Nthanda Times

Staff Reporter

  • Budget remains national instrument to development

    Government has said the budget remains the most important national instrument through which public services and other economic activities in the country are implemented for the benefit of all Malawians. 

    Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Sosten Gwengwe said this Wednesday during the 2023/24 fiscal year pre-budget consultation meeting at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.

    He said it was important that we all objectively participate in the preparation of the National Budget and its implementation.

    He said this session, therefore, provides an opportunity for all Malawians to provide their proposals on the 2023/24 National Budget.

    Gwengwe: consultations meetings are an important process in budget formulation pic by Tione Andsen (Mana)

    “I am delighted with the participation, submissions, and contributions that have been made so far during the first meeting in Blantyre. Therefore, your availability during these pre-budget consultations underscores the importance attached to the National Budget and in particular the Pre-Budget Consultation that the Ministry of Finance undertakes with various stakeholders,” Gwengwe said.

    He said in terms of the preliminary budget processes, the government has set out the macroeconomic framework assumptions for the 2023/24 Budget that looks at the macroeconomic targets such as fiscal and monetary policy measures and the debt sustainability targets to be achieved by the end of the fiscal year.

    The Minister said it was worth taking stock of the achievements and challenges faced in the 2022/23 Budget and making constructive proposals for consideration in the pursuit of growth-promoting policies guided by our blueprint, the Malawi Vision 2063.

    He said this implies that our budget would have to strengthen prudent fiscal management, improve domestic resource mobilization and ensure that we achieve debt sustainability in the medium to long term.

    Gwengwe reminded members that inputs from this meeting are expected to feed into the 2023/24 Budget formulation process.

    “My Ministry will consolidate all the submissions from this meeting for review and consideration in the process of formality of the Budget. It must be appreciated that not all the suggestions can be accommodated in the 2023/24 Budget but will remain critical in guiding the Ministry of Finance in the Budget process and in this regard our contributions engagement on Budget execution is key,” he added. 

    Mwale: consultations provide an opportunity to provide their views pic by Tione Andsen (Mana)

    Gwengwe said his Ministry has always prioritized the need for wider consultation with stakeholders and the public to solicit views, contributions, and inputs for consideration in the National Budget.

    Secretary to the Treasury, Dr. Macdonald Mwale said the budget consultations provide an opportunity for the public to help in the development of the national budget.

    He said every contribution would be taken into consideration in the formulation of the national budget.

  • Communication landscape has changed-MACRA

    Malawi Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has admitted that the communication landscape has changed in the digital age.

    MACRA Director General, Daud Suleman made the admission Monday during the opening of the two-day workshop for Malawi Police Public Relations Officers under the theme “policing in the digital era” at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe.

    He said, “We moved from a world where we used to get our news and information on television, radio, and print productions to everyone everywhere having access to information and news all the time.

    Daud said this is the “breaking news era” where anyone with a phone and access to the internet could share anything with the world at any given time.

    The Director General noted that the coming of the fifth generation technologies has brought forth a pull effect in terms of demand for Information Communication Technology (ICT) services in the world.

    He added that access to information and communication has had a positive impact on the social and financial level of any given county, driving the digital economy and contributing towards its Growth Domestic Product (GDP) growth.

    Daud observed that public relations are indeed at the heart of every organization, and was the link between the effective management of an organization and its strategic public, without which our voice as an institution is lost. 

    “We highly value the important duties Public relations functionality plays. We saw it fit to hold this workshop where the Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM) will train you on how to provide effective communication in the digital era,” he explained.

    He said PRSM would tackle integral issues of Public Relations and media ethics, community relations, and media management.

    Daud said MACRA has partnered with MPS on several issues most notable is the mobile fraud task force, where various key stakeholders have come together to harmonize our efforts in the fight against the vice that is mobile fraud.

     “We believe that our combined efforts and the deployment of the identity register system in the country are in the right direction in dealing with mobile money fraudsters and making our digital space safe for all,” he added.

    Inspector General of MPS, Merlyne Yolamu expressed gratitude to the MACRA for the technical support provided to them in setting up a digital forensic laboratory. 

    She said the world was migrating from analog to digital and so are crimes.

    Yolamu said this support comes at a time when we are struggling to adequately combat cybercrimes in the country including electronic money fraud, as well as cyber-abetted crimes such as human trafficking and irregular migration, which put our country at risk of harboring terrorists.

    “Once installed, the equipment will enhance the Malawi Police Service’s ability to detect and disrupt criminal syndicates as well as successfully prosecute perpetrators of cybercrimes in courts,” she added.

    President of the PRSM, Benson Linje appealed to Police PROs to join the professional body in order to enhance their professionalism.

    He said by joining the organization would help them to gain experience from other PROs from various government ministries and private sectors on how to effectively communicate to the public.

  • MACRA challenges MPS to embrace technology

    Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has challenged Malawi Police Service (MPS) to embrace technology in its work as technological advancement is opening wider doors to cybercrimes.

    MACRA Director General, Daud Suleman, made the remarks in Blantyre on Thursday during the opening of a two-day Public Relations workshop that the regulatory body has organized for MPS Public Relations Officers (PROs) in the southern region under the theme ‘Policing in the digital era’.

    Suleman said the consumption of digital goods has become the order of the day as technology is creating innovations that are bringing in a new way of doing things including crime.

    He disclosed that almost K120 million is lost monthly due to mobile money fraud, a development that threatens to create a big gap in the country’s digital penetration if not stopped.

    Inspector General of Police, Merlyne Yolamu, acknowledged that MPS has a huge knowledge gap among most of its officers, including PROs, owing to the changing environment which requires them to constantly update themselves.

    She, therefore, urged all participants to take the workshop seriously as the knowledge and skills gained will improve professionalism in the PROs, the service, and the country.