Malawi is hosting the Africa Swimming Confederation (Cana) Zone IV Swimming Championship at Africa Bible College (ABC) in Lilongwe starting this  morning.

Swimmers are expected from 14 countries.

Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zambia arrived in the country  on Monday while those from Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda and Angola were expected to join yesterday.

“We expect a full house by today [yesterday] because all the teams that registered have confirmed their coming,” Malawi Aquatic Union (MAU) vice-president Monica Chang’anamuno said in an interview.

MAU has assigned 32 swimmers to represent the country in the four-day  competition that winds up on Saturday.

Notable faces in the squad are Ammara Pinto, Tayamika Chang’anamuno, Mwandeyi Kumwenda, Michael Swift,  Constantino Yiannakis and Filipe Gomez.

The athletes were selected based on their performances during the Malawi Open Championship held over a fortnight ago at ABC.

National coach Yona Walesi said despite having two separate camps—in Blantyre and Lilongwe—he is optimistic that Team Malawi will do well.

“Due to some logistical challenges, we had one group training here and the other in Lilongwe which can somehow affect team spirit, but nonetheless, we are geared for the tournament as hosts,” he said.

Walesi said the group which was camping at Saint Andrew’s International High School in Blantyre, was expected to depart for Lilongwe yesterday.

On her part, Chang’anamuno said  she anticipates stiff competition from other countries which underwent intensive preparations.

“It is going to be a tough competition because some countries have sent their best athletes who are trying to qualify for the Hangzhou Fina World Championship. Some of these athletes have been training in United States,” she said.

The world swimming championship will be held in China in December this year.

“However, despite the anticipated tough competition we are expecting our swimmers to stand up to the challenge and win a couple of medals,” said Chang’anamuno.

The last time Malawi hosted the event was in 2008. Last year the tournament was held in Zimbabwe and the hosts emerged champions.

Meanwhile, the MAU vice-president further brushed aside fears that they would face logistical challenges to host a tournament of such magnitude.

“Everything is in order and security is going to be tight at the venue. So, we do not anticipate any major challenges,” she said.

Government, through the Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS), has been the main financier of the event after pumping in K30 million.

The council’s administration manager Henry Mereka said it supported the event because it will promote swimming as well as help its administrators gain experience in managing international events.

“Added to that, hosting the competition will ensure that we field a huge number of competitors because it  will not be as costly as when the competition is held abroad,” he said.

Mereka also described the competition as a dress rehearsal for the Africa Union Sports Council Region 5 Games which Malawi is going to host in 2022.n

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Moyale Barracks FC want-away striker Khuda Muyawa risks disciplinary action after going absent without leave (Awol) for over three weeks.

But the forward says he is ready for the consequences of his action, accusing his employers Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and his club Moyale Barracks of unfair treatment.

Muyawa, who was one of the Northern Region giants’ most outstanding players last season, accused his club of blocking his prospective move to a Mozambican club.

He also said he is bitter after being left out from the list of officers deployed to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

But Moyale Barracks liaison and marketing officer Bob Phiri said the player never presented his grievances to the club.

“Khuda is better placed to say what his problems are. He never presented them to us so that we can help him. What we know is that he has not been attending training sessions for the past three weeks,” he said.

But the player has slammed his employers, saying he is ready to be fired.

“Ndipo mwachita bwino mwandichotsa ntchito because ndakana kumenya team yanu m’malemelesana nokhanokha ine nde ndikhale wotchuka chabe dzina koma ndilibe kalikonse..not me. Ine ntchito yanga ndiyosewera  mpira [It’s good that you have fired me because I have refused to play for your team. You enrich yourselves while I am suffering, I will not have it. My job is to play football],” Muyawa vented his anger on his Facebook page yesterday.

But Major Gilbert Mitawa, who is also Super League of Malawi (Sulom) legal adviser, said the player needs counselling as he is misinformed on the issues he has raised.

He said: “I have had preliminary reports on the issue surrounding Khuda Muyawa. My initial assessment is that the lad is being confused. He does not know exactly what happened with his failed deal to Mozambique. It is rather unfortunate to claim that Khuda was denied opportunity to play professional football .

“I personally, demanded a contract for him and after scrutinising the contract, it was wanting in many areas and we could not as an institution deploy Khuda into the frontiers where his rights were not clear.

“We requested the club to address a number of issues, one of them being medical insurance in case of career-threatening injury or death. They never reverted. Should Moyale or MDF be blamed? I don’t think so?”

Muyawa  is not short of controversy. Last year, he slammed Football Association of Malawi (FAM) after he was left out of the 2017 Cosafa Cup squad.

He vowed never to play for the national team, only to reverse his decision. He was part of the initial squad that RVG picked for this weekend’s Uganda friendly. n

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The 2018 FMB Under-20 Football League will kick off on April 21 with an extension to two more districts.

National Youth Football Association (NYFA) chairperson Chimango Munthali said the names of the new districts will be unveiled early next month.

He said the extension will bring the number of districts to 14 while the teams will increase from 148 teams 170.

“It is good that we are extending to two other districts, this is very good for the sport. However, it is important to clearly indicate that the sponsor will advise on which districts we will extend to probably at a joint event to be conducted early April,” said Munthali.

FMB marketing manager Widdey Nsona said all the remaining districts with the bank’s branches have chances to be considered for the extension.

Last season, the league also extended to Rumphi, Mulanje and Mchinji.

