Malawi Observer

Malawi’s pioneer mobile network and ICT services provider, TNM Plc, has launched a converged communication solution that integrates Microsoft 365 into mobile voice and data for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Dubbed TNM SME Connect, the product integrates voice, data, and Microsoft business standard license under one roof aiming to address connectivity challenges faced by the SME sector.

“As a telecommunication company we understand that SMEs face numerous challenges that deter productivity as they strive to maintain agility. Recognizing these challenges, TNM has developed a comprehensive solution that integrates various telecommunication and connectivity features,” said Head of Brand and Marketing, Madalitso Jonazi.

He said the communication ecosystem has been designed to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and empower SMEs to thrive in an increasingly competitive market.

“At TNM, we understand the pivotal role that SMEs play in driving economic growth. With the launch of this solution, we are committed to empowering these businesses with the tools they require to be more productive,” he said.

TNM has assured of total dedication towards empowering SMEs with innovative solutions that drive their growth and foster success.

“As a company we would like to assure SMEs of innovations that help them adapt to evolving business needs with flexible and scalable infrastructure solutions, ensuring smooth growth without compromising their performance,” added Jonazi.

TNM Plc says it has a strong passion for innovation and a commitment to excellence, we are dedicated to empowering businesses of all sizes with cutting-edge solutions tailored to their unique needs.

Katoto Supermarket, a subsidiary of Weagle Holdings Limited has hiked sponsorship for Mzuzu and District Netball League to K5 million from last year’s K2 million.

Apart from the hike in sponsorship package, the league has also extended to teams in Nkhata- Bay and Mzimba districts after involving Mzuzu-based teams only in the first edition.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2024 edition launch on Saturday, Katoto Supermarket Managing Director, Matthews Mtumbuka said they value the development of sports in the country and that is why their corporate social responsibility opted for netball.

“We want to give back to the residents of Mzuzu. Most of our customers in our supermarkets are women, and we want to thank them in such a way while we promote the game of netball. We want to raise the game of netball in Mzuzu,” said Mtumbuka.

Technical Director for Netball Association of Malawi (NAM), Sam Kanyenda graced the occasion and said the Northern region has produced good players for the country’s national team and therefore needs a strong league to unearth talent just like Katoto Supermarket has done.

“When we have stronger leagues in regions, it makes it easy for us to identify the cream for the national team. We applaud Katoto Supermarket for widening its league base as we have talented youths in our districts but lack platforms,” said Kanyenda.

Mzuzu District Netball Committee’s Vice Secretary, Josephine Mkandawire assured the sponsor that all is in place to commence the league without hurdles.

“We have put measures in place to ensure we run a smooth league considering that we are now extending to other districts. We are banking on last year’s success and are determined to ensure we achieve the objectives of the league,” said Mkandawire.

The league will involve nine netball teams from Mzuzu, Chikangawa, Raiply, Ekwendeni, and Nkhata-Bay, and will be played on a round-robin format.

—

The Pacific Limited a firm currently repairing for free broken boreholes in Nsanje district has cited high water salinity levels in the district as a major factor contributing to broken boreholes in the district. 

The company’s borehole rehabilitation project Team leader, James Nsusa has told Malawi voice that for instance out of over 40 boreholes the firm has lined up to repair in Nsanje Central Constituency for free, almost half of them broke down due to the challenge of saline water . 

“The situation is really contributed to the wearing out of most borehole spare parts mainly the pedestals, pump heads, rods etc, there by rendering most boreholes unusable”, said Msusa. 

He added that as a solution to the challenge, the firm has resorted to using galvanised and stainless steel borehole spare parts in all the boreholes they are repairing instead of steel parts. 

On his part Nsanje, district water development officer, Chikumbutso Herema also acknowledged the challenge saying authorities in the district have been encouraging communities facing the challenge to be contributing little amount of money for them to be repairing the worn out spare parts every three months which he said most communities are unable to. 

Parliamentarian for Nsanje Central Constituency, Kafandikhale Mandevana in whose area the firm is currently carrying out the free borehole maintenance works said the challenge has been forcing him to be facilitating for the changing of the borehole spare parts every two years a development which he said has was costly . 

