.

That is why he started Norfolk Schools in Kanjedza,  Blantyre.

He wanted to pay for the opportunities that he has had in life.

And it is because of this school that conversations were started with the Malawian Ambassador.

Orphan Grain Train was shipping a container of school supplies and Mercy Meals for Mtika.

The duty for importing a container was waived for a previous consignment, but it was being requested for the most recent one.

The container was held by the Malawi Revenue Authority and the school was asked to pay about $7 000.

“When I got back I was not very happy,” Mtika says. “I wrote an email to the ambassador and the Malawi Revenue Authority, telling them that I don’t see why we should be penalised when we are investing in the country.”

Starting anew

Ambassador Edward Yakobe Sawerengera immediately took interest in the situation and phoned Mtika to apologise.

“Just for him to call me on my cellphone, I thought, ‘This guy is for real,’” Mtika says. “And he said, ‘Let’s bury the hatchet and let’s start fresh. I’m going to help you.’ “

Norfolk partners encouraged Mtika to meet the ambassador in person. They bought him a ticket to Washington DC and Mtika gathered letters of support from Norfolk Public Schools, Northeast Community College, Orphan Grain Train and State Senator Jim Scheer.

But it was Northeast Community College’s letter from president Dr Michael Chipps that extended an invitation.

“He put in there that, ‘I would have come with Joe, but I’ve got a conflicting appointment, but I’d be more than happy to come and see you at a later stage, and should you decide to come to Nebraska, we’d be more than happy to host you,” Mtika said. “So, the ambassador decided to take him up on that.”

Marriage of cities

Next week, starting from April 24, Sawerengera will be a guest in Nebraska.

The same week, Norfolk and Blantyre, where Norfolk Schools in Malawi is located, will be sister cities, according to Mtika.

This idea sprung from conversations he had with Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning. Another invitation was extended to the mayor of Blantyre, Wild Ndipo, who expressed interest in visiting Nebraska as well.

His visit will align with that of the ambassador.

The tentative schedule for the ambassador and the mayor includes a meeting with governors Pete Ricketts and Scheer in Lincoln.

They will also visit Nebraska businesses, including Appera, Nucor, the Louis Dreyfus Company’s ethanol plant, Hinkles Farms and Lindsay Manufacturing.

They will also spend a day at Northeast Community College where several students from Norfolk Schools in Malawi have already applied.

Given that Malawi is an agriculture country—the Northeast’s largest area of study—Chipps said he was excited to host the Malawian dignitaries.

Creating avenues

It is especially exciting to show off what Northeast has to offer given the prospect of Malawi students studying in Norfolk.

Additionally, one of Northeast’s goals is to increase its international student population.

Chipps says: “What we’re trying to build is some kind of articulation, not written per se, but that we would create an avenue for many Malawians to be able to come here eventually as part of our international work, which we are continuing to work on, where we created a Centre for Global Engagement last year.

“So, we want to unite those efforts globally because, frankly, part of our Vision 2020, which is our strategic goals, the third one is preparing a globally competitive workforce.”

Happy restart

Additionally, the ambassador and mayor will meet the school’s local partners.

It promises to be an exciting week, but it still seems a little crazy how it all came together.

“The thing that started as a negative is now producing some positive results, not just to Norfolk Schools, but to the communities of Norfolk as well as Blantyre in Malawi,” Mtika says.

He says the email that he sent the ambassador was really to say: “I can’t believe you guys are slapping us on the wrist when you should be patting us on the back.”

Africa has been urged to localise positive influences that have the potential to change the continent often described as the bedrock of poverty.

International studies expert Professor Yiwei Wang of School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, believes Africa’s sad tale of lack of development and poverty, among other challenges, is a result of countries failing to take advantage of external influences and iron them into models that suit the continent’s needs.

He said: “It is sad to note that after so many years, Africa is still poor. China changed in 40 years, but you have 400 years, what happened? You have a conducive environment—plenty of resources and good terrain—actually, better than China among other advantages, but little change.

