Category: National

By Erik Chiputula:

Lulu and the Mathumela Banda has announced the release of his new album titled One More Time scheduled for October 23rd, 2022 at Lilongwe Golf Club.

Lulu, real name Lawrence Khwisa, told the media on Friday that Tanzanian artist Diamond Platinumz will be the headliner artist for the event.

“Iam here to announce that my new album launch titled One More Time will happen on 23rd October this year and the top headliner artist will be Tanzanian Diamond Platinumz” said Lulu

Lulu whose last album launch was back in 2018, said people should expect the more intertaining occasion from him and other artists than his past album launches.

“I have been preparing for the past four years so I think I will bring something new and very exciting. This time I’ve been doing it differently as you know in my past albums I was working alone but this time around I have involved international producer from Congo as well as some local producers including William who is my Manager so as a team I believe we are going to make it”

On what difference Diamond Platinumz will bring this time than his past visits to the country he said, unlike the past he is coming up with his full band and again he said it’s a good opportunity for Lilongwe residents to enjoy his live music since his past visits to the country he was performing along the lake.

Lulu also said apart from Diamond Platinumz he will continue announcing other local and international artists who will also be available at the occasion.

According to Lulu his album is dominated with songs that carries love and Gospel messages.

He further called upon support from Malawians as he continue preparing for the event.

By Peter Phiri:

As part of his ongoing drive of reviving the country’s economy, president Lazarus Chakwera on Friday held a series of meetings with some of the country’s key development partners.

President Chakwera first held a meeting with a delegation of the European Investment Bank(EIB).

The EIB delegation comprised Vice President, Thomas Östros and EU Ambassador to Malawi, Rune Skinnebach.

The meeting comes at a time when EIB is financing part of the M1 Road Rehabilitation project with a contribution of K98 billion.

In a related development the President met a delegation from Egyptian multinational energy company, Elsewedy Electric, which was led by the company’s Vice President Mohamed Atef and Country Director Miss. Heba Samir.

During the meeting the delegation briefed president Chakwera on an update on impending projects the company intends to undertake in clean and reliable energy as part of the $1 billion investment package secured at the Intra-African Trade Fair in November last year.

Among other things, Elsewedy Electric plans to construct a 50-megawatt solar power plant in the country which will ease electricity challenges in the country once commissioned.

By Staff Writer:

There is hope of improved fuel supply into the country as the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) has secured US$68.8 million from local and international commercial banks for the procurement of fuel from next week.

Acting NOCMA CEO Hellen Buluma disclosed this when she appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism.

Buluma told the Committee that NOCMA has entered into an agreement with the Bank of Bardea for a US$50 million financing, US$10 million with the National Bank of Malawi and US$8.8 million with the NBS Bank.

Buluma has further told the committee the company is in talks with Standard Bank Malawi for an US$18 million possible financing agreement which would be made available by Monday next week.

The acting CEO believes once all this money is made available to the company the fuel situation in the country will normalize.

Meanwhile Buluma has told the Committee that she is alarmed with the recent rise in fuel consumption in the country.

She has told the Committee that currently the country is using 1 million litres of fuel a day costing US$1.3 million.

She has since attributed the situation to panic-buying especially in Lilongwe where the commodity has become scarce.

In a related development Buluma has not told the committee the amount of fuel the country has in stock for security reasons.

For the past weeks people have been scrambling to purchase fuel especially in the Central region despite authorities including President Lazarus Chakwera assuring the availability of the commodity.

By Erik Chiputula:

In a bid that would ensure sanity in the country’s energy sector, Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola has ordered Power Market Limited (PML) to revoke licenses of all idle Independent Power Producers years after their licenses were issued.

The Minister’s order comes amid growing public frustrations with the increased power blackouts in the country despite government making huge investments in the energy sector among them being the unbundling of ESCOM which gave birth to two more companies EGENCO and PML.

On Thursday, the minister took a bold step to ensure there is sanity in the energy sector by ordering PML to revoke licenses of all IPPs that have been idle despite being issued with licenses.

The Minister’s order follows revelations that three IPPs are yet to roll out despite being issued with licenses dating back to 2019.

“These idle IPPs are frustrating our efforts to grow the energy sector. They have to go and create space for potential investors in the energy sector.

“The president’s vision has been that of a vibrant energy sector but if we cling on to these idle IPPs then that vision won’t be realised,” said Matola.

