NBM plc Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager Akossa Hiwa
Listed National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc has rolled out a Valentine promotion dubbed ‘Va Ma Love Ndi Mo’ where customers will walk away with cash prizes totaling to K6 million.
NBM plc Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager Akossa Hiwa said in an interview yesterday that at least 120 customers with the highest number of transactions on the Bank’s digital platforms will have K50,000 credited to their accounts to boost their Valentine’s Day budgets.
“We are all aware that the year 2021 has started out on a sour note due to the recent upsurge of the Covid-19 pandemic and as a bank we thought of celebrating St Valentines with our customers and prospective customers to bring positivity and hope.”
“Eligible channels for this promotion are Mo626 Ice, Mo 626 Digital + and BankNet 360. We would like our customers to embrace digital channels as they are both safe and convenient. With the ‘Va Ma Love Ndi Mo’ promotion, we will reward those with the highest transaction counts on payments, top-ups, wallet and account money transfers. Valentine’s Day gives us all the perfect opportunity to enjoy some lighthearted moments with loved ones and the promotion leverages on this to drive the uptake of digital channels in line with the Bank’s Digitization strategy,” said Hiwa.
She said the promotion started on February 5 and would close on 10th February 2021.
The promotion has excited the bank’s customers with many of them saying they have already started using the digital platforms.
“I have done a lot of digital transactions, I need to win,” one customer Edith Mkwaila wrote on the Bank’s social media page.
Another customer, Tionge Kalua, wrote that they had already transacted “We have already done the transactions”.
National Oil Company of Malawi(Nocma) has been caught pants down after forcing Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) to award two companies contracts without following procurement procedures as laid down in an Act of Parliament.
According to impeccable source from Nocma, the companies being illegally awarded are Tanzanian based Lake Oil Limited and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Shipping Company (LPG).
“It’s illegal process. All necessary legal steps were waived because Mkaka ordered the board to do so. If these companies are awarded, the import bill will increase to $50million,” our source said who is a board member of MERA.
According to Malawi Voice investigation, the ones on the fore front pushing for those illegal deals are Secretary to the Office of President and Cabinet (SPC) Zangazanga Chikhosi and Nocma Deputy CEO Helen Buluma and ‘prime minister’ Mkaka who happens to be the Secretary General of MCP.
“I can tell you that Nocma is rotten from the head to toes. People are sharing money like Manna from Heaven. It’s free for all. We are being used to siphon money for Chakwera 2025 bid. This is why you see everything is going haywire in this administration. We are here to ‘cover the boss’. All boards have been ordered to do the same and create more board meetings for the same reasons as CEO’s have no say in all this free for all plunder,” said the source who has promised us to give more details in our subsequent publication.
Mkaka and Buluma are said to be in love affairs according to grapevine reports.
Last year President Chakwera ordered the firing of Buluma but up to now the Presidential directive has been disobeyed because the lady is in love affairs with the ‘PM’.
MSAPATO: it is important that customers should transact safely and minimize travelling to the bank branches as a COVID-19 preventive measure.
Listed FDH Bank plc has launched ‘Tiyeni Pa Agent’ promotion to encourage customers to bank with ease within their communities using Banki Pakhomo Agents found across the country.
FDH Bank Head of Personal and Business Banking Kawawa Msapato said transacting using Banki Pakhomo Agents provides convenience to customers by providing an easily accessible platform for them to transact quickly without travelling a long distance to visit the bank branches in their respective districts.
He said further to this, in this time of COVID-19, it is important that customers should transact safely and minimize travelling to the bank branches as a COVID-19 preventive measure.
“In the ‘Tiyeni Pa Agent’ promotion, customers that deposit a minimum of K30, 000 in their account via a Banki Pakhomo Agent and maintain it for at least one month stand a chance of winning K1 Million in the grand draw at the end of the promotion,” said Msapato.
The promotion will run from 8 February to 8 June 2021 and has monthly prizes of K250, 000 to one lucky customer and K50, 000 each to 10 lucky customers.
“As an innovative bank in a fast paced digital world, the bank remains committed to providing customers with relevant solutions that improve their banking experience and champion financial inclusion.”
“Banki Pakhomo Agents allow people in rural, semi-urban and urban areas access financial services easily such as opening of bank accounts, making account deposits, bill payments, funds transfers and account withdrawals, among others,” explained Msapato.
He urged customers in need of banking services to wear a mask and go to Banki Pakhomo Agents for service. Tiyeni Pa Agent.