“Last time, people voted on the district the league should extend to. As of now, we are still discussing on the criteria we will use to select the two districts we intend to add. The obvious thing is that the districts to be considered are those that have our branches,” said Nsona.

Meanwhile, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) first vice-president James Mwenda has applauded the bank for extending the league to other districts.

Blantyre-based Griffin Young Stars are the defending champions while Sanweka from Mzuzu were runners-up.

Some of the notable names to have graduated from this competition are Gerald Phiri Junior of Platinum Stars in South Africa, Lusaka Dynamos midfielder Dalitso Sailesi, Miracle Gabeya of Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers goalkeeper Brighton Munthali. n

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Mzuzu-based Swagg Entertainment has launched an outreach programme for urban artists to hold free shows in rural areas.

In an interview, Swagg Entertainment chief executive officer Francis Mkandawire said his firm will also make donations to hospitals in areas where they will be holding the shows.

For a start, the initiative donated assorted items to Ekwendeni Mission Hospital in Mzimba last Friday before holding a free show at Ekwendeni Ground the next day.

He said: “We will visit rural areas where most musicians do not go. The idea is for the musicians to give back to their fans. We want to reach out to people who can’t afford to pay for a show as well as help the less privileged through donations. Basically, we are following in the footsteps of Fredokiss who has made a huge impact through his free concerts.”

Mkandawire said musicians to take part in the initiative include Martse, Kell Kay, Charisma and Toast.

In Ekwendeni, artists such as Krazy-G, Homage, Lexa and Ken-Lo performed.

Gift Mhone, who attended the Ekwendeni show, said it is encouraging to appreciate talent from the region.

“We have enjoyed the performances. I hope this will continue,” he said.

The next destination will be Euthini in Mzimba and Nthalire in Chitipa.

According to Mkandawire, the Ekwendeni show was conducted with support from Les Furniture, Yavundika Investment and Mbachenda Transport, among others.

He said the idea is hold the events in all rural areas across the country. n

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Transformation Alliance (TA) has officially joined the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) describing the party and its leadership as the “ideal one to take Malawi into greater heights”.

Making the announcement in Blantyre earlier today when the pressure group launched its document entitled ‘The Malawi We Want’, chairperson for TA Moses Kunkuyu said the decision was reached following constructive and serious discussions they had with the party in a bid to liberate the country from what he called perpetual leadership deficiencies.

“MCP and TA share the same ideologies and realising that pressure groups don’t participate in elections, it is therefore our deep conviction that through active participation in the forth coming elections we will be pushing our agenda in the right direction of aiding Malawi to get transformed,” he said.

Asked on what the future holds for TA, Kunkuyu hinted that the alliance will continue mentoring young people into leadership positions while within MCP.

“Let me be clear here that we are not joining MCP to take up positions, however, we will not stop any young aspirants from contesting in next year’s elections,” he added refusing to disclose whether he will contest or not.

In his speech, Kunkuyu accused President Peter Mutharika of failing to live up to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) manifesto.

“He, being the president of DPP, is the owner of that manifesto which is full of empty promises. It is the document he used to get votes from Malawians. He therefore, needs to be held accountable for all the social economic injustices, all the challenges the country is facing including frequent power blackouts and massive plunder of public funds and corruption within the government system,” said Kunkuyu.

According to Kunkuyu, research has shown that the 2019 presidential race has been narrowed to two camps, DPP and MCP.

He said: “These two options present us with a build or break situation. 2019 elections accord us an opportunity to shape the future of the country and as far as we are concerned with the background that DPP has in plundering public funds, it is going to be the best opposition party beyond 2019 as it knows all the tactics.”

He further described other political parties including United Democratic Front (UDF), Peoples Party (PP) as having the same ideologies as DPP and full of recycled politicians.

On the document, Kunkuyu said it is a refined product of vigorous consultations conducted in an attempt to envisage the Malawi that everyone aspires for.

MCP’s second deputy president McDonald Lombola described TA’s joining of the party as a milestone and a boost to the party.

“We are humbled, this has inspired us, made us strong and proud and we promise that we will continue working together until that which is in the bracket is defeated,” said Lombola,”

During the meeting, former Mzuzu University students Union president Wazamazama Katatu also announced his intention to contest in next year’s election as member of Parliament for Kasungu North West on MCP ticket.

TA came into existence in August 2016 with the aim of bringing change to the country’s political system by empowering young people to take a leading role in shaping the political landscape of the country.

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Cholera cannot continue killing people every year, says Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga.

“Let us do all we can to curb this outbreak. It is a disgrace to our district. Let us join hands with the government to avoid this in the future,” he said at the start of a cholera vaccination campaign in the border district along the northern shoreline of Lake Malawi.

The waterborne disease, which has hit 345 people and killed seven in the worst hit district, flourishes in unsanitary conditions.

So far, the country has registered 813 cholera cases and 25 deaths in 13 districts.

Kyungu wants authorities to roll out strict preventive measures, including bans on vending of ready-made foodstuffs and communal eating during funerals and religious gatherings

However, expanding access to safe water is part of the push to avert future outbreaks.

This is why Karonga District Council chairperson Harry Mwanyembe is excited with Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) plan to modernise and expand the district water system which supplies just 6 000 people.

“This project has come at the right time when the district needs life-changing interventions to curb waterborne diseases, especially cholera.  People are suffering due to lack of safe water. Without water, sanitation is compromised,” he says.

