MALAWI: The Sugar Shortage & more – 3rd June 2025

Muli bwanji from BA! This is the Rorshok Malawi Update from the 3rd of June twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Malawi.

Back in April, we reported that the Ministry of Health said it had registered some cases of MPox in Lilongwe in the Central Region, and that they had everything under control. However, articles from Tuesday the 3rd said that the Ministry confirmed new cases within the district, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to fifteen.

According to local news, Malawi is one of sixteen countries with Mpox outbreaks and a shortage of vaccines. The Public Health Institute said that the disease was mainly affecting immune-compromised people aged between seventeen and forty-one, but that they are still carrying out investigations to find out the cause of the infections.

In our last episode, we also mentioned that there was a nationwide sugar shortage worsened by illegal sugar exports, which had led to sugar prices doubling on local markets.

On Wednesday the 28th, the Ministry of Trade and Industry refused to give Illovo Sugar Malawi, the country’s biggest sugar manufacturer, an export permit, so that the company could focus on supplying sugar locally. The Ministry, Illovo, and security agencies are also working together to arrest traders who are exporting sugar illegally.

Local news revealed that, although local sugar aisles in stores are empty, neighboring countries like Zambia have the commodity in their stores. Locals and bodies like the Center for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives said the sugar shortage is man-made and accused the government of lacking serious border control.

In more updates, Michael Usi, the country’s Vice President, officially registered his Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu party. Recall that we reported that Usi held a rally for the party before registering it with the Registrar of Political Parties.

On Sunday the 1st, Happy Kondowe, the party’s Secretary General, said they registered the party on Friday the 30th, and revealed that they now have a Constitution that is certified by the National Planning Commission.

He said they will start their nomination process on Tuesday the 10th, and urged locals wishing to represent the party in the Parliament and Local Government to prepare for the elections.

These developments mean the party will be contesting in the upcoming September general elections.

Speaking of elections, the opposing United Transformation Movement (or UTM) party started conducting its primary elections on Sunday the 1st, and will finish them on Thursday the 5th.

Felix Njawala, the UTM Publicity Secretary, said they will host the primaries in sixty-one of 229 constituencies, because that’s where they have more than one candidate wanting to contest in the September elections. He said they will endorse candidates who have no opponents.

The UTM conducted primaries in districts like Chitipa in the Northern Region, and will be hosting the same in other districts, including Mzuzu and Mzimba in the Northern Region, Lilongwe in the Central Region, and Zomba in the Southern Region.

On that note about the UTM, it might form an electoral alliance with the Alliance for Democracy party.

On Tuesday the 3rd, both parties told local media that their current discussions are about strategy and choosing possible leaders ahead of the elections. However, they said there is a lot they still need to discuss, and that they will only have the full details after the 20th of June. Until then, they’re keeping their discussions under wraps.

Even though there are a lot of primary elections happening across the country, there is one set for Saturday the 7th at Nsanje in the Southern Region that has a lot of people on the edge of their seats.

Walter Nyamilandu, a Senior Sports Administrator and former president of the Football Association of Malawi, will be going against Dalitso Kabambe, the UTM President and former Reserve Bank Governor.

Local news said this election has drawn nationwide interest because of the popularity of both figures, whom most people love and respect. Political analysts told local news that this may be one of the defining moments of the twenty twenty-five electoral season.

Talking about opposition parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (or DPP) might lose public trust following the arrest of Jappie Mhango, the Vice President of the DPP of the Northern Region, on Monday the 2nd.

Local news said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (or ACB) arrested Mhango on allegations that he abused his office between twenty sixteen and twenty seventeen, when he served as the Minister of Transport and Public Works under the DPP administration.

According to an ACB statement, Mhango authorized the sale of government houses belonging to his Ministry at undervalued prices, resulting in the government losing money. One of the properties was sold to his close relative.

In other news, The Malawi Investment and Trade Center (or MITC) bagged a five-billion-dollar investment deal from China that will go towards the development of Chipoka in Salima district in the Central Region, turning it into a Chinese-style model city, making it a hub for industrial growth, trade, and bilateral cooperation, according to local news.

Kruger Phiri, the Director General of MITC, signed the Special Economic Zone agreement during the Xidian International Stock Exchange forum in China, after pitching to an audience of over 300 prominent Chinese business leaders.

The government has partnered with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and launched the Malawi Agricultural Cluster Initiative (or MACI), which they say will revolutionize Malawi’s agricultural sector.

On Saturday the 31st, local news said MACI aims to boost productivity, coordination and commercialization across agricultural value chains. Pearson Soko, the Director of Extension Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, said MACI will address challenges that have limited Malawi’s agricultural potential, such as low productivity and low private sector investment.

He said MACI will first target under-invested produce like soybeans and groundnuts. Agriculture employs over seventy percent of the local population, so MACI could be a huge income generator for many farmers.

Meanwhile, the Sports Writers Association of Malawi will host the country’s first-ever World Sports Journalists Day celebrations on the 2nd of July under the theme Sports Journalism for Integrity, Peace & Inclusivity. World Sports Journalists Day recognizes the vital role of sports journalists in promoting integrity, unity and excellence through ethical reporting. It was established in nineteen ninety-four by the International Sports Press Association.

Wesysylas Chirwa, the Association’s General Secretary, said it is time for Malawi to join the rest of the world in honoring sports journalists, who he believes shape and safeguard the soul of sports.

If you want to host a national event, then you may want to check the National Arts and Heritage events calendar first.

On Tuesday the 3rd, the Department of Arts in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture urged all event organizers to comply with the calendar to avoid issues such as scheduling conflicts and calendar congestion.

Humphrey Mpondaminga, the Department’s Director, told local media that local events keep overlapping, making it hard for all creative players to have the visibility and impact they need. He said the Department shared the calendar with all stakeholders, and that locals can also request it from the Department.

The Cancer Survivors Quest has some events lined up for this month, so you may start seeing a lot of cancer messages soon.

On Friday the 30th, Chikhulupiliro Ng’ombe, the Executive Director and Founder of the Quest, told local media that they have organized a cancer awareness campaign from Tuesday the 10th to Friday the 13th in Blantyre in the Southern Region. The campaign aims to educate the general public, especially those in rural areas, on how they can take care of cancer patients physically and mentally.

Since the Cancer Survivors Quest is an organization of cancer survivors, Ng’ombe believes the campaign will also give hope to cancer patients.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Pitani bwino!