Shame! ‘Prime Minister’ Eisenhower Mkaka who is also President Lazarus Chakwera’s green eyed boy and another powerful cabinet minister Richard Chimwendo Banda are on a corruption rampage, demanding K50 million from each and every Asian who wants to to bid for MAREP TENDERS, if they want to be successful, we can exclusively reveal.
“With the blessings of President Chakwera, Malawi Congress Party established a committee chaired by their Treasurer General Albert Mbawala, to look at allocations of MAREP tenders and that Chakwera and his errand boys should make a good fortune from it,” insiders have revealed.
“From the directives of the President, the Committee had to include Mkaka and Chimwendo as they were the ones to report to the President directly and make sure the proceeds reached to him in preparation for the 2025 polls,” added our impeccable source.
Mkaka and Chimwendo are now holding various meetings with Asian businessmen interested to bid for MAREP tenders to pay their ‘cut’ for them to be considered for the contracts.
We can also reveal that the green-jacketed ministers duo approached one mmwenye (name withheld) at Capital Hotel few days ago, where they demanded to be given MK50m so that they squeeze him in the list of suppliers.
The excited cabinet duo are said to have collected more than K500 million in the scam.
Some Asians who are hesitant to pay the K50 million have been threatened to be deported or have their permits revoked by Chimwendo Banda in his capacityas Homeland Affairs Minister.
Meanwhile, Secretary for Ministry of Energy Patrick Matanda is not enjoying his work as he is under intense pressure from Mkaka and Chimwendo Banda to make sure that the Asians who have paid up are given the contracts.
Another senior official at the ministry who is being chocked by Mkaka and Chimwendo is Rexa Gama who has been told to do what the cabinet members want.
Some Asians have tipped the toothless Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on this issue and the bureau is said to have opened 14 files and are awaiting for the appointment of their Director to go ahead with the investigations.
MCP crocodiles have sunk their teeth deep into the flesh of UTM member Chrissie Kanyasho Kalamula who is a member of Lazarus Chakwera’s cabinet.
The crocodiles have picked a bone with Kanyasho’s absence after she travelled on holiday to the US while the country is battling the devastating Covid-19 pandemic where the Ministry of Health is required to provide leadership.
Kanyasho is Deputy Minister of Health.
Led by MCP executive member Ezekiel Ching’oma, the bloody toothed crocodiles have torn Kanyasho apart on social media, accusing her of absconding from duty.
The venomous crocodiles claim that at the time the country needed her support in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, she chose to fly out to see her family in Washington DC, USA.
The reptiles seem to get motivation in their carnivorous behaviour on Kalamula by the fact that their member, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, has become the face of the fight against Covid-19.
In her capacity as Minister of Health, Kandodo Chiponda is leading daily updates on the pandemic.
The hungry MCP media team has since asked Chakwera to dismiss Kalamula from the cabinet.
Kalamula has defended herself saying she travelled with the approval of the State President, as protocol demands.
Kalamula is also Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament.
From Day One, MCP and UTM have been inconvenient bedfellows in the Tonse Alliance administration with their respective media team regularly trading salvos on social media.
Campaign for DPP Presidency has reached a climax level with two DPP candidates Daliso Kabambe and Joseph Mwanamveka still courting DPP eligible voters to the convention despite COVID-19 spike.
Kabambe is on Thursday February, 2021 afternoon meeting Northern region delegates at regional level after meeting Kasungu district governors in the morning while Mwanamveka popularly known as “Mwanasound’ is still camping in the central region to woo voters to vote for him.
Kabambe whom some people have nicknamed “Mr 28 m” after his RBM salary, is sneaking to the North. Kabambe is touring the North barely two weeks after holding similar meetings in the Central Region where all each governor carted home K80, 000.
Apparently no top leadership is alarmed by these two leaders crisscrossing the country a midst COVID-19 which deadly as Ebola.
Mwanamveka as the Minister of Finance was the boss of Kabambe who by that time was the Governor of RBM.
Kawawa (left) hands over the medical equipment to Kandodo-Chiponda
Listed National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc has contributed a total of K70 million towards the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic following the declaration of a state of disaster by President Lazarus Chakwera on 12th January 2021.
The Bank contributed K10 million through the Citizens Response to Covid-19 Initiative a few days ago and has further released K60 million worth of medical supplies to the Minister of Health Hon. Khumbize Kandodo-Chiponda.
Speaking in Blantyre at a symbolic presentation of the items, NBM plc Chief Executive Officer Mr. Macfussy Kawawa said the Bank has responded to the call by President Chakwera to unite in the fight against Covid-19.