The number of rural Malawians with access to safe water has risen from 57.3 percent in 2000 to 89 percent in 2015.

Although great strides have been made in bringing clean water to rural communities, this access is often fragile and waterborne disease persistent among those still struggling to access water.

Recently, NRWB director of finance Francis Munthali told Karonga District Executive Committee that the $16.5 million project, expected to start this August to September 2021, involves replacement of old pipes from the intake to taps as well as the treatment plant.

The water board will also extend tap water to Pusi Trading Centre north of Karonga Town and Mlare in the south, he said.

“Water is life,” Munthali explained: “Our mandate is to reach every household with potable water. In Karonga, we have been supplying water mainly in town where the system was installed sometime back. We need to change that. Population is growing each day, raising the demand for water.”

This has excited rural dwellers earmarked to have tap water in the homes for the first time ever.

Legend has it that when cholera arrived in Malawi in the 1970s, Karonga South always recorded the highest number of patients in the district. Since NRWB installed a piped water system in Chilumba, the densely populated centres—Vinthukutu, Ponda which Chilumba Jetty, Uliwa, Mponela, Majaliro and neighbouring areas—are no longer the hardest hit.

Karonga Nyungwe in Traditional Authority Mwilang’ombe is the worst hit.

“Stakeholders need to provide safe water to these lakeshore communities where toilet use is low and human waste seeps into the lake, wells and streams where people draw water for domestic use,” explains Nyungwe Health Centre clinician-in-charge Martin Banda.

The health  centre has treated 108 cholera cases, registering three deaths.

Most patients hailed from Ngala fishing village where open defaecation is widespread.

The area falls outside the NRWB project awaiting Parliament approval in June.

Tilora, Wovwe, Nyungwe, Ngala, Gumi and Mulare shun boreholes, saying they produce salty water.

They consider untreated bucketfuls from the freshwater lake tasty.

Senior Chief Mwilang’ombe calls for a ban on migrant fishers who camp on the beach without latrines.

The chief, with support from World Vision and Malawi Red Cross Society, has deployed village-based sanitation committees to ensure every family owns and uses a clean toilet to reduce the accumulation of germs in water bodies.

“Cholera is a sign that we are eating our own excreta,” he says.

Gaps in sanitation and water services is endemic in Kaporo, where the first cholera case this rainy season was diagnosed last November.

It stretches along the Lake Malawi, where the raging outbreak has hit Rumphi, Nkhata Bay, Likoma Island and Salima.

Lilongwe, Dedza, Blantyre, Dowa, Kasungu, Chikwawa, Mulanje and Nsanje are also affected.

Minister of Health Atupele Muluzi dialled up calls to eliminate the unmet demand for safe water when he visited Mitengo in Area 36, Lilongwe City—one of the high-density locations in the capital that have recorded 281 cases and 13 deaths since December 29 when a 34-year-old man, from Chinsapo, arrived at Bwaila Hospital with acute watery diarrhoea and vomiting.

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The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has confirmed receiving a complaint on the contract awarded to Khato Civils Limited for the Salima-Lilongwe Water Supply Project which seeks to improve water supply to the capital city.

But the graft-busting body said investigations into the complaint are yet to start.

This will not be the first time for the Salima-Lilongwe water project contract to be in contention as the Malawi Law Society, Youth and Society (YAS) and the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) have unsuccessfully challenged in court the awarding of the contract to Khato Civils.

In a brief response to a questionnaire on the Khato Civils probe, ACB senior public relations officer Egrita Ndala said: “The Anti-Corruption Bureau recorded a complaint regarding the contract which was awarded to Khato Civils. Investigation has not yet commenced.”

Khato Civils unveiled the multibillion kwacha project last year and disclosed that $13 million had already been invested in the project.

Results of the environmental impact assessment survey which MLS and several other bodies demanded are yet to be released.

However, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development has indicated that funding for the project has not been secured yet.

If investigations into the project start, the ACB could be placed in a difficult situation as its immediate past director general Lucas Kondowe is a consultant with Khato Civils on issues of finance, controls, governance, assurance, risk management and strategic planning since January this year.

But LinkedIn shows that Kondowe is working as a consultant on issues of finance, controls, governance, assurance, risk management and strategic planning since October, 2017.

Governance commentator Makhumbo Munthali said it would prove tricky for ACB to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the matter if Kondowe is consulting with Khato Civils.

He said: “While the former ACB director is entitled to consult with any company, the timing and context at which he is linked with an entity under corruption probe [such as] Khato Civils may raise more questions than answers considering that the complaint against Khato Civils contract awarding of the Salima Water project was done during his tenure. This makes ACB’s job rather difficult.”

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The Anti-Corruption Bureau says it has received 67 files so far based on the forensic audit covering the period 2009 to 2014 which found that K236 billion could not be accounted for in government books.

The forensic audit found that about five family-owned companies were winning contracts through restricted tender and single source procurement; procuring items that did not match the needs of the government agencies, predominantly the Malawi Police Service (MPS) and Malawi Defence Force (MDF).

In March last year, the ACB said it had cleared some companies based on the opinion of the Attorney General which found that legitimate contracts and goods were supplied to government, departments and agencies (MDAs) such as MPS, MDF and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST).

But in a written response to a questionnaire on the progress of the cases, the ACB this week said the companies mentioned in the initial 13 files from the forensic audit remain under investigation.

This brings to 67 the number of files which the Auditor General has submitted to the bureau.