Currently the Pacific Limited has rehabilitated over 200 boreholes in Nsanje out of the 300 boreholes it has earmarked to repair while in Zomba the firm has repaired about 300 boreholes out of the of 500 boreholes it has lined up.

The Pacific Limited has renovated over 7,000 boreholes since 2015.

By IOMMIE CHIWALO

The mouth piece for the voiceless, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has penned Information, Communication and Technology Association of Malawi (ICTAM) to update Malawians on the outcome of interface meeting held with authorities regarding passport crisis. 

CDEDI is requesting for an update on the basis that the passport crisis is a human rights issue, since it hinges on the right to free movement, economic activity, education, health

and by extension life.

“Therefore, Malawians expected a lot from ICTAM. In view of the above, it is our belief that you will agree with us that in the interest of transparency and accountability, ICTAM ought to update the nation on this matter of national importance,” reads the letter from CDEDI addressed to ICTAM President Clarence Gama. 

CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa in the letter highlights that the follow up on the matter, especially at this hour, is important considering that ICTAM made a public undertaking as a

professional body to help in the current passport crisis, stemming from the crushing of the Passport Issuance System (PIS) designed by Techno Brain, through the Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement. 

According to Namiwa, now that there are reports that government had contracted a new passport supplier, there is need for an explanation from ICTAM if the state acting on upon its (ICTAM) recommendation to engage a completely new supplier.

Namiwa is also requesting for a timeline as to when should Malawians expect the assessment report of the system and how does the association justify its silence, given that it was engaged on March 8, 2024. 

“Let ICTAM explain to the inquisitive Malawians as to whether we have a parallel structure or ICTAM helped the DICS to recover the old system.

Thus far, you may wish to know Sir, that ICTAM’s decision to zero in on the passport crisis excited millions of Malawians since they trusted the association would give unbiased detailed account and a timely intervention,” says Namiwa. 

Initially ICTAM wrote the Director General for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services (DICS) offering to help.  But due to conflicting interests, the patriotic gesture was shot down.

However, in his televised national address, President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera invoked his executive powers to grant ICTAM its wish through directing that after conducting a thorough analysis of the ‘hacked’ PIS, the association should furnish the President’s office with a report.

Namiwa says Malawians are still looking forward to reading the much awaited report, which will help the citizenry that double as voters and taxpayers, to exercise their right to know, let alone have first hand information on what really went wrong, from a trusted professional body whose expertise and independence cannot be questioned. 

Meanwhile ICTAM Tsar is not picking up our phone calls as we tried to get his side of the story. 

Tecno Brain Limited contract was terminated by the Malawi Government but Malawians were still proud users of an e-passport, two years after the contractor left unceremoniously in 2021.

Two firms, Lloyd Electricals Limited locally owned by Hussein Nurmahomed Osman and Mauritius-based Teligenta are standing out as big boys that got a lion’s share in the Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO) as exposed by a forensic audit and investigation report by the Auditor General dated 13th February 2024.

Ownership of Teligenta Limited remains a mistery, with a strong belief that it is a front and the owners live in Malawi, and not Mauritius where the company was registered.

Our findings are linking Teligenta to the same Nurmahomed Osman.

When Mwenelupembe & Mhango Company, auditors outsourced by the Auditor General to conduct the audit attempted to get hold of the Teligenta owners in Mauritius through telephone numbers obtained from the company’s invoices, the one who picked the call cut the line immediately the subject was introduced, according to the audit report.

In case you have forgotten; Teligenta is the same firm which, alongside another company, got a K3 billion windfall from ESCOM in a contract to supply bulbs, just seven days before the Constitutional Court ordered a fresh presidential election in 2020.

If that controversy was not enough, this time around, Teligenta and Lloyd Electricals have pocketed about K4 billion from the K6.7 billion EGENCO financial mess caused through irregular procurements that largely did not follow laid down procedures and not approved by the PPDA.

While Teligenta managed to secure the contracts and dealt with EGENCO on high value transactions, it left the auditors puzzled because, according to the report, the company only has one director.

According to the audit report, the auditors established that businessman Abdul Karim Batatawala had two companies that participated in contracts with EGENCO, L & G Tools Engineering, which got a contract of about K3.5 million in March 2018 and Novatech Engineering, which was awarded a contract worth K56 million.

In total, Batatawala’s firms only got about K59.5 million out of the 6.7 billion contracts.