China has internalised influences, ideas and cultural ideology from abroad, but they have been localised into models that not just fit, but are successful to us.

While acknowledging that he has not travelled much in Africa, Wang believes his knowledge has the potential of changing African countries.

And while approving that Malawi and Africa in general have failed to take advantage of what they have, political commentator Boniface Dulani cautioned against blaming others for that.

“It is true that most of the Asian Tiger economies and now China have showed that there are many paths to development.  However, I am not persuaded by the argument that China is refusing to cut and paste simply because it has developed its own versions of Facebook or Twitter; among others,” he said.

Recently, government announced the deployment of soldiers in borders to enforce a ban on maize being smuggled out.

My immediate reaction was “Bravo!’ Just days later, President Peter Mutharika reiterated this stance at Mulanje Mission.

Kudos, Your Excellency!

For starters, this is a very important topic that calls for serious comments.

When Malawians talk about maize, we are talking of the country’s staple and lifeline.

As a nation, we are working tirelessly to convince the citizenry to diversify our diets and eating habits.

But that is not going to happen just in a day.

It will take decades for the majority of the populace to adopt the gospel of diversified diets which is key to ending malnutrition and stunting in the country.

For now, we are stuck with maize and our development depends on it.

Some people use maize, especially the absence of it, as a political tool to advance their hidden agendas.

For the last two years, this country faced lengthy dry spells that left nearly 6.5 million Malawians with empty food baskets.

Actually, some sectors blew their trumpets so loud to convince the unquestioning hand-clappers that the nation was on its knees.

But we had maize enough to feed the 17 million for the whole year and no-one has died of hunger.

The situation required simple regulation and government has introduced the much-needed regulation to prohibit the buying and selling of maize without permission.

When government borrowed money to purchase maize from Zambia last year, we ended with the unpopular procurement scandal called Maize-gate.

But Malawi saw itself through the 2016/2017 lean period with maize produced, bought and stored by vendors who still flood the market even though the harvesting season has just begun.

We have had adequate rains this year for agricultural purposes.

The yield from many gardens promises to be higher than last year’s.

This a time to rejoice.

Commercial maize farmers would certainly want to realise some profits, but prices  have dropped to as low as K50 per kilogram in some areas.

The President’s promise that Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) will intervene and the ban on maize sales to unscrupulous buyers is a welcome move to safeguard this year’s yield.

It is the companies who benefit more when exporting of maize goes unregulated.

They will deploy their agents nationwide to buy maize at less than K50 per kilogram.

Ironically, they will sell the same four times higher than the buying price.

This is not fair, fellow Malawians.

We generally have cycles of plenty and lean seasons.

 Years of good rains are sometimes followed by years of poor harvests.

We cannot afford to export our harvests carelessly since our agriculture is still heavily dependent on the rains and the irrigation system is underdeveloped. Surely keeping enough maize for the next three years will do us good.

We have maize silos for that purpose. The inflation rate in this country is easily tamed when we have plenty.

It is only when we are satisfied with the levels of our household and strategic grain reserves that it would be commendable to allow licensed grain traders to be permitted to process and export maize flour.

Grinding and packaging of maize flour is a simple value addition process that needs no sophisticated machinery.

There is need for transparent regulation and licensing of such companies to see to it that the processes of providing permits is done on a level ground.

We are not going anywhere if we just do things without a vision.

We need a systematic way of exporting maize products.

President Muntharika did not err in banning maize exports. We expected government to go further than that.

Civil Society Agriculture Network (Cisanet) has correlated the steep fall of maize prices to speculation that there will be enough harvest this year compared to the previous year, besides this being the harvest season.

Spot checks by Business News between Wednesday and Friday last week, revealed  that vendors at various markets surrounding Blantyre are selling a 50 kilogramme (Kg) bag of maize at between  K2 500 and K6 000, whereas the State produce trader Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc), is still selling the grain at K12 500 per bag. 

