Blessings Tambala

In its efforts to eliminate the endemic problem of power cuts, the government has disclosed that it will build a new power plant in Shire River.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, said the new power plant will help the country increase and improve access to electricity by citizens.

Presenting the National Budget in parliament on Friday, Chithyola Banda said the incumbent administration is keen to seal the gaps in the energy sector, including frequent power outages.

He disclosed that the government has already struck a deal with the EXIM Bank of India, which has expressed willingness to finance the construction of the new power plant in the Shire River.

Electricity is a key component in the social and economic development of any country.

However, for the past years, Malawians have had to endure endless power cuts thereby suffocating production in all spheres of the economy.

The infuriating blackouts prompted President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera to direct Electricity Generating Company (EGENCO) to find a lasting solution to the problem.

The interventions have started paying out as there is reliable supply, with minimal outages.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, has disclosed that the government will recruit 5, 000 health workers in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

Banda made the revelation when he presented the National Budget in the National Assembly in Lilongwe on Friday.

He said the intended recruitment is aimed at addressing the long-standing problem of shortage of health workers in public health facilities.

The minister also disclosed that the government has completed rehabilitation of health facilities in Chitipa, Mzimba, Kasungu, Likoma, Chikwawa and Balaka, as it continues to narrow the gaps in the health sector.

Banda further stated that the government has promoted

679, while  3, 930 were recruited as health workers on temporary basis.

The Civil Society Social Protection Network (CSSN) has urged the Malawi Government to finalize the review and adoption of the Social Protection Policy in the current sitting of Parliament.

The network says the policy will contribute to and provide a clear framework for a comprehensive social protection system providing coverage across the life cycle.

In a statement read to journalists in Lilongwe on Thursday, the network’s executive member, Enock Chinkhuntha, also called for the revision of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) guidelines to allow for a minimum of 10 percent allocation towards secondary school bursaries.

Chinkhuntha said this would enable the fund to meet the increasing demand for support towards tuition fees payment.

“We also urge the government to lobby with development partners for the continued progressive revision of the amounts given under the Social Cash Transfer from the current review of MK19, 000 to at least MK50, 000 in line with the cost of living adjustment. The Basic Needs Basket surveys conducted by the Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) indicates that rising food and non-food prices have pushed up the cost of living, throwing more people into the poverty trap. In its Basic Needs Basket, CfSC figures show that the cost of living has jumped by 91 percent for a family of six from K164 316 in July 2020 to K314, 914 in January 2021,” he said.

 In his remarks, the network national chairperson, Robert Mkwezalamba, asked the government to bridge the gap of the other social protection programs, citing the Urban Social Cash Transfer, recommending that the government should take over the project after three months when the donors cease to fund the project.

Mkwezalamba said this would be an indication of ownership for social protection programs in Malawi.

He also recommended the involvement of civil society organizations and other key stakeholders in monitoring project implementation of the social protection programs such as urban social cash transfer is key to successful implementation of the projects.

“We are also calling upon the private sector to be involved in the social protection programs not just like a Corporate Social Responsibility project which is a one off event but rather embedded in their programming and operations. The private sector should design programs that can constantly support social protection programs.

“And in a bid not to create a dependent nation, we implore the government to ensure that the fast tracked AIP and social Cash transfers must accommodate matters of progression where the supporters must be helped in building capacity towards independence and sustainability of their programmes so as to reach out to others in need while graduating those empowered,” he said.

Meanwhile, the network has called upon beneficiaries of various social support programs, to seriously safeguard the resources by being responsible and use them to uplift their livelihood and aim at graduating to a self-sustaining life in the near future.

On those entrusted with the responsibility of being custodians of the programs, the network cautioned them against engaging themselves in corruption, politicizing, nepotism and theft when discharging their duties.

Governance and socio-political commentators have commended President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera for respecting and adhering to the constitutional order by answering questions from members of Parliament (MPs) in the National Assembly.

President Chakwera is the first Malawi leader to observe the rule of the law to the letter by facing lawmakers in the august House.

Since his election in June 2020, the President has responded to the MPs’ questions in parliament four times.

Former president Bakili Muluzi picked MPs’ questions in parliament only once.

Renowned Governance and Human Rights Advocate, Undule Mwakasungula, commended Chakwera for being true to his campaign promises to respect the rule of law.

Mwakasungula said by appearing before the MPs and answering their questions, the Malawi leader had demonstrated that he is accountable and transparent in his dealings.

“This is very commendable and a welcome development in as far as democracy consolidation is concerned,” he reacted.

In his remarks, Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) national coordinator, Kelvin Chirwa, said constant engagement between the President and legislators is key in building democracy and shedding light on key national issues, providing much-needed clarity after the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Speaking to the national broadcaster earlier, another commentator, Humphrey Mvula, underscored the significance of this interaction, noting that it offers an opportunity for the President to address misunderstandings among the legislators.

“Submitting to scrutiny in the August House is a hallmark of democratic governance,” Mvula emphasised.

Additionally, a good governance expert working with the Transparency Initiative, Nicholas Mwisama, had urged the lawmakers to treat the interface with Chakwera as a serious national duty from which Malawians expect meaningful engagement on national policy matters “and nothing else”.

“Malawians look forward to hearing policy questions, such as how the resuscitation of the Malawi Development Corporation will boost the economy. We need a clear and measurable plan over a specific period. It is also very important for MPs to engage the President on his practical commitment to dealing with corruption,” Mwisama said.

President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has disclosed that his administration is devising mechanisms for averting food crisis in the wake of the prolonged dry spells the country is facing.

Chakwera, who was responding to a question from Thyolo Thava legislator, Mary Navicha, in the National Assembly, stated that the government is awaiting the outcome of an assessment on the impact of the drought before undertaking to implement the measures.

But the President was quick to caution MPs against instilling what he termed as the ‘spirit of despair”, but a message of hope despite the unfavourable weather conditions.

Chakwera also advised the farmers to seriously consider venturing into irrigation farming as one of the ways to fight food insecurity at household level.

And in his response to the question on what his government is doing to spread irrigation farming countrywide rather than just in the Shire Valley, President Chakwera disclosed that his administration is implementing four irrigation projects based on the irrigation master plan.

He said the government has allocated 57, 000 hectares of farmland that will be under supplementary irrigation during this 2024 farming season.

President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has vowed that his government will not pay any ransom to individuals who hacked the system at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services.

Facing members of Parliament in the National Assembly on Wednesday, President Chakwera revealed that the system was hacked and the individuals that tampered with it are demanding huge sums of money in the name of ransom.

But the President assured that his government will not entertain the hackers, but, instead, find other means of resolving the glitches.

“For as long as I am President of this country, I will not allow the government to pay such an amount,” he said, adding that the department is already taking decisive steps to regain control of the system.

For the past week, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services has not been able to print passports due to the system failure, leaving travelers stranded.