MFN News Bulletins On Wednesday 11 August 2022

A consortium of organisations advancing the rights of young people both local and international has launched a $10 million iHEARD project to reach out to three million young women and girls with information on reproductive health.

Chief Operating Officer for CODE, a Canadian organisation, Joan Summers notes that adolescent girls in the country continue to be undermined and violated by a range of factors including sexual and Gender based violence.

The project will be implemented in three districts of Ntchisi, Dowa and Lilongwe.

Parliament has passed the Gaming and Lotteries bill.

Among others, the bill seeks to establish the Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority as the regulatory authority, and prescribe its functions and powers.

The Bill also makes detailed provisions for the licensing of all gaming and lotteries in Malawi.

Japanese ambassador to Malawi Satoshi Iwakiri says his country will continue supporting interventions put to eradicate polio in Malawi.

Iwakiri and UNICEF Malawi Representative Rudulf Schwenk are visiting Chididi area in Nkhotakota to appreciate interventions put by the Japanese government to eradicate the disease in the country.

For the first time in the history of Sand Music Festival, there will be a tea party on the morning of Friday and Saturday sponsored by Salima Sugar company.

The festival’s Director Lucius Banda says the move will give people time to enjoy tea at the festival which will be held at Kambiri Beach Resort in Salima from September 30 to October 2.

Apart from sponsoring the tea party, Salima Sugar has also committed K10 million towards the festival.

K50 million has been budgetted for this years September 10, Chiwanja Cha a Yao festival.

Secretary General for the grouping Sanudi Kumbemba says preparations are underway for the festival which will take place at Mmanga primary school in Balaka.

Minister of Labour Verah Kamtukule says Shoprite has communicated that it will retrench 25 staff at Zomba U-Save Shoprite and close the shop.

In addition, Minister of Finance Sosten Gwengwe says they have been told that the Zomba shop is not making profits and that the remaining five shops including Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu will not be closed.

Senior Magistrate Wanangwa Paul Nyirenda has granted bail to Malawi Police Service Deputy Commissioner Yacks Bonongwe, Senior Superintendent Chimwemwe Kamanga, Superintendent Charles Kadzidzi.

The three are being accused to have connived with accounts from the accountant general department to process allowances amounting to K16 million.

Among the bail conditions the three have been told to pay K500,000 each and K10 million surety, and should not interfere with state witnesses.

Security guards at Southern Region Water Board (SRWB) Headquarters in Zomba have closed the main gate to the offices in demand to their delayed two months salaries.

Their boss, Clement Kafuwa Junior of CFK Security says he has not yet received payments from the board.

SRWB Spokesperson Ritta Makwangwala, says it is not in line with the policies of the Statutory Corporation to discuss contractual arrangements in public.

Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (Ecam) has warned that some firms could be forced to cut their workforce as the current economic environment is affecting employers.

Ecam executive director George Khaki said in an interview on Tuesday that employers are struggling to balance between the “understandable pressure from workers to increase wages to enable them to survive” in the harsh economic environment and ensuring that companies remain afloat.

Minister of Youth and Sports Richard Chimwendo Banda has said the large youth population in the country is a great opportunity for the development of the country but only if the youth are empowered to take part in development.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lilongwe today aimed at informing Malawians about the International Youth Day celebrations to take place in Lilongwe on Friday August 12,2022, Banda said the country cannot afford to leave out the youth in development activities and decision making.

He said government is putting in place programmes to ensure that the youth are empowered and that they contribute to the development of the country.

He cited high unemployment rate among the youth, as a big challenge to the country but said government is doing all it can to ensure that young people are empowered.

Banda also said the celebrations tomorrow will provide a platform for the youth to showcase capabilities and have them engage with companies and other stakeholders.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has appointed Thom Mkorongo as national women’s football team coach.

Mkorongo, who holds a Confederation of African Football (CAF) A coaching licence, returns as Scorchers coach, having led the team in 2015 after replacing Temwa Msuku.

A statement from FAM says Mkorongo will lead the team at the 2022 Cosafa Women’s Championship in South Africa from August 31 to September 11 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Government and the United Nations (UN) have moved to ensure that Malawi has a whistleblower protection legislation to enhance the fight against corruption and other crimes.

Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday when he opened a two-day Whistleblowers Protection workshop aimed at developing a legislation for protection of whistle-blowers, Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo said government is committed to have a Whistleblowers Act that it is fully operational to promote the fight against corruption.