“The bureau has so far received 67 files in total. These files are first analysed by the bureau to see the areas that need to be investigated. Some of them may require verification whether payments were made and if they were made, the bureau has to find out whether the service paid for was rendered to government,” the bureau’s senior public relations officer Egrita Ndala said.

Commenting on the initial 13 files and companies which were allegedly cleared, the ACB spokesperson said investigations were still in progress.

She said: “The bureau had reported that four companies were cleared because they were paid for services which they had rendered to government. That did not imply that the investigation had been concluded. Investigations with regard to the other files is continuing.”

The four companies that were reportedly cleared were Malachite FZE, Rummage Pace, Top Prima Limited and Chicago Suppliers.

The companies reportedly won contracts through restricted tender and single source procurement procuring items that did not match the needs of the government agencies.

The audit found such tendering and procurement processes prevalent in MPS and MDF whose procurements were deemed sensitive.

As ACB receives more files in connection with Cashgate, the limited number of investigators continues to pose a challenge, according to Ndala.

She said: “The numbers of investigators and prosecutors are not adequate as stated before. The bureau tries its best to work to its maximum capacity with the limited workforce on the ground.”

ACB has a staff establishment of 261nationwide, but has been operating with 85 less staff members, according to the 2017/18 personnel information submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

Cashgate—the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill—is widely traced to the September 13 2013 shooting of former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo.

Then president Joyce Banda ordered an audit which British forensic auditor, Baker Tilly, undertook covering a randomly chosen period between April and September 2013 and established that about K24 billion was siphoned from public coffers through dubious payments, inflated invoices and goods or services never rendered.

In May 2015, a financial analysis report by audit and business advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also established that about K577 billion in public funds could not be reconciliated between 2009 and December 31 2014.

However, yet another forensic audit in 2017 established that the unaccounted for amount stood at K236 billion and not K577 billion.

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has dared the country’s five water boards to provide the safest water if the battle against cholera is to be won.

The ministry’s Principal Secretary Grey Nyandule Phiri expressed the sentiments at Mponela in Dowa yesterday when he officially opened the 8th National Water Conference ahead of the commemoration of World Water Day today (March 22) under the theme Nature-based Solutions for Water.

He said this year’s cholera outbreak is so severe that there is need for stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector, especially the water boards to provide safe drinking water to consumers.

Said Nyandule Phiri: “I sincerely hope that at the end of this conference, we will come out with the best ways to contain cholera. I, therefore, urge you the water boards to ensure giving people safe water.”

He said there is need for the water boards to put words into action than just dwelling on publicity; hence, telling them to put structures that should bring sanitation services to all Malawians.

“About 80 percent of diseases that we encounter are waterborne so if we do something to address this we can win the war on cholera which has claimed a lot of lives,” he said.

To date, cholera has killed 25 people with over 770 accumulated cases, most of which have been recorded in Lilongwe and Karonga.

Unicef Malawi country representative Johannes Wedenig told The Nation during a visit to one cholera-affected community at Mitengo, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kalumba in Lilongwe that the primary cause of the disease was unsafe water and poor hygiene as people are drinking water from unprotected sources.

Malawi has five water boards, namely Blantyre, Lilongwe, Northern Region, Central Region and Southern Region. This year’s World Water Day celebration is being hosted by Central Region Water Board.

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Political analysts have described Transformation Alliance (TA) joining of the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) as a political calculation aimed at achieving personal political advancements among its leadership.

The analysts have also foretold the end of the pressure group, saying it would not be possible for it to advance its own agenda while under a different party.

The reactions follow an announcement by TA chairperson Moses Kunkuyu in Blantyre yesterday that is has now joined MCP as its leadership are ideal to take Malawi into greater heights.

Making the announcement when he launched a document titled The Malawi We Want, Kunkuyu said the decision was reached following constructive and serious discussions that the two sides had in an effort to liberate the country from what he called perpetual leadership deficiencies. He also endorsed Chakwera for the 2019 elections.

Both Chancellor College-based political analyst Ernest Thindwa and University of Livingstonia (Unilia) political scientist George Phiri said the alliance made calculations and established that if members try to contest individually without aligning themselves to a strong political party they would not make it.

Said Thindwa: “Politicians are very rational beings. They make calculations and go for where opportunities are the highest. TA on its own has not made any significant gains in as far as shaping the political landscape of the country. However their joining MCP makes a lot of sense.”

However, while calling on members to contest in various positions in 2019 elections, Kunkuyu refused to disclose whether he will contest or not.

The former Cabinet minister in the People’s Party (PP) government and Blantyre City South member of Parliament (MP) failed to grab a parliamentary seat in Dedza South in the 2014 Tripartite Elections where he contested on a PP ticket against MCP’s Patrick Themu.

Asked on the future of the TA, Kunkuyu said the alliance will continue mentoring young people into leadership positions while within the MCP, a thing Thindwa said is not logical.

In his speech, Kunkuyu also accused President Peter Mutharika of failing to live up to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) manifesto..

He also described other political parties, including United Democratic Front (UDF) and PP, as having the same ideologies as DPP and full of recycled politicians.

On the document, Kunkuyu said it is a refined product of vigorous consultations conducted in an attempt to envisage the Malawi that every one aspires for.

Commenting on Kunkuyu’s sentiments, DPP secretary general Greselder Jeffrey said DPP inherited problems from previous administrations, including MCP.

