The Lions Clubs International's multiple district 412 covering Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique has stressed the need for continued humanitarian aid to survivors of cyclone Freddy which claimed lives of about 1000 people this year in some parts of the country.
 
Council Chairperson of the district, Lion Victor Gondwe said this during an induction ceremony of new leaders and members of Mzuzu, Viphya, and Katoto Specialty Lions Clubs, where he noted that in most places that were hit by the cyclone, survivors still need aid.
 
“The Lions community is expecting a lot from the newly inducted Lions in serving the disadvantaged, just like those that are affected by cyclone Freddy,” said Lion Gondwe.
 
He added that being a Lion means a big thing in saving people who are in dire need of help.
 
Lions embrace the Lions Club International's Five Pillars of Service which include Vision, Hunger, Diabetes, Cancer, and Environment.
 
Guest of honor at the ceremony, business person and renowned IT governance expert, Lion Mathews Mtumbuka tipped his fellow Lions to explore other avenues of mobilizing resources that are used to provide support to those in need.
 
Said Lion Mtumbuka; “We know that Lions build schools, and provide different needs to the people, but there is a need for them to find other ways of generating resources than depending on their monthly salaries, assuming they are employees.”
 
Among others, Lions strive to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities, and support those in need through humanitarian services and grants that impact lives globally and encourage peace and international understanding.

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has convened a week-long engagement meeting with stakeholders in the telecommunication sector in Lilongwe, where they are discussing challenges that have rocked the sector and compromised quality of service to their customers.
 
Speaking Tuesday August 29, 2023 MACRA’s director of telecommunication Edward Kauka said the authority is overwhelmed with concerns from consumers on how poor telecommunication services are affecting their daily living. They cited frequent dropped calls and high internet cost as examples.
 
Kauka said this is unfortunate as telecommunication is regarded as very important tool in any development process, hence calling for the meeting to appreciate challenges the operators are going through, and see how best they can help to improve service provision.
 
“You will appreciate that our operators have been doing business in the country for some years now, but we keep receiving complaints from people about poor quality services on telecommunication. So, we thought it wise that we bring together all the stakeholders in the sector, to discuss all the challenges and map the way forward," said Kauka.
 
He added; “We have engaged an expert from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) who is going to facilitate the process, having done bench-marking across the world and he will direct us on the way forward.”
 
By the end of the exercise MACRA says it will revise Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and regulations to start punishing none-compliant operators, when found offering poor services to the people.
 
Commenting on the matter Executive Director for Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) John Kapito said, they anticipate a candid discussion with players in the telecommunication sector, having presented their grievances to the authority bordering on poor services.
 
“I think the cost of communicating in the country is a bit high, and we raised such issues with MACRA to intervene.
 
“High cost of data, challenges with connectivity and unreliable mobile money services have become the order of the day and we hope this meeting will help address them for us to start enjoying these services.”
 
Apart from CAMA, the regulator has invited participants from Airtel Malawi and TNM.