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Cisanet national director Tamani Nkhono-Mvula observed that the development could be in response to the current situation, and market dynamics.

“There are indications that we will have bumper harvest this year. This has pushed traders, that were withholding maize from last year, to clear the stock and the only thing they can do is to sell their maize at a relatively cheap price, hence the current prices,” said Nkhono-Mvula.

On his part, programme officer for Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) Economic Governance, Lucky Mfungwe, noted that the current pricing only suggests an irregularity in the pricing. 

Similarly, Nico Asset Managers in its monthly economic report for March observed that average maize prices have declined by about 11 percent since December 2016, which is unusual as historical trends have indicated that between December and February maize prices normally increase by about 30 percent.

Over 42 million trees were planted in the just ended 2016/2017 National Forestry Season, the Department of Environment and Climate Change Affairs in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining has said. 

The National Forestry Season which was launched by President Peter Mutharika on January 25, 2016 ended on April 15, 2017. 

Initially, the department’s target was to plant 60 million trees planted during the season on customary land, plantation and forest reserve areas. 

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, spokesperson for the department Sangwani Phiri expressed optimism that the nation will beat the target considering that the exercise is still continuing even though the season is over. 

Phiri added that the department through assistance forestry officers is still compiling data on the number of trees planted in each district. 

He hailed the coordination between government, corporate world and the public at large in supporting the initiative which is aimed at recovering what he called, the much depleted ground cover. 

“We are just four days away from the closing of the season but tree planting is still continuing particularly in the north where heavy rains are still being experienced,” said Phiri. 

Last year 54 million trees were planted national wide.

The dice has been cast. Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers will clash in Airtel Top 8 quarter-finals following a colourful draw held last evening at the Protea Ryalls in Blantyre.

The draw, which was live on MBC television, saw Super League champions Kamuzu Barracks paired against Blue Eagles in match one while Malawi Defence Force (MDF) sides Mafco and Moyale Barracks clash in the second quarter-final.

With Silver Strikers, Be Forward Wanderers, Nyasa Big Bullets and Azam Tigers remaining in the pot, tension filled the hotel’s Kabula Room on what the remaining fixtures would bring.

But when draw masters Peter Kanjere and Garry Chirwa picked Wanderers to face Azam Tigers, the Nomads team manager Steve Madeira could not hide his relief as he jumped in jubilation having avoided Bullets and Silver who face each other in the last quarter-final.

“It was going to be tough playing either Bullets or Silver,” confessed Madeira after the draw.

But Tigers coach Patrick Kulemeka warned Madeira not to underrate the Kaukau Boys.

Reacing to the draw, Silver team manager Francis Songo warned Bullets that the war was at their door.

“Bullets yatola joker,” he screamed.

But in response, Bullets coach Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan was unperturbed, saying: “I don’t have much to say. Football is played on the pitch. So, be prepared.”

KB assistant coach Ted Kalinda and Blue Eagles general secretary Ulemu Kalua welcomed the all-Lilongwe draw.

Moyale Barracks team manager Richard Kapesa and Mafco coach Temwa Msuku said the all-MDF sides clash would be exciting considering that they play similar styles of football.

In his speech just before the draw, Airtel marketing director Emmanuel Kasambara said fans should expect fireworks.

“Over the up and coming weeks and months expect to be entertained, suprised and engaged as part of Airtel Top 8 action,” he said.

The draw for the semi-finals will be conducted soon after the two-legged quarter-final matches which will played on May 13 and 14, and May 20 and 21. n

It is now set. The TNM Super League will kick off for the 2017/18 season on May 6, Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has announced.

Sulom treasurer Tiya Somba-Banda said the re-launch match will likely be played  either at Bingu National Stadium or Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.

“We are yet to finalise the other logistics, but the game will most certainly involve the Super League defending champions Kamuzu Barracks,” he said.

The kick-off announcement ends months of uncertainty following a rift between sponsors, TNM, and Competitions and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) over the agreements with Sulom.

