By Kondwani Magombo:

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr. Ben Phiri, says all preparatory steps for the rollout of the reformed K5billion Constituency Development Fund are in place, with Constituency Development Committees (CDCs) formulated and key vacancies in councils filled.

The Minister said this during a joint press briefing held at the Central Office of Information (COI) in Lilongwe with Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Shadric Namalomba.

Phiri said the CDCs comprise all relevant stakeholders, including the clergy; civil society organizations; chiefs; councilors; and members of parliament, among others, adding that training on the Fund’s guidelines has already been done in all councils across the country.

He noted that most councils were operating with high vacancy rate, with directors in acting capacity but now permanent staff have been employed to fill the vacancies to enhance the CDF implementation.

“I’m pleased to say that for the first time in Malawi, all councils have qualified engineers,” explained Phiri, and he added: “A total of 687 direct jobs have been created, including recruitment of 228 accountants to work at constituency level.”

The Minister added that the Accountant General has already opened a CDF pool account with the Reserve Bank of Malawi, while the councils have also opened accounts with local banks to ease the funding processes.

According to Phiri, site visits to identified projects are conducted to determine the nature and scope of work and required bills of quantity.

“The projects that we are going to implement are those that are demand-driven and not supply driven,” said Phiri, adding: “We are also going to have a dashboard that will be showing the projects’ progress for everyone to see so that there’s transparency and accountability.”

The Minister stressed that the disbursement of funds under the reformed CDF will be performance based, a model borrowed from the World Bank-funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) that is being implemented in councils across the country.

Under the performance based model, councils that perform lowly do not get funds until they improve and satisfy the expected standards.

“The performance based approach is new to CDF but not new to the councils,” said Phiri, and he continued: “GESD projects implemented under the performance based approach have registered over 90 percent success rate, so it is a very effective approach.”

Meanwhile, all councils across the country have signed an Agreement with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), committing to fighting corruption during the implementation of projects under the CDF, according to the Minister.

Commenting on the outlined preparations, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Shadric Namalomba, said the current government shall always uphold transparency and accountability in matters concerning public funds.

“I would like to assure the public that President Prof. Peter Mutharika is running a transparent government and that’s why we always update the nation on matters of public interest,” said Namalomba. 

By Patience Longwe:

President Peter Mutharika has called upon Malawians to exercise unity, peace, and love for one another as the Muslim community celebrates Eid al-Adha. 

Eid al-Adha is a festival that honors devotion and willingness to give for others in the Muslim faith.

A press statement issued on Thursday, signed by Mutharika, calls for a reflection on obedience, sacrifice, and charity as the Muslim community celebrates the day.

“The First Lady and I extend our warmest congratulations and best wishes to all Muslims across Malawi as they celebrate Eid al-Adha,” reads the statement in part.

Eid al-Adha, which falls on the tenth day in the final Islamic Lunar, is one of the most significant holidays in Islam which is observed through  prayers, charity, and sharing of food  with family and the needy.

By Patience Longwe:

 Malawi Electoral Commission Chairperson Annabel Mtalimanja has hailed outgoing Chief Elections Officer Andrew Mpesi for spearheading key electoral reforms and strengthening the country’s electoral systems during his tenure.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Mtalimanja said Mpesi, who submitted his resignation on May 24, 2026, will officially leave office on August 21, 2026, after serving a three month notice period.

“He will continue discharging his duties and lead a structured handover process to ensure a smooth transition,” reads part of the statement.

Mtalimanja commended Mpesi for overseeing the review and demarcation of constituency and ward boundaries in line with constitutional requirements.

She also credited him for facilitating the establishment of accessible voter registration centres and polling stations across the country.

According to the statement, Mpesi further led electoral legal reforms that resulted in the current electoral framework and also played a key role in developing the Commission’s 2023 to 2028 strategic plan and the 2025 General Election Operational Plan.

Mtalimanja said Mpesi’s leadership was instrumental in the successful implementation of an innovative election design during the 2025 General Election.

The Commission thanked Mpesi for his professionalism and contribution towards strengthening democratic processes in Malawi and wished him success in his future endeavours.

Malawi has reaffirmed its active role in regional diplomacy, with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. George Chaponda, delivering a strong and solution-oriented intervention during the Meeting of SADC Ministers of Foreign Affairs held at Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Addressing fellow ministers, Dr. Chaponda called for urgent regional action to confront growing global geopolitical and economic challenges affecting Southern Africa, including rising food and energy costs, supply chain disruptions, unemployment and migration pressures.

The Minister urged SADC member states to deepen regional integration, strengthen industrialization, and invest in regional value chains in areas such as fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, energy and manufacturing.

“SADC has what it takes to build resilience against global shocks. What is needed now is practical and united action,” said Chaponda.

He further emphasized that regional decisions must be respected and implemented collectively to ensure SADC speaks with one voice on continental and global matters.

Dr. Chaponda’s strong presentation highlighted Malawi’s continued active participation and leadership in international and regional affairs, positioning the country as a committed advocate for unity, economic transformation and regional self-reliance.

The Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has lifted a stop order it issued to ethanol distiller, Press Cane Limited early this year over effluent spillages after verifying progress made on some recommendations and conditions issued by the authority.

The lifting of the stop order will now allow Press Cane to restart production after a five- month shutdown.

A letter dated 18 May 2026 from MEPA Director General Wilfred Kadewa to Press Cane said MEPA conducted a verification exercise at Press Cane Limited on 15th April 2026 on the progress made on the recommendations and conditions given to the company.

“The verification exercise noted significant progress in the rehabilitation of effluent ponds, decommissioning of secondary ponds, raising of embankments, sludge management, environmental restoration activities, and installation of a fertilizer plant aimed at achieving zero effluent discharge.”

“Furthermore, MEPA has received confirmation from the District Commissioner’s Office regarding the handover of a cheque amounting to Eight Hundred Ninety-Five Million Kwacha (MK895,000,000.00) to the Chikwawa District Council for compensation of affected people. In view of the progress made, MEPA hereby lifts the Environment Protection Order,” reads the letter in part.

MEPA said the Stop Order on 26 January 2026, was issued to prevent further environmental damage and for the company to implement corrective measures, rehabilitate the affected areas, and address compensation for the affected communities, as required by law.

MEPA also said the uplifting of the order will require Press Cane to, among other things, continue rehabilitation works on all remaining effluent ponds and associated infrastructure and also restore all degraded areas, including community gardens identified by the District Commissioner, to a condition suitable for crop production.

“PressCane Limited shall fund a water quality assessment to be conducted by the Nat