Reacting to the order PML Chief Executive Officer Rosemary Mkandawire said she will consult the Attorney General before acting on the Minister’s order to avoid lawsuits from the aggrieved parties.

PML was created to help regulate power generation in the country by incorporating Independent Power Producers apart from just relying on EGENCO.

However since it’s introduction the company has been facing criticism on what it’s mandate exactly is as many feel the company was just created by the former rulling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a conduit of syphoning government money.

Many have also criticized PML for what they have called over-stepping it’s mandate.

By Staff Writer:

National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc has launched a new product targeting Accountants who are registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (ICAM) and those involved in  business which is registered.

Launching the product in Blantyre during an induction of new members for ICAM, NBM Service Centre Manager for Henderson Street Service Centre Tamara Mtuwa said NBM plc came up with the product after ‘listening’ to the needs of their customers.

“As the Bank of the Nation, we always strive to serve our customers better, we want to give what our customers want, not what we want, this, perhaps, is what has earned us the title ‘The Bank of the Nation’.”

“We have been listening to what our customers want through various interactions that we have had with our customers which have led us to come up with unique products that target a specific target group.”

“Today we are here to unveil a unique product specifically tailored for our Accountants. This special package for Accountants targets those accountants registered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (ICAM) whose salary has been consistently received through their NBM account. If the salary is not received through an NBM plc account, then they need not worry to access this product as long as they are willing to open an account with us,” explained Mtuwa.

NBM Accounts Relationship Manager Mwayi Kalulu made a presentation about the offering of the product to the newly inducted ICAM members.

She said among other offerings, Accountants whose net salary or income is MK2, 000,000.00 and above will automatically be invited to the premium platinum club while those who earn MK500, 000.00 and above will automatically be invited to the premium gold club.

Accountants in the age ranges of 18-35 years and whose salary band is between MK300,000.00 and MK1,000,000.00 will automatically qualify for our other product called Step up professional product.

“This product offers Accountants an overdraft facility whose maximum limit is aligned with net salary and is renewable in 12 months. They will also be offered a credit card with a maximum limit aligned with the net salary to cater for travel and e-payments requirements with a repayment ratio of 50%.”

“The product also offers Accountants with a general-purpose loan of up to K20 million with a maximum repayment period of 48 months and a credit life on the loan amount. On top of that, the product offers a subscription loan of up to K1 million with a maximum repayment period of 6 months. There is also an insurance loan with a maximum loan aligned with the customer invoice and the maximum repayment period is 12 months,” said Kalulu.

She said to access the product, Accountants need to submit all Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation and a letter of undertaking from the employer and also submit a letter of introduction from ICAM confirming that they are a member of the accounting body.

Kalulu said Accountants with business income and their business is registered will also be considered for the product.

ICAM Acting Chief Executive Officer Charles Chimpeni hailed NBM plc for the product targeting accountants saying it will help the accountants to be innovative.

“We all agree that we cannot depend on salary to survive and this product will make accountants to be innovative because they can start their eon businesses and some can use the same product to get a loan to pay for their subscription fees with ICAM. We welcome this product and we are hopeful that fellow accountants will embrace it,” said Chimpeni.

By Staff Reporter:

President Lazarus Chakwera has expressed hope of strengthened bilateral ties between Malawi and it’s long term development partner the United Kingdom following the appointment of a new prime minister.

This week Elizabeth Truss was asked by the Queen to form a government as the new Prime Minister replacing the out-of-favour Boris Johnson.

Writing on his Twitter handle Chakwera said he hopes the new Prime Minister will enhance the already existing bilateral relationship which dates back to the colonial days.

“Congratulations Elizabeth Truss on your assumption of office as the 56th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.Malawi welcomes your tenure with heightened expectation for stronger bilateral ties and cooperation,” wrote Chakwera.

The United Kingdom is one of Malawi’s key development partners with serious investments in sectors like Education,Energy and Agriculture.

Recently Malawi signed a multimillion Pound deal with a UK firm that is going to make huge investment into Mpatamanga Hydro Power plant which upon completion will double Malawi’s energy generation.

By Staff Writer:

The press in neighbouring Zambia have been reporting that a bunch of Indian nationals who have been working in that country and were answering various charges in Lusaka have fled into Malawi undetected.