TNM last month announced the withdrawal of sponsorship following the ruling by CFTC that the mobile network and integrated information and communication technology company’s agreement with Sulom has unfair trade practice clauses.

However, the decision was rescinded following the intervention of Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Henry Mussa.

TNM senior manager for public relations Akossa Mphepo this week said the hold-up in purchase of equipment by their suppliers was behind the delay in the kick-off.

She said the kick-off date would be announced once they get a confirmation from their suppliers.

But yesterday, when asked on the confirmation from their suppliers, Mphepo did not respond.

Meanwhile, Super League clubs have welcomed the announcement after complaining that the delay was taking a toll on their finances.

“What we wanted is that the league should start as soon as possible,” said newcomers Chitipa United chairperson Rodgers Kamodzi.

The 2017 season officially kicked off on Saturday with the Chifundo Charity Shield match between Super League champions Kamuzu Barracks and Presidential Cup champions Nyasa Big Bullets at Civo Stadium.

The People’s Team won 3-1 courtesy of a Muhammad Sulumba brace and Fischer Kondowe’s  goal while Manase Chiyesa scored for KB. n

Malawi’s sole professional golfer Paul Chidale yesterday made the grade at the 2017 Zimbabwe Golf Open pre-qualifiers at the Royal Harare Golf Club.

The three-handicapped golfer, who is making his debut as a professional, grossed 72 to be among the eight out of 56 golfers to qualify for the actual tournament which tees off this morning.

“There were five of us who had the same score and after play-off, I emerged the winner. I am happy to have qualified for the main event,” said the 26-year-old golfer who is being sponsored by Lab Enterprise Limited.

Golf Union of Malawi (GUoM) vice-president Hudson Kantwanje said they were delighted at Chidale’s feat.

“It is not easy to qualify for the main event at such a big tournament and we are hoping that he will do well and raise the country’s flag high,” he said.

About 156 golfers are expected to compete in the main event which is part of the Sunshine Tour. The tournament is being sponsored by Old Mutual. n

The Flames arrived in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo yesterday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s 2018 Championship of African Nations (Chan) preliminary round first leg against the Barea at  Mahamasina Municipal Stadium.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) vice-president James Mwenda, who is leader of delegation, said the team was expected to have its first training session at 5pm yesterday.

“We had a safe trip and we were accorded a warm welcome by our hosts. We are putting up at Evergreen Hotel and the team is injury-free,” he said.

He said the weather is hot in the Indian Ocean island country, “but the two days the team trained in Nchalo—which is equally hot—should help them to adapt”.

The Flames played out a goalless draw against Harambee Stars of Kenya and it was coach Ronny van Geneugden’s first game in charge. The return leg is set for April 26 in Lilongwe. n

Just 48 hours after inspiring English club Manchester Thunder to a 66-58 triumph over Surrey Storm in the Vitality Netball Super League (VNSL) last weekend, Joyce Mvula was at it again on Monday when she helped Thunder beat Sirens 76-66 and earn eighth successive win.

Although the win could not help Thunder move a step up from the third position on the 10-team log table, it has assisted the side to keep a close eye on leaders Loughborough Lightning, who have six-point advantage with 30 points.

On Monday, the Malawi Queens shooter continued her superb partnership with goal attacker Kathryn Turner as visitors Thunder edged out Sirens in an extra-time thriller at Emirates Arena in Glasgow Scotland.

According to Thunder website www.manchesterthunder.com, the scores were locked at 58-all at the end of regular time that saw Thunder fighting their way back into the game after a poor first half. 

“[Thunder] coach Karen Greig was disappointed with her team’s slow start but delighted with how they bounced back to win by 10 baskets,” the website wrote.

“ Incredibly, Turner only missed one goal all game, and that was in the first period of extra time. Her maturity and composure is a real asset to Thunder when they are up against the ropes and she is a reliable partner to Joyce Mvula and her circle feeders.”