“We have made this commitment for two reasons- first, we believe that at a time such as this, solidarity and collaboration are vital in ensuring that Malawi’s response to Covid-19 is successful. Second, not only have the operations of Bank been affected, our customers and suppliers and the communities within which we operate have also been negatively affected.”
“As the Bank of the Nation, we felt it necessary to contribute towards response efforts for the greater good and for a better business environment. We take this as our contribution towards such an investment. We recognize that our Bank has successfully grown because of the support rendered by people of Malawi. We are therefore duty bound to step in and contribute whatever we can in these times of crisis,” said Mr. Kawawa.
Kawawa(left) presents the K60 million cheque to Kandodo Chiponda as fellow cabinet colleagues Gospel Kazako looks on
The NBM CEO added that Bank also supported the fight against Covid-19 during the ‘first wave’ of the pandemic in 2020 with the provision of medical equipment to Blantyre District Health Office and College of Medicine, masks for vulnerable pupils in Blantyre through the Blantyre City Council mask drive and implementation of customer awareness/safety measures within all its physical locations to the value of K49 million.
“As the Bank of the Nation, we are still here to help in whatever way we can so that we save lives of our customers, friends and families hence our commitment to continue supporting these efforts where necessary. We are all in this together until we defeat the pandemic. We have all the hope that this pandemic will be contained and we will go back to our normal lives again,” said Mr. Kawawa.
Receiving the donation, Minister of Health Hon. Khumbize Kandodo-Chiponda, who was accompanied by fellow cabinet colleague Minister of Information Gospel Kazako hailed NBM plc for its commitment to the nation, adding that it would help ease gaps in health care provision. She added that the items would be distributed to key need areas across the country following an assessment by the Covid-19 response team.
“We are very grateful to NBM plc for this contribution. As you aware, the strain on the health sector is unprecedented. Therefore, the situation calls for support from all sectors of the country in order to win this fight against the pandemic,” said Hon. Kandodo-Chiponda.
Since the first case of Corona virus was reported in Malawi in April 2020, more than 500 people have died from the disease. Addressing the Nation on Sunday, President Chakwera said in 310 days against the fight of the pandemic, a total of 17,963 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the past seven days, which is an average of 2566 tests per day, representing a 50% increase on the average number of daily tests the week before.
health care provision. She added that the items would be distributed to key need areas across the country following an assessment by the Covid-19 response team.
“We are very grateful to NBM plc for this contribution. As you aware, the strain on the health sector is unprecedented. Therefore, the situation calls for support from all sectors of the country in order to win this fight against the pandemic,” said Hon. Kandodo-Chiponda.
Since the first case of Corona virus was reported in Malawi in April 2020, more than 500 people have died from the disease. Addressing the Nation on Sunday, President Chakwera said in 310 days against the fight of the pandemic, a total of 17,963 coronavirus tests have been conducted in the past seven days, which is an average of 2566 tests per day, representing a 50% increase on the average number of daily tests the week before.
The Trustees of National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Pension Fund have migrated NBM plc ex-employees’ benefits from the Fund to Nico Life Assurance Company effective 1st January 2021.
Announcing the change in Blantyre, NBM Pension Administration Limited Chief Executive Officer William Mabulekesi said the move has been necessitated because of the differences in risk profiles for active employees and pensioners (retirees).
He said the concerned members are those who retired from NBM plc on or before 31st May 2014.
Mabulekesi explained that when the Pension Act became effective on 1st June 2011 there was a provision of a three year transitional period which expired on 31st May 2014 where employees retired in this period had 40% of part of the total accumulated pension benefit was accounted as cash lump sum while 60% the residual balance remained in NBM Pension Fund to cover for their monthly pension receipts for life.
“This means that the underlying assets relating to residual balance for the ex-employees remained in the Fund and invested together with the portfolio for active employees. It must be borne in mind that membership of a particular pension fund is employment based. So if a member retires from service automatically he exits the Fund.”
“But Pensioners and active members have different risk profiles. For example a pensioner is guaranteed to receive monthly income for life after commuting part of their benefits depending on the rules of the Fund applicable then. While active employees on the other hand are contributing to the Fund every month with a view to maximize return till retirement age or a certain condition is fulfilled and get part thereof as cash lump sum on retirement at a certain date in future.”
“Therefore the investment strategy of the assets of these two groups of members cannot be the same because they are pursuing different objectives as far as Pension Fund is concerned. This paradox therefore created a challenge when it comes to distribution of bonuses at the end of the year because each segment of membership is pursuing a different agenda,” explained Mabulekesi.