But National Police Spokesperson Peter Kalaya asked for more time to investigate.

Both the Lusaka Times and Muvi TV recently published stories alleging that eight foreign nationals who have been working with regional oil giant Mount Meru Limited were arrested and charged with multiple counts of money laundering, intellectual property rights fraud, theft and corruption in a Lusaka Magistrate court.

In this matter, Chetankumar Chambalal Jain, 41, a chief executive officer has been jointly charged with Shastri Dilipbhai, 46; Ashish Kumar Dixit, 42; Sharna Kumar, 47, of Emmasdale and Kalpesh Patel, 46, of Roma park.

According to a Muvi TV report, last month the eight were brought to a Lusaka Magistrate Court under Jenipher Bwalya where they were charged with business espionage for allegedly stealing intellectual property in form of diagrams, bills of quantity (BOQs) and images valued at around ZK 95 million belonging to Mount Meru Zambia Limited.

Case particulars indicates that five of the suspects between November 2020 and July 2021 in Lusaka stole the items in question from its rightful owner.

Therefore among others, they have been charged with unauthorized access to, interception of, or interference with computer systems and data contrary to section 49 (4) of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No 2 (2021) of the Republic of Zambia.

The intellectual property that belonged to the oil company is said to be critical in the construction of filling stations in Zambia.

It is further alleged that Arora, was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Zambia for trying to induce an Energy Regulatory Board (ERB) official with a ZK 4,000.00 bribe which the official declined.

Following the news, Malawian authorities having being alerted by the red flag have not been forthcoming with information regarding their vigilance to prevent the alleged fugitives from crossing over into the country.

Attempts to get a situation report on the matter from Area 30 has not yielded much result as the information holder of the service has been asking for more and more time to investigate.

Malawi and Zambia have a working extradition treaty for alleged criminals who cross the common border between the two countries.

Recently Zambia extradited back to Malawi Chinese citizen Lu Ke who is currently answering charges of exploiting children in Malawi and had escaped into Zambia where he was arrested by that country’s authorities.

By Chancy Namadzunda:

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has alleged that some recognizable security personnel from South African agents have been trailing him in attempt to have him kidnapped.

According to a statement signed by his Spokesperson Ephraim Nyondo, the Prophet said he is extremely dismayed and astonishingly shocked by continuous intrusion into his private space by the agents.

“Through various tip-offs from well-wishers and our intelligence sources, we have it on record that these personnel from South Africa have been trailing the Prophet, to the extent of following him everywhere he goes under the guise of working under the ‘Embassy’.

“Further, the Prophet has, lately, been through a series of suspicious incidences that borders on his security to the point of involving the Malawi Police Service (MPS).

“We wish to underline here that we are well aware of their plot: we know where they lodge, we know their communication links, we know their local collaborators and we know their movements.

“It is shocking to note that some of the personnel involved in this scheme are the very same people that Prophet Bushiri opened intimidation and extortion cases against in South Africa in 2018.

“The Prophet suffered immensely at the machinations of these people in South Africa. The South African justice system failed to apprehend these people even after numerous criminal cases opened against them and also reporting them to various state security bodies. This, if you recall, is the reason the Prophet left South Africa to seek justice in his home country and he is highly respectful of the court processes he is going through.

“We must underscore, here, that now that he is home and free, the Prophet will not allow to be bullied and intimidated by these people in his home country the way they did in South Africa. Never.

“In this vein, we wish to make it clear to these people to, with immediate effect, back off from Prophet Bushiri. In fact, we must put it on record here that if these people escalate, the Prophet will be forced to resort to legitimate means, as spelled in the country’s Constitution, of how to protect himself when in danger.

“At the same time, we also want to thank Malawians of goodwill who are tireless in giving us tip-off with regards to these people. We urge you not to relent,” reads the statement in part

Bushiri and wife Mary Bushiri fled South Africa in 2020 where they are accused of money laundering and fraud.

The South African Government want the two to be taken to South Africa to answer the charges.

By Chancy Namadzunda:

The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has described the current shortages of fuel, forex and persistent blackouts as a sign that Malawi is turning into a failed State.

A statement signed by HRDC Chairperson Gift Trapence said the fuel crisis that has bedeviled the country over the past two weeks is a sign that the country is sitting on a time bomb and calls for immediate action by the government.