Mvula, who turned 23 on Saturday, has now established herself as a regular player for Thunder, who will face leaders Loughborough next weekend. n

Four sports disciplines—swimming, lawn tennis, judo and athletics—have started camp at the Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC) hostels in Lilongwe in readiness for the Commonwealth Youth Games to take place in Bahamas from July 18 to 23.

MOC ex-official (technical) John Kaputa is conducting the trials which started on Monday in Lilongwe.

MOC executive member Dennis Kumwenda, who has been appointed leader of delegation, said the trials are meant to come up with a team that can win medals.

He said after the trials the selected players or athletes will undergo a comprehensive camp.

“We want to have thorough preparations so that there won’t be any excuses for failure. These youngsters will carry the Malawi flag,” he said.

Kaputa said the trials are going on well.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm from the participants as they are giving their all to be selected,” he said.

Malawi will send a team to the  2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

“More sports disciplines, including netball and weightlifting will be represented unlike at this year’s Bahamas Commonwealth Youth Games,” said Kumwenda. n

Tobacco farmers can now afford a smile as the prices on the tobacco market continue to pick up after one week into the 2017 marketing season.

Figures from AHL Group, formerly Auction Holdings Limited, for the week ending 13 April, indicate the country has sold 1.35 million kilogrammes (kg) of tobacco at an average price of $1.35 (K985) raking in $1.8 million (about K1.3 billion).

The amount is higher compared to 1.20 million kg sold at an average price of $1.01 (K727) raising $1.21 million (K883.3 million) the same period last year.

Commenting on the trends, AHL corporate affairs manager Mark Ndipita on Tuesday said the market has performed much better than the opening week for the tobacco season last year.

 “For instance, no-sale rejection for first week this year is 6 percent while first week of 2016 it was 62 percent.

“Again, the average price for burley for week one this year is $1.35 per kilogramme while week one of 2016 the average price was $1.01 per kilogramme,” he said.

On his part, Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) acting chief executive officer David Luka said the market is thriving and hopes the trends continue and probably gets better.

Luka added that on average most buyers are buying above the minimum price set by government.

Low quality tobacco, branded as ‘no grade” which usually sells at 80 cents (K584)— the minimum price—is fetching prices as high as $1.20 (K876) on the market.

As of Tuesday April 18, tobacco on contract had fetched a highest price of $2.40 while that on auction had fetched the highest price of $2.

Currently, only two markets have opened at Kanengo in Lilongwe and Chinkhoma in Kasungu.

The Limbe Tobacco Floors are expected to open tomorrow while the Mzuzu tobacco market will open on May 3 2017.

President Peter Mutharika opened the Kanengo Auction Floors in April with an appeal to buyers to offer better prices for the crop which is currently the country’s main forex earner accounting for over 60 percent.

Mutharika said government will continue with the current policy reforms in the tobacco industry which include the Integrated Production System (IPS), review of the Tobacco Act, the new tobacco grower registration system and investments in value addition to create a win-win situation between growers and buyers.

Currently, buyers export most of the crop for cigarette manufacturing and blending.

The country begun exporting tobacco in 1893 and as of 2005, Malawi was the 12th largest producer of tobacco. n

Lack of proper infrastructure in the air transport sector continues to haunt the tourism sector putting Malawi at the bottom of 136 economies in the world.

According to the recently released World Economic Forum (WEF) 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Malawi is ranked 135 while Lesotho sits at the bottom at 136.

The country also ranks poorly on ground and port infrastructure and tourist service infrastructure at 127 and 126 respectively.

On the other hand, Malawi’s neighbouring countries such as South Africa ranks 46, Zambia is at 117 while Mozambique is ranked 122.

Being landlocked, the country’s transport infrastructure and services are recognised as key drivers of economic growth and poverty reduction.

In an earlier interview, aviation sector expert Tony Chimpukuso said there is need for policy reforms if the sector is to grow.

“Our condition in the sector scares investors away. Our operating environment is not good for new entrants unless if it is a partnership. Our longest flight from Malawi is currently two hours, and taking into consideration the fact that Malawi is a consuming country, it means the cargo service does not perform well either. In the end, it will only be leisure travel that can survive the market,” he said.