In his welcoming remarks, MCP second vice-president McDonald Lombola described TA’s joining MCP as a milestone and a boost to the party.

He said: “We are humbled, this has inspired us, made us strong and proud and we promise that we will continue working together until ‘that which is in the bracket’ is defeated.”

During the meeting, former Mzuzu University Students Representative  Union president Wazamazama Katatu announced his intention to contest in next year’s election as member of Parliament for Kasungu North West on the MCP ticket..

TA came into existence in August 2016 with the aim of empowering young people to take a leading role in shaping the political landscape of the country.

Describing Kunkuyu and his team as opportunists, Phiri cautioned Malawians to vote wisely come 2019 by not ushering into positions what he called selfish leaders.

In recent months, a number of veteran politicians, including Henry Phoya, Brown Mpinganjira, the Reverend Daniel Gunya and more recently Mussa and Salima Central legislator Felix Jumbe have joined DPP.

MCP, on the other hand, has roped in businessperson and former Cabinet minister Mohammed Sidik Mia, Mzimba West legislator Harry Mkandawire, the Reverend Maurice Munthali, former National Rainbow Coalition president Loveness Gondwe and now Kunkuyu, among renowned political personalities.

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The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has hailed the diaspora engagement policy, saying it will woo more Malawians living abroad to regularly remit home significant amounts of foreign exchange towards personal and national development projects.

RBM director of communication and protocol Mbane Ngwira said this in an interview yesterday when commenting on the government’s draft Malawi Diaspora Engagement Policy that seeks to encourage Malawians in the diaspora to fully take part in national development.

The policy, whose ground work started in 2012, is spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with relevant ministries such as Finance, Economic Planning and Development and entities like RBM.

Ngwira said there are signs that Malawians in the diaspora are responding positively to the plan, over which there have been consultations and meetings on how it should be crafted to give a win-win situation to citizens and their country.

He said in the past, the officially recorded remittances amounted to around K1.4 billion ($2 million) per month, adding that as the policy is now showing the Malawians the many ways they can benefit by remitting funds home through official channels, the amount has jumped to more than K12.1 billion ($17 million) every month from last November,

Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development spokesperson Davis Sado said the diaspora plan can be a game changer in bringing significant forex to Malawi.

He said: “The plan does bring a ray of hope in wooing more Malawians to use it by utilising official remittance channels. We are likely to get better results as the plan is rolled out to more people.”

Speaking at a recent diaspora consultative meeting in Kenya where he met with about 60 Malawians living there, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Emmanuel Fabiano pleaded with the gathering to contribute to the country in any way possible.

He said government had come up with the policy to facilitate a better linkage between citizens abroad and national development.

Said the minister: “The policy acknowledges the great potential that the Malawi diaspora has in terms of skills, investment capital, and ideas in the development of Malawian economy.”

The citizens in diaspora can benefit the country in terms of remittances, and also working as ambassadors to sell the country to the outside world for tourism and general investment. Countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Kenya are among few in Africa that are reaping benefits from diaspora engagement.

According to World Bank statistics, diaspora remittances to developing countries are estimated to have reached $429 billion in 2016 and expected to reach $450 billion in 2017, which is more than double the official development aid remitted to these countries. A large part of these savings is held in bank deposits, which can significantly contribute to developing countries’ development.

Cabinet approved the Malawi Diaspora Engagement Policy last year.

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The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says corruption has contributed to deforestation in the country.

ACB director Reyneck Matemba said this yesterday in Blantyre when the bureau planted trees at Mudi Catchment Forest Reserve as one way of conserving water in Mudi River which is the main water source for Blantyre Water Board (BWB).

He noted that corruption is rampant in both security agencies and Forestry Department as people involved in tree cutting business, such as charcoal burning, bribe officers to take their trees and tree products to marketplaces.

“Some of the deforestation that we have witnessed in this country is a direct result of corrupt activities. People are able to access both natural and artificial forests because they bribe their way through. After cutting the trees, they are able to transport them through the roadblock. Customs, immigration, environmental affairs officers, they are all involved,” said Matemba.

He warned all officers fuelling deforestation that they will be taken to book if found.

The ACB director said the bureau has so far managed to revoke dubious licences from some tree harvesting firms at Chikangawa Forest and arrested police officers connected with deforestation.

Matemba urged Malawians to take responsibility of conserving the environment.

In an interview on the sidelines of the tree planting exercise, BWB laboratory technician Precious Puzani commended the bureau for the initiative and appealed to the corporate world to emulate the action.

He noted that the removal of Ndirande residents who encroached the area has for the past three years led to increased water level at Mudi Dam.

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Treasury recorded a deficit of K13.9 billion in its budget operations in January this year, figures published from the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) show.

However, the figures show that the excess in expenditure over income recorded in January is an improvement on a deficit of K16.8 billion recorded in December 2017, according to the RBM January 2018 Monthly Economic Report published on Monday.

In contrast, in January 2017, central government budgetary operations recorded a surplus of K13.6 billion, representing a 0.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Ironically, revenue collection by Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) in January rose by 15.8 percent to K86.5 billion, after a decrease of 6.7 percent to K74.7 billion recorded in the preceding month.

On a year-on-year basis, total revenues dropped by 6.5 percent from K92.5 billion recorded at the end of January 2017.

