Tag Archives: CISONECC

Environment, Malawi

MAREP phase 9 reaches out to 460 sites amid forex, fuel crises, corruption allegations

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Ministry of Energy says the Malawi Rural Electrification Project (MAREP) Phase 9 has managed to reach out 460 sites representing 85% coverage.

The Ministry expects to wide the phase 9 by end of this month, December 2024.

Ministry’s Deputy Director responsible for MAREP, Fransisco Chingoli said all is set for Phase 10 which is earmarked to reach out 700 sites.

Chingoli was speaking Wednesday night during the panel discussion which Civil Society Network On Climate Change (CISONECC) organised centering on Promoting equitable access to clean energy (Peace Project).

He however attributed low uptake of the program due to fuel and forex challenges.

From left (Chilenga, Ng’oma, Inkosi Gomani V and Chingoli) during the panel discussion on Wednesday night

On corruption allegations, Chingoli said, “We are trying our best to make sure that we put all our processes in the place whereby everyone can can access, can be able to see what we are doing.

“We are proposing the government that the the approving layers that just too many, maybe if they can review the act, so that the approving layers must be reduced maybe to two, so that maybe once the program entity has done the the evaluation process”.

He added, “Public Procurement and Disposal Assets Authority (PPDAA) must be the last institution to suit. If not, so, then it’s good to bring all the concerned parties at one place and do the evaluation and get done by the end of the day, not taking one problem and process up to six months because of too many approving layers.

“This proposal will not give any room for corruption, fraud in the implementation of MAREP programs. We hope authorities will take the legal advise to Parliament for law reviews”.

Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources Chairperson Welani Chilenga proposes the change in identifying MAREP beneficiaries that August House must always decide not through district councils consultation meetings.

Taking his turn, Inkosi Gomani V of Ngoni Maseko appealed for more proper consultation on how MAREP beneficiaries are identified and the implementation of the program towards vulnerable communities.

Echoing the same, CISONECC National Coordinator Julius Ng’oma emphasised the need for MAREP authorities to consider vulnerable communities not only based on economic activities for a particular site but the need to help the poor in accessing power.

Ng’oma also proposes lagal framework reforms that vulnerable communities should be the program’s primary beneficiaries.

Ng’oma however challenged the Ministry to speed up the process as many people in rural areas are waiting to be connected to electricity.

With financial and technical support from the Centre for Environmental Policy Advocacy (CEPA) and Oxfam in Malawi European Union (EU), CISONECC is implementing Peace Project in Lilongwe, Salima and Blantyre.


Environment, Malawi

Malawi President Chakwera’s lip services irritate environmental and climate change task-force

Lloyd M’bwana
Chakwera full of lip services

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera’s lip services of sugarcoating speeches without walking the talk has angered multi-stakeholder task force on National Climate Change Management Funds (NCCMF).

The task-force is unhappy with President Chakwera’s Tonse government of not implementing what is being promised on the environmental and climate change sector; starting from his July 2020 inauguration to two State of National Addresses (SONAs) coupled with Sunday briefs.

The grouping told the news conference on Friday, May 28, 2021 in the capital Lilongwe that Chakwera must demonstration his servant leadership by acting on what he has been promising Malawians.

The task-force cited failure to enact Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Bill into law, lack of commitment to ending wildlife and environment related crimes,less commitment to having a National Climate Change Fund up and running and unable to operationalize Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) as a law enforcement agency and among others.

Multi-stakeholder task force on National Climate Change Management Funds (NCCMF) addressing journalists on Friday

The task-force led by Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CSONECC) observes that Chakwera’s May 12, 2021 SONA did not address other pertinent issues regarding to environmental and climate change management.

CSONECC’s Board Chairperson Sophie Kaonongera observes that President Chakwera’s second SONA is a missed opportunity saying the grouping expected roadmap from Tonse government on how best will implement promises made in the sector.

Malawi President Chakwera’s Tonse admin caught lying on climate change fund, Disaster bill

“As stakeholders working in the environment and climate change management sector, we appreciate the progress made in the various sectors and acknowledge the direct and indirect effects of the milestones on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management in the country. However, we feel the SONA did not address other pertinent issues affecting the sector as promised.