According to the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) II review report, Malawi’s civil aviation sector has experienced virtually no growth since 1990 with a declining trend for passenger traffic observed over the years which is anticipated to continue for some time in the future.n

The Malawi Socio Economic Forum, hosted by Standard Bank in partnership with the Government of Malawi, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and A4AY, a Malawian youth development agency, presented an upbeat view of Malawian growth prospects.

Policy certainty and an increasingly benign interest rate and macro-economic environment, “presented the best opportunity in decades to deal with the country’s now well documented youth challenges,” said Andrew Mashanda, chief executive, Standard Bank Limited, Malawi.

With 90 percent of the Malawian economy based on agriculture, food production, processing, marketing, distribution and export, Mashanda said this presented a huge opportunity to, “develop value chains and innovate youth-driven digital services and solutions harnessing agriculture for national development, skills creation, employment and global earnings.”

Vice-President Saulos Chilima, believed that “everything was now in place–from a policy and legislative perspective–to leverage Malawi’s natural agricultural advantages for domestic growth and global export.”

Despite being a relatively small, landlocked and under-developed market, Malawi’s potential market was one of the biggest in the world.

Malawi has unfettered access to Southern African Development Coorperation (Sadc) and (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), as well as access to the United States market through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

It could also access the European Union through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EAP).Other bi-lateral agreements also mean that Malawi has the potential to export to China and India.

“The size of this opportunity presented a strong business case for investment in Malawi’s huge agricultural potential,” said Vice President Chilima.

Land reform, title and ownership legislation are now in place allowing investment in agriculture – along with the consolidation of small holder titles into larger commercial and mechanised farms. Responding to the impact of climate change, both the recently published National Agricultural policy and National Irrigation policy (were aimed at, accelerating production through planned irrigation and the optimal use of Malawi’s abundant water resources. These would create, “a vibrant, year-round, domestic agricultural market augmented by regional cross-border and global trade and export,” said Vice-President Chilima.

Despite this potential, however, only one percent of Malawi’s youth were considering a career in agriculture.

The recently released Malawi Youth Status Report, presented by Judith Msusa, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development also reported that 52 percent of Malawi’s approximately 17 million citizens were below the age of 18.

Only 35 percent of children reached the end of primary school, and only 46 percent of these went on to graduate from secondary school.

About 53.5 percent of children between the ages of five and 17 were working in agriculture in rural areas, without pay. 29 percent of child labourers never attended school at all. Over 10 percent of girls were married by the age of 15, with nearly 50% married by 18.

Adolescent fertility was one of the highest in the region with 177 births per 1 000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19.

The report went on to recommend that the best way to deal with these challenges was to, “keep children, especially girls, in school longer, re-introduce technical subjects at secondary schools, teach entrepreneurship at community and technical colleges, provide start-up grants for new graduates and promote internship programs within businesses,” reported Msusa.

“The fact that agriculture is not seen as the answer to so many of the youth’s challenges – even though so many were already involved in agriculture – is an important perception gap that Malawi needed to address,” said Dr Joseph YossieShevel, President of the Galilee Institute of Management.

Dr.Shevel, who has worked extensively across Africa, introducing high-tech solutions and efficiency processes in the continent’s agricultural sector, believes that, once Malawi youth realise the huge potential of agriculture – especially its need for high tech innovation presenting opportunity for global exports–young people would flock to the sector.

“The future of agriculture is in high tech innovation in an increasingly complex yet exciting global market place,” he asserted. With the right skills and infrastructure Malawi’s youth could set the country on a path to world leadership in agricultural innovation, production, financing, processing, transport, export and trade.

Rachel Sibande, founder of mHub, Malawi’s first technology incubator, added that designing, creating and building technology and digital solutions that combined Malawi’s huge agricultural advantages with its youth dividend, “required a generation of young people that were not job seekers, but rather job creators.” This requires schools to teach design and network building skills, preparing youth for a digital age.