Reads the report in part: “The observed monthly increase in total revenues was on account of both domestic and foreign inflows. Domestic revenues increased by 13.3 percent to K78.9 billion, following another marginal increase of K0.3 billion to K69.6 billion recorded in the preceding month. Meanwhile, on a year-on-year basis, domestic revenues rose by 4.6 percent from K75.4 billion recorded in January 2017.

“The rise in domestic revenues during the month was on account of both tax revenues and non-tax revenues. Tax revenues increased by 11.8 percent to K74.7 billion while non-tax revenues rose by 49.5 percent to K4.2 billion in the reviewed month.”

In an interview on Tuesday, Economics Association of Malawi (Ecama) president Chikumbutso Kalilombe said there is need to make budgeting on the revenue side more realistic if the country is to avoid fiscal deficits.

Economist Gilbert Kachamba said too much wastage of resources makes it difficult to contain fiscal deficits which he said is a big challenge.

“We need to have strong control measures in terms government expenditure. It is unfortunate that MRA is missing the targets as this will affect government operations to some extent, the economic business environment is not good as some are taking tax evasion and avoidance as an option,” he said.

Chancellor College economics professor Ben Kaluwa said the pressure is now on government to spend more on servicing debt, infrastructure as well as providing basic services, a situation he said can be contained by doing a cost-benefit analysis.

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe earlier projected a deficit, including grants in 2017/18 fiscal year of 3.9 percent of GDP, an adjustment from 4.1 percent of GDP.

The post Government reports K14bn deficit in January appeared first on The Nation Online.

Foundation for International Community Assistance (Finca) Malawi and German State-owned Development Bank (KfW) have signed a $3.4 million (about K2.5 billion) deal to broaden the country’s financial services by boosting financing of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

In a statement posted on the company’s website, Finca Malawi chief executive officer Christopher Kizza is quoted as having said that the deal will benefit Finca’s customers with improved access to an array of products and services that will translate to increased productivity, competitiveness and employment generation.

He said: “The strategic cooperation and synergies between Finca Malawi and KfW will support our efforts to digitalise the firm’s business, support our capital structure and grow our portfolio.”

On his part, KfW senior project manager Patrick Schreiber said the two institutions are committed to achieving positive social impacts while employing commercial principles that require sustainable financial results.

“We share Finca’s values and strongly believe in the virtue of microfinance to alleviate poverty, create jobs and improve living conditions for Malawians,” he said.

According to africabusinesscommunities.com, this facility marks a new milestone in the partnership between the two institutions, with KfW being a key minority shareholder of the Finca impact finance network.

KfW and Finca Malawi’s impact finance network are both dedicated to achieving positive social impacts while employing commercial principles that require sustainable financial results, according to Finca Malawi.

The local financial firm recently introduced a mobile banking platform to improve access across the country, particularly in rural areas to create convenience and speed for our customers.

The arrangement has recently also issued bond offerings in Finca subsidiaries in Pakistan, Nicaragua and Armenia, allowing greater flexibility to manage foreign exchange and geographic risks.

Finca Malawi is a licensed deposit-taking institution established in 1994, and currently serves more than 50 000 customers across its 23 branches and expanding agent network countrywide, according to information posted on its website.

KfW finances and supports programmes and projects that mainly involve public sector players in developing countries.

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We publish below an interesting write up by Victor Cheng. If you master and put his principles to practise, you will become far more influential than you are now.

In any company, there are broad categories of power. One is formal authority. The other is influence.  When you lead an organisation of 500 employees, you have formal authority. Your 500 employees will listen to you because you have the power to fire them if they don’t. That is formal authority. When you are so deeply respected that people voluntarily listen to your ideas, that is influence.

Consultants from the global top three consulting firms have no formal authority in their clients’ organisations. They don’t control a budget. They can’t hire anyone. They can’t fire anyone. They can’t sign a contract on behalf of the client company. They can’t even use the client’s money to buy a pen for the conference room.

Yet… intuitively, we grasp the concept that if the CEO and board of directors all listen to the consultant, the consultant has influence.

When you speak, does your boss’s boss take notes? Do colleagues ask for your opinion?  In a large group meeting, when you speak, does everyone else suddenly stop talking, so they don’t miss what you have to say? Do your ideas automatically get taken seriously just because you said them? If so, you have a form of influence known as gravitas.

The term “gravitas” has Latin origins. Its earliest reference came from Romans who saw gravitas as a virtue much desired in their leaders. It is typically translated as weighty or serious. It is very much related to the word “gravity,” such as noticing the gravity (or seriousness) of the debate on how to proceed.

When you have good ideas, you know you suffer from a lack of gravitas when: you offer an idea, but nobody seems to hear it; then a colleague repeats the exact same idea, and everyone loves it.  Before you even finish your thought, you can tell your idea has already been dismissed. When you speak, nobody pauses to listen. When you speak, you constantly get interrupted by others and can’t even finish your thought.

People with gravitas simply get taken more seriously, more of the time.  It may not be fair (it isn’t), but it is also true. Here is one simple technique for boosting your gravitas… borrow it. Let me explain via an example.

When you have a good idea but are having a hard time getting heard in a room of senior and junior colleagues, here is a tool to keep handy. Address the most senior person in the room by name. Let’s assume that Jonathan is the executive vice-president of your division. You say, “Jonathan, I’d like to share some relevant additional facts related to what you just said. Would it be okay if I share them?”

Of course, Jonathan will say, “Yes.”