“While both the government and the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) continue to assure the nation that the fuel situation is under control, we, at HRDC, notice with sadness that this is contrary to the situation on the ground as Malawians continue to queue for fuel for hours on end.

“What is most troubling is that both the government and NOCMA are not giving Malawians convincing reasons as to the cause of this crisis and what solutions they have at hand, which prompts us to believe that they have no solutions at all,” reads the statement in part

Further, Trapence said the fact that NOCMA audaciously attributed the fuel scarcity to an international music show and an international football match in Lilongwe two weeks ago is patronising, condescending, laughable and an insult to all right-thinking Malawians.

“On numerous occasions, NOCMA has claimed that they have fuel reserves to caution the country in times like these. Added to the fuel problem is the fact that, over the past three months, the country has and continues to suffer from erratic electricity supply and a shortage of forex.

“These on-going shortages of essential drivers of the economy points to a national crisis and we demand that government should come out clearly on the issue and assure Malawians.

“We demand that the government should lucidly explain what solutions they have put in place to address the issues of fuel scarcity, power blackouts and shortage of forex in the country.

“What we have on our hands is nothing short of a crisis because forex, fuel and electricity are the hub of running most businesses. In the absence of these, it means that businesses are crippled, and, in turn, the economy is being strangulated,” he said

At this rate, said Trapence, we run the risk of this country turning into a failed state, if it is not one already.

He further noted that the impression President Lazarus Chakwera and his cabinet are creating is that they are silent spectators who are thinking that the problems will solve themselves or simply disappear on their own.

“But that is not what Malawians voted them into power for. What President Lazarous Chakwera needs to know is that the country is in dire straits and life has become unbearable for ordinary Malawians. People have been suffering silently for a while but this time, because of government’s inaction in solving the problems, Malawians have been squeezed to a tight corner, they cannot breathe while their leaders are behaving as if everything is normal.

“We urgently call upon President Lazarus Chakwera to address the nation on what is going on in the country and to explain what government is doing to normalise the situation.

“If, by their own silent admission, the Tonse Alliance Government has no solutions in sight for this crisis, then they should accept their shortcomings, step aside and let a competent team lead this country forward,” reads the statement.

By Shadreck Maoni:

The premier financial service provider, Old Mutual (Malawi) Limited says it is set to host the second edition of the Partnership Conversation Series (OMPCS), a tailor-made event aimed at enhancing partnerships and conversations that would propel development, shared value and mindset change.

Comfirming the news to The Atlas Malawi, Old Mutual Malawi Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Edith Jiya said this year’s event will discuss the “Role of Partnerships in enabling conducive environment for the rise of young entrepreneurs towards Sustainable Youth Development” and will be held on 15 September 2022 at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre.

Jiya said this year’s topic has been chosen to align with Malawi’s long term development blueprint the agenda 2063 which largely has youth centred programs.

Among notable participants in this year’s conversation include National Planning Commission Executive Director Dr. Thomas Munthali who is the keynote address speaker, Old Mutual Blantyre Foundation Trust Chairperson Taonga Manda, a renowned youthful entrepreneur Mayamiko Nkoloma and other leaders from various sectors.

Jiya says this year’s event will be graced by Old Mutual Africa Regions Managing Director Clement Chinaka.

“Partnerships Conversation Series provides a platform that brings together leaders from both the public and private sector as well as other stakeholders to discuss and share practical and workable solutions on a range of impacting issues around people, economy, and the environment” she said.

According to Jiya, the conversation intends to deliver impactful engagements that will strengthen the company’s position on the role of business relationships in achieving synergy.

This platform provides an opportunity for Old Mutual to showcase its role as a thought leader in issues of development and society in pursuing a Truly Mutual strategy.

“Partnership Conversation Series are based and guided by the philosophy of shared value. Responsible Business is critical to our role as a trusted lifetime partner, we prioritise responsible investing, financial inclusion, and the dynamic enablement of business opportunities. Investment in education and skills development are central to the work we are doing to empower current and future generations” she said.

The inaugural Old Mutual Partnership Conversation Serie was held on 10 September 2021 at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe and a year down the line, the conversation is proving to be one practical solution to challenges facing the country.

Some notable aftermaths of the discussion included contributions made towards the Malawi Covid 19 Social Economic Recovery plan 2021 to 2023 by the government, especially on collaboration among different sectors