Sibande believes that banks have a vital role to play in supporting innovation though the provision of capital. The banking sector should be looking to partner with fintech start-ups, deepening financial inclusion in Malawi where only six percent of the population had a bank account,” she added.

Mashanda concurred. “Malawi is ripe for digital disruption in a number of sectors, including financial services.”

Standard Bank had a number of platforms ready and waiting to bring to Malawi.  SHYFT, for example, a global digital wallet for Android and iOS allowed the buying, spending and sending of funds in foreign currencies, could empower Malawian farmers with cross-border multi-currency trading ability–all from their mobile devices. Other obvious opportunities for technology driven disruption, growth and new job creation are Malawi’s food distribution, agricultural advice and training and seed accessing spaces.

Government services, once digitised, also present opportunities for efficiency and growth.

None of this, however, can be achieved without investment in digital and ITC infrastructure. n

I am sure that you too have attended many meetings that keep going for a long time without achieving much. You might have a lot on the agenda or perhaps you have too many people that talk a lot. However, if the person chairing the meeting knows the best techniques to use in chairing meetings effectively, you will be able to cut on the length of the meeting while allowing everyone enough chance to contribute to the deliberations of the meeting.

Today, we will discuss best techniques that you can use when you chair meetings so that your meetings are run effectively. Your goal as chair is to ensure that the meeting is run smoothly and efficiently. There are a few things that you need to do in order to achieve this goal. As chair, you need to focus on four key objectives:

1. All the business is discussed: The agenda for the meeting will have been circulated to all those attending the meeting in ample time so that everyone can prepare adequately for the meeting. If members of the meeting are unaware of the agenda, you are already destined to fail to chair the meeting effectively. As chair, you need to ensure that the agenda is sent out and reaches everyone well in time. At the meeting, it is your job to manage the time so that each item on the agenda is given ample time for discussion. Some items may need less and others more time. You should not unnecessarily dwell too long on the first few items on the agenda. There might be more important items on the agenda that are towards the end of the list. As chair, you need to prepare accordingly so that you can be in control of the meeting.
2. Everyone’s views are heard: It is not unusual that some members will tend to dominate the discussions in the meeting. As Chair, it is your job to ensure that everyone’s views are heard. You need to moderate the discussions. Some members literally need to be given some ‘quota’ for their speaking time and you may have to curtail their contributions. On the other hand, you also need to probe and persuade other quieter members to voice out their views. You will be surprised by the power and value of the contributions from the quiet members that do not always volunteer to express their views without being probed.
3. The meeting starts and finishes on time: This is one of the key matters that most chairpersons fail to manage. Very few chairpersons are able to ensure that meetings start and end on time. If you agree that the meeting will be held from 2 to 4 pm, it is the responsibility of the chairman to ensure that this happens. You need to encourage members to arrive on time and when the time comes, you need to start the meeting promptly. You cannot wait for everyone to come even those that come very late before you start the meeting. You need to send a ‘message’ to late comers so that next time they can keep time. At the same time, you need to manage the meeting so that while all the business is deliberated on, you still manage to finish on time or very shortly afterwards. A meeting that is planned for two hours should not reach three hours. A few minutes up to thirty minutes as extra time may be acceptable but not an hour or hours more than planned. When meetings last too long, members are reluctant to attend next time. Also, long meeting tend to be ineffective without actions being planned or done after the meeting.
4. Clear decisions are reached: A key expected output of the meeting is agreements and decisions being arrived at. It is your responsibility as chair to ensure that for every key point on the agenda, clear decision are made. Allow just enough time for members to make their contributions and then you as chair need to summarise the discussions into a decision that is a fair representation of the views in the meeting. n

Unless government speeds up renovations of Blantyre Cultural Centre (BCC), artists will not have their offices there anytime soon due to its dilapidated condition.