“Government should prioritize passing of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Bill to help Malawi shift from Disaster response to Disaster Risk Management. Malawi loses close to 6 billion Kwacha annually to disasters such as floods, droughts and heavy winds. Almost double the amount is needed to recover from these perennial disasters. Despite this being the case, the country is still using the 1991 Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act which focuses more on response and recovery than preparedness and risk containment. Malawi started developing the DRM Bill in 2014, however, the Bill is yet to be enacted,” urges Kaonongera.

CSONECC National Coordinator Julius Ng’oma echoed on the same saying; “We call on the President and his administration, through the line Ministry as well as the Parliament of Malawi to prioritize tabling and enactment of the Bill to allow Malawi put in place a more appealing law that will effectively guide to disaster management in the country.

“There is need for investment in infrastructure that will help prevent disasters in the known disaster-prone areas. It is a known fact that some districts are well known for disasters such as floods. Districts such as Zomba and Chikwawa experience floods from the very same rivers. This being common knowledge now, the expectation is that Government will and must prioritize construction of flood protection structures such as dykes on such places to address the risks and contain the hazard”.

Association of Environmental Journalists (AEJ) in Malawi’s Secretary General Charles Mkoka chipped in saying; “Government should revisit the implementation of the National Clean-Up Day that was established in November, 2020. Much as the day was established to foster waste management in the country; it is more of a routine than a change that we want to see in waste management in the country. The National Clean-Up Day must be more of raising awareness about the rights and responsibility to a clean environment.

“The National Clean-Up Day must be a call to civil society organizations, private sector and even development partners to support district councils in waste management with the resources and expertise to properly manage wastes.And the National Clean-Up Day must be an opportunity to showcase the various ways of recycling so that people start seeing waste as raw materials”.

However, the task force told the news conference that while the grouping remain open to dialogue on issues raised, the committee requests Chakwera’s Tonse government to seriously consider taking action on the recommendations stipulated and put forward.

Environment, Malawi, Top News

CISONECC advances climate, disaster risk financing & insurance for better Malawi

Lloyd M’bwana
Participants to stakeholders inception workshop on climate and disaster risk financing in Malawi

SALIMA-(MaraviPost)-The country’s Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) has emphasized the need for Malawi leadership to embrace Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (CDRFI) initiative amid increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

This keeps on putting the lives and livelihoods of people under risks, especially people from poor and vulnerable communities.

Ironically, despite contributing the least of the total greenhouse gas emissions, Malawi and other developing countries are most affected by the impacts of climate change due to high vulnerability levels.

Disasters and climate change threaten the countries’ efforts to sustainable reduce poverty levels, by diverting resources from long-term development plans.

With an increase in occurrences of disasters, the cost of responding to disasters continues to increase, forcing countries to frequently divert finances for long-term development into short-term response measures.

Therefore, there is a need to shift from reactive crisis management towards pre-arranged financing for better preparedness and reliable disaster response hence CDRFI initiative.

CISONECC’s National Coordinator Julius Ng’oma told stakeholders inception workshop on climate and disaster risk financing in Malawi this week in Salima that the nation is not doing enough on the initiative to assist rural communities despite the country signing commitment regionally.

Ng’oma observed that for decade Malawi has shown little interest on the initiative to bail out farmers from adverse effects of climate change.

He therefore urged stakeholders in disasters risk management sector to partner with the country’s leadership in advancing CDRFI initiative

“The initiative is sorely protect the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable populations from the consequences of disasters by enabling faster, more reliable and more cost-effective responses to disasters.

“With the gathering, a number of insights will be generated to advance Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance for rural farmers who are the main victims on disasters,” says Ng’oma.

African Risk Capacity (ARC)’ Malawi’s Coordinator Dosahi Kadokera acknowledged the country’s failure to advance the initiative for the better citing technical hitches to secure tangible insurance.

Kadokera disclosed the nation will secure another insurance policy if current final plan for 2020/2021 accommodates the initiatives proposals after the initiative model challenges were rectified.

He said maize remains as reference crop with early maturing variety for Malawi as it is grown by many farmers.

“Since US$8.1 million ARC pay out in 2015/2016, Malawi has unable to secure another insurance policy due incompatibility of model which was long term while Malawi had short term. But the challenge has been rectified that soon the nation might buy another policy,” assures Kadokera.

Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) is implementing a project titled ‘Multistakeholder partnership on climate and disaster risk financing and preparedness in the context of the InsuResilience Global Partnership’ with funding from the government of German through CARE German and CARE Malawi.