Before you share what you are intending to share, start by repeating something Jonathan said… then add to it. That’s it. Now let us analyse this for a second. At first glance, this seems unnecessarily formal and slightly awkward. Presumably, the entire reason you are in the room is because you might have some information to share.

Here is the rationale for doing so anyway. When you ask and get permission from the senior executive in the room to speak, you have essentially enlisted a high-gravitas ally. As you speak, if someone interrupts you… they are effectively interrupting you and Jonathan. When you start by acknowledging what Jonathan said, Jonathan already thinks you are speaking wise words because you are repeating his own words back to him.

This helps build a bridge between Jonathan’s ideas and your own. It gets him more vested in hearing your idea, because your idea builds upon and improves his idea. 

By having everyone else in the room hear the senior person grant you the “floor” (i.e., the time to speak), it makes it very hard for someone to take the “microphone” out of your hands.

Thanks,

Victor Cheng.

The post The power of influence—by Victor Cheng appeared first on The Nation Online.

It is that time of the year again when officials from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development go around the country meeting stakeholders to solicit input for the next budget that rolls out on July 1.

Through the Pre-Budget Consultation Meetings, officials from the ministry, usually led by the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development or the Secretary to the Treasury (ST), outline the budget framework and listen to input from stakeholders comprising, among others, the business community, academia, students, economists and ordinary citizens.

National budgets or the expenditure plan play a critical role in fostering economic prosperity and eradicating or reducing poverty. Through the national budgets, governments implement their development plans.

While it is not practical and possible to take on board every input from the consultation meetings, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development would do the stakeholders justice if it is seen to be accommodating some of their suggestions in one way or another.

Taxation is one sticky issue in the budget and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (Icam) and its partners prioritise the same year in and year out.

During the first Pre-Budget Consultation Meeting in Blantyre this week, Icam expressed concern that over the past four or so years, Treasury has tended to ignore its input. Not that it should have been incorporated wholesale.

This time around, Icam, among other tax measures, lobbied for the increase in the tax-free income from the present K30 000 to K50 000 although, in its assessment, K100 000 would be ideal given the economic situation.

Given the poor collections by Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), the main source of domestic revenue and indeed funding to the budget since donors withdrew their 40 percent direct budget support on the recurrent budget, it would be tricky for Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe to forego the K70 000s or even K20 000s.

In its input, the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) called for a reduction and rationalisation of taxes to boost the productive capacity of businesses.

MCCCI argued that neighbouring countries are pondering reducing corporate taxes to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI). When working out the tax measures, it is important that Treasury strongly considers the corporate tax rates as well, especially in view of the fact that Malawi is in competition with others for FDI. Malawi is already at a disadvantage due to factors such as unreliable power supply, poor infrastructure and indeed taxes, factors that increase the cost of doing business.

During the Blantyre leg of the consultation series, ST Ben Botolo assured that inputs from the meeting are expected to feed into the 2018/19 national budget formulation process. He was quick, though, to add that “not all suggestions can be accommodated in the 2018/19 budget, but it will remain critical in guiding the Ministry of Finance in the budget process”.

I agree that “not all input can be incorporated”. However, I implore on Treasury to find a way of considering the input albeit not wholesale. For instance, Icam, for all its technical input on taxation, sounded frustrated that for three or four years its input has been ignored. This does not inspire confidence from such stakeholders.

I urge Treasury to desist from turning the Pre-Budget Consultation Meetings into some kind of “road show” or “talking shop” where brilliant ideas are presented, but not implemented. Incorporating stakeholders’ input will enhance ownership of the budget.

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Barely two days before Be Forward Wanderers executive committee elections, former main supporters committee chairperson Yona Malunga has pulled out from the race for chairperson.

The flamboyant fan, who vowed to unseat the incumbent Gift Mkandawire, yesterday said he had decided to rally behind him.

“After consultations with fellow supporters and trustees, I have decided against challenging Mkandawire and, instead, I will throw my weight behind him, the incumbent general secretary Mike Butao and Robert Mbedza who is vying for the position of treasurer.

“I believe we share the same ideas on how to take the team forward, so I have reconsidered my decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mbedza, who will contest against incumbent treasurer Dave Msadala, said he has decided to contest for treasurer because of his financial background.

“Having served as an executive member for two years, I feel it is time to assist the clubs in the financial aspects which is my field and I am confident that with the high calibre of fellow members in the executive, we will achieve more in the next two years.

“I want to encourage supporters to help us in reviving our stadium plan, the first step should be to identify and buy land and then we can take it up from there.. I also want to introduce a sound accounting system for easy accessibility of information,” he said.

Butao is set to contest against Judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula.

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Malawi Queens revival campaign suffered a big blow yesterday following a thumping 42-75 defeat by hosts the world’s second ranked team New Zealand’s Silver Ferns in the their opener of the four-nation Taini Jamison Trophy.

The 33 basket difference indicates the Queens have a big task to regain form considering that the last time they met the Ferns in the 2015 Netball World Cup, they lost by only an eight-basket margin following a 49-57 defeat.

Yesterday, the national netball team was expected to make amends to their poor form last year that saw them suffering 10-straight losses.

The development means the Queens must embrace a must-win mentality as they face Fiji, who lost 38-83 to Jamaica, in their second match this morning and Jamaica tomorrow to keep alive their hopes of title contention as the three-day competition concludes this Saturday.