Government gave arts associations a go-ahead to have their secretariat at the centre following their precarious financial position which hardly permits them to lease Claim Building (Blantyre Arts House) on their own.

Representatives of the country’s arts associations recently visited BCC to assess its condition, which revealed that it is not habitable.

Speaking on behalf of the arts associations Mike Sambalikagwa Mvona described the state of BCC as pathetic.

“The said offices at BCC are doorless with broken windows and ceiling. They are inhabitable and prone to further vandalism and theft. Therefore, we asked government to speed up the renovations of the centre,” said Mvona.

Government purchased BCC (formerly French Cultural Centre -(FCC) from the French government four years ago. But delay in handing over the facility led to massive looting of valuable materials and resources such as music equipment, doors and glasses.

Three years ago government renovated the amphitheatre, painted the buildings, did electrical installation and partial plumbing works.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Civic Education, Culture and Community Development, Christopher Mbukwa said government is committed to refurbish BCC.

Sex workers want an end to discriminatory tendencies constraining access of healthcare services. JOHN CHIRWA writes.

She does not want to be named.

 “Please, don’t mention my real name because my parents and clients will not be pleased,” pleads a youthful sex worker disguised as Mary.

It is a condom burst in 2014 that she loathes the most, she says.

 “Health workers at Mzuzu Central Hospital were unwilling to attend to me when I contracted a sexually transmitted infection following the burst. I was told to bring my partner, but I told them it was almost impossible to trace the client,” she explains, accusing clinicians of shunning her because she is a sex worker.

The symptoms of her infection reportedly appeared two weeks after the condom breakage, probably the reason she is HIV positive today.

She hooked five short-time clients on the dreadful night, she says.

Being known as a sex worker often attracts derogatory names from health workers, pushing them not to seek treatment on time.

“Hospital staff often accuse us of spreading diseases, especially HIV and Aids” she says.

Untold stigma forced her to seek treatment at private clinics.

She says she did not choose to become a sex worker.

“Circumstances forced me into this,” says the divorcee.

The mother of a seven-year-old girl ventured into the trade when her marriage collapsed three years ago in Lilongwe.

She returned to her parents’ home at Chibavi in Mzuzu. But her parents separated in no time, piling pressure on her to support her child singlehandedly

She began hanging out “once in a while”.

Today, Mary says sex work is the only thing she does to support her life and child in the city with the third-largest population of sex workers countrywide.

She is just one of over 20 000 sex workers nationwide who are highly at risk of contracting HIV.

Out of 100 sex workers, almost 62 are reported to be infected.

This is about seven times higher than the national prevalence estimated at 8.8 percent, according to the Malawi Demographic Health Survey (MDHS).

Youth and Society (YAS) gender and child rights officer Linda Sichali urges public health providers to leave no-one behind as the world pushes hard to ensure that 90 in every 100 people know their status, 90 in 100 diagnosed with the virus recieve antiretroviral treatment and  90 percent of those on ART treatment achieve lowered viral load.

 “There is need to embrace diversity and respect of the rights of all-even the under-represented and most-at-risk groups-as the country races towards the 90:90:90 global target,” says Sichali.

Sex workers are among most-at-risk groups, which include drivers, prisoners and migrants as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.

“If we leave sex workers behind, then Malawi will not reach its target because they are a minority with a majority client base. Some of their clients are husbands, the clergy and traditional leaders who may infect their stable sexual partners as well,” she explains.

YAS and Family Planning Association of Malawi (Fpam) are working together to close the gaps through Differentiated Care Project funded by International Aids Society.

The civil society organisations conduct focus group discussions and trainings which offer sex workers a safe space to access HIV services, including condoms, testing, treatment, care and STI screening.

“To protect the majority, we want this minority group to be empowered on protection, treatment and adherence to medication,” she says.

However, National Aids Commission (NAC) spokesperson Felix Thawani recently called for intensified efforts to reach out to populations left behind in the HIV and  Aids response for the country to achieve zero discrimination, zero new infections and zero Aids-related deaths.