Other companies that received big contracts according to the audit report include Voith Hydro, CCGT, LLC, Atlas Copco, Silverleaf Computers, Circles Enterprises and Yokogawaa Electricals.

Another controversy the audit report has raised is a situation where Egenco was exposed to contempt of court.

There was a court matter between Midima Holdings Limited, owned by Ali Osman, Vs Techfab International of India. Egenco on April 22 2017 entered into contract with Techfab to build, supply, deliver, install and commission 30 megawatts diesel power generation plant and equipment for Lilongwe and Blantyre at a cost of USD12,549,620.

On April 11 2018, Midima Holdings, not a party to the contract, obtained a freezing injunction from the court against Egenco in the amount of USD905,598.19.

The court order required Egenco to pay Midima Holdings, but the power utility company did not and instead paid Techfab straight. Measures were, however, taken to correct the situation and prevent Egenco from contempt of court.

Putting up a disclaimer, the auditors said their work was performed as per the Terms of Reference (ToRs) and the work did not constitute an institutional audit opinion in accordance with the international standards of auditing.

“In the circumstances where we could not obtain adequate documentation, one should not rely on our work and report as being comprehensive as we may not have become aware of all facts or information that one would consider relevant.

Renowned Human rights activist, Undule Mwakasungula has challenged the board for the Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) to swiftly act on staff for the parastatals suspected to be involved in the K6.7 billion procurement scam at the company. 

In a statement issued Saturday, 14th, April, 2024, Mwakasungula observed that holding accountable those implicated in the corrupt practices at the company will go along way in discouraging further misconduct by other employees not only for Egenco but in all parastatals in the country. 

“Taking such measures of accountability will demonstrate the current government’s commitment to addressing issues raised in the audit and will in the end help in rebuilding public Trust in the management of parastatals in the country”, said Mwakasungula in a statement. 

His remarks come after a forensic report dated 13th February, 2024 carried out by Mwenelupembe, Mhango and company has uncovered serious procurement irregularities at Egenco between January 2017 and March, 2024.

According to the audit report, the alleged miss procurement is said to be connected to unissued items in stock, unauthorised requisitions and rampant single sourcing of materials and services instead of sourcing through national competitive bidding (NCB),among others. 

The report also details that from the K6.7 billion query, Egenco has K447.6 million unissued stock from 2018 purchases, another K224 million from 2018/19 purchases, K479.5 million from 2019 purchases and K679.9 million for 2020 purchases, all totalling about K1.8 billion.

Other grey areas according the to the report, relate to gross financial mismanagement totalling K240.5 million, out of which K16.5 million was given to the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), K117 million was the cost of an international training programmes which the company ought to have conducted locally while K106.7 million was conducted for irregular car hires.

Meanwhile Egenco board chairperson Zanga Zanga Chikhosi is quoted in the local media as indicating that the report will be deliberated upon by the various committees of the board’s governance structure whose findings will be forwarded to the full board for appropriate action.

NBS Bank Plc has expanded its digital offerings by launching a Corporate EazyApp to cater to corporate client’s needs.

The Bank’s Acting Head of Marketing and Customer Experience James Chikaonda said in an interview yesterday that the strategic expansion complements the existing retail application, enhancing the bank’s digital ecosystem by providing a tailored, efficient, and secure online banking experience for corporate users.

“This application is a testament to NBS Bank’s innovative approach, aiming to provide corporate clients with a comprehensive suite of digital banking tools that empower them to manage their finances effectively and make informed decisions swiftly.”

“With the Corporate EazyApp, NBS Bank reaffirms its status as a forward-thinking financial institution that understands and responds to the evolving needs of its corporate clientele, while continuing to uphold the values of care and convenience that define its brand,” said Chikaonda.

He added that the application signifies the ‘Caring Bank’s commitment to facilitating seamless financial management and operational efficiency for businesses, aligning with its promise to make banking ‘Eazy’ for all customer segments.

The Corporate EazyApp, among other advantages, facilitates easy and quick transfer of funds between intra-banks and inter-banks, allows users to access and review bank statements, and maintains a structured system for transaction verification.

According to the bank, the new application also incorporates roles for inputters, auditors and authorizers to ensure security and compliance, providing an audit trail and accountability for financial activities.