In a match followed on Silver Ferns’ Facebook page, Queens could hardly match the tactical and physical approach of their bigger opponents, who made the most of home ground and height advantage at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland to stifle Malawi’s orthodox attack.

The Ferns started the game on a high note, leading the first quarter 18-6 before increasing the tally to 36-17 at half-time. They rattled the Queens 56-29 at the end of the third segment before creating a 33 basket difference at the sound of the final whistle.

With Malawi’s netball exports—shooters Mwawi Kumwenda and Joyce Mvula alongside defender Laureen Ngwira—being the only players challenging the Ferns’ towering heights, it was difficult for the Queens, who also had Towera Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda, Joanna Kachilika, Takondwa Lwazi and Thandie Galeta in the starting line-up, to cope with the pressure.

Under the loop, Kumwenda managed to score 36 baskets out of 44 attempts while substitutes Jane Chimaliro and Sindi Simtowe-Msowoya had three out of four and three out of five, respectively.

Queens head coach Griffin ‘Zagalo’ Saenda Snr, who did not accompany the team due to an illness, yesterday said such a big margin loss is a cause for worry on their revival campaign.

“The last time we played against New Zealand we lost by a few baskets and the latest loss shows we have a big task on our revival mission.  However, we know we will make big improvements in our next games,” he said.

“Almost all the other teams have taller players than us but we will make headway if we stick to our tactical approach of playing quick and short passes.”

The post Poor start for Queens appeared first on The Nation Online.

Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development has said while a levy on sports would help sports development, introducing the same requires that government identifies its target and services to be offered.

The ministry’s Principal Secretary Ben Botolo said this in Blantyre on Tuesday in response to a request by a sports promotion firm Sports Promo during the 2018/19 pre-budget consultative meeting.

He said: “I like levies, but sometimes I don’t even like them. I like to have the budget and collect all money and finance all activities. But in the absence of that, I have rural electrification levy, road levy, fuel levy and now sports levy. Just few minutes ago we were talking of high education levy, where do we target? We need to look at where we target these issues.

“The difference between levy and tax is that levy is direct, but it is supposed to benefit the area as well. For example, rural electrification levy has to supply energy to the communities. Now, trying to introduce sports levy on fuel; people will say wait a minute, what’s there? Therefore, we need to look at the services and where we are levying these ones to improve the service.”

In his request, Sports Promo director Geoffrey Tamutamu said introducing the sports levy would help address the issue of resource in the industry and promote sports.

“One of the biggest challenges we have been facing in the sports industry is the issue of resources. I wanted to ask if it is possible that we can introduce a sports levy, whether it is one percent, towards sports development and those resources could be channelled to the Malawi National Council of Sports [MNCS],” he said.

Tamutamu also said to promote sport development at grass roots level, there is need to have an allocation in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to be used for the construction of small sports facilities in constituencies.

“We understand one of the issues to do with CDF is infrastructure development, is it possible that part of the CDF be used in the construction of small sports facilities in each and every constituency?” he asked to which Botolo’s response was that it is the jurisdiction of members of Parliament, as managers, to debate on the allocations of the said constituencies.

The post Treasury mulls over sports levy appeared first on The Nation Online.

While the TNM Super League sponsorship package remains at K285 million (about $388 000) for the next three years, it is 10 times less than packages in neighbouring countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe.

On Monday, Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) and MTN Zambia announced a $4.5 million (about K3.3 billion) sponsorship deal for another three years while in Zimbabwe, Delta Beverages has penned a $5 million (K3.6 billion) with the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the same period.

In the Mocambola League in Mozambique Standard Bank’s sponsorship for prize money is at $1.1 million (about K806.3 million) while the Vodacom League’s sponsorship in Tanzania is pegged at $3.1 million (about K2.9 billion).

Local football marketing consultant Felix Ngamanya Sapao said the huge gap should give the soccer fraternity and the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) in particular, food for thought to engage an extra gear in the commercialisation drive.

He said there is need for Sulom to create a conducive environment that attracts sound sponsorship deals and turn the domestic game into a megabucks industry which its potential richly deserves.

“The Super League is not getting what it deserves. Sulom are trying but they can do more. They need to open up and start by building a value and sell the league as a valuable business brand.

“The league also needs to reorganise itself so that it is viewed as a top football entity, thus a feasibility study needs to be done as a way of reorganising the league. Bringing in television is one factor that can increase its brand value,” said Sapao.

However, he said for that to happen, Sulom needs to build a capacity by restructuring its setup by, among other things, hiring full-time staff such as marketing manager and chief executive officer as is the case in other top foreign leagues.

But Sulom treasurer and aspiring president Tiya Somba-Banda said there is room for improvement in terms of sponsorship package.

“Ours is ending 2020 and it’s open for improvements. Remember in 2015 the package was improved in the middle of the contract? At the moment we are building on the goodwill that was shaken last year,” he said.

During the Super League prize presentation in January this year, Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Francis Kasaila said the league deserves a better sponsorship package than the current K95 million per season “considering the competing club’ big expenditure”.

However, in response, TNM plc acting chief executive officer Eric Valentine said they would not be able to increase the package next season because their 2018 budget had already been drawn

Nyasa Big Bullets chief executive officer Fleetwood Haiya said while they appreciate and thank all football sponsors, “however, running football has become expensive and it is our plea to the current and potential sponsors to consider increasing their respective sponsorship”.

He said: “In future, we expect the authorities to engage football teams as regards sponsorship negotiations before they sign agreements.”

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