He said pensioners and active members have different bonus declaration policies yet the assets were invested together.
“This also created an element of subsidy from active employees to pensioners and brought inequality in as far as bonus distribution in the Fund was concerned. The Trustees consulted all key stakeholders including actuaries of the Fund who gave guidance to take this course of action,” said Mabulekesi.
He said Nico Life emerged as a successful bidder from licensed Annuity service providers in the market after an expression of interest was floated. NICO met all the terms of reference including affordability of the Fund to pay the liabilities.
Mabulekesi assured the members to feel at home at Nico Life since they are to join a bigger pool of about 2,000 pensioners thereby leveraging the Law of Large numbers.
“In addition, they are joining an annuity portfolio which ably suits their objective of guaranteed monthly pension receipts for life. In the Annuity Fund this agenda is well defined in contrast to being in a pool combined with active employees of NBM plc who are aspiring a different ambition altogether,” said Mabulekesi.
Mabulekesi also said all pensioners who currently receive their monthly pension pay-outs through NBM Pensions Administration Limited, will now be receiving the same from Nico Life.
“In light of this development, the Board of Trustees is calling all the concerned pensioners to avail themselves at NBM Pensions Administration Limited Offices in Blantyre or any of their nearest Service Centre of National Bank of Malawi plc, where they will be requested to sign a Consent Form as proof that they are in agreement to the migration of their residual pension benefits to NICO Life Assurance Company,” said Mabulekesi.
He said if the concerned NBM plc pensioners do not contact them to sign the Consent Form within 30 days, it will be assumed they are agreeable to this arrangement and the Trustees will proceed transferring the residual balance to NICO Life Assurance Company from where they will be receiving their monthly pension payments for life.
Manguluti (left) presents the cheque to Dr Mithi while Dr Collins Mitambo hold a new patient monitor
Malawi’s premier mobile network and ICT services provider, TNM plc, has donated various items including drugs, medical equipment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), airtime and data bundles worth over K100 million towards the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The K100 million donation covers costs for PPEs for 1000 doctors and health workers that comprises of full body safety overalls, goggles, surgical gloves, shoe covers and disposable gloves; assorted medical equipment that includes nebulizers and patient monitors as well as Covid-19 essential drugs that includes dexamethasone, enoxaparine/heparine, tramadol, Lente insulin and Brufen.
Additionally, the K100m will also cover the cost of airtime and data for covid-19 doctors and frontline staff for three months. To wrap it up, TNM Plc will use its network facilities to educate its 4.1 million customers about how they can protect themselves from Covid-19 with information from qualified medical professionals through SMSs. The capital items and drugs will be shared amongst QECH, Zomba, Mzuzu and Kamuzu Central hospitals.
Presenting the donation on Saturday, TNM Chief Channels Officer Phyllis Manguluti said as a truly Malawian company, and in keeping with its purpose of creating possibilities and transforming lives, TNM plc will always look inwards first to the people who have helped the company become what it is today.
“This pandemic has affected all of us and we thought we should be a responsible corporate citizen and make this donation because everyone is affected, our stakeholders, our customers, our business partners, almost everyone is affected,” said Manguluti.
“Being a communication and ICT company we also thought we should help in this area by helping our doctors and medical personnel with data and airtime because communication is very critical in times like these,” added Manguluti.
Manguluti (left) hands over the cheque to Dr Mithi
She said TNM plc’s response is precise to what the Society of Medical Doctors had presented to the company namely PPEs for health personnel, communication tools for coordination purposes amongst health personnel and finally drugs to support patients.
Receiving the donation, President of the Society of Medical Doctors in Malawi (SMD) Dr. Victor Mgonjetsi Mithi hailed TNM plc for the gesture saying medical personnel need support from all sectors during the crisis.
“We are very happy with the gesture that TNM has done. We were facing struggles in terms of communicating or tracing of patients and also sending the right messages to the people about the disease. We are happy that now we will be able to reach 4.1 million people through free SMS with right messages about the disease which will help us in fighting this pandemic,” said Mithi.
He also hailed TNM plc for the data bundles and airtime to medical personnel saying it will ease communication needs and collaboration amongst all frontline covid-19 staff in the country.
“TNM has also provided 1000 high-end PPEs that comprise of full body safety overalls, goggles, surgical gloves, shoe covers and disposable gloves for health workers which are very grateful for. It is sad that over 900 health workers have been infected with the diseases with 150 of them just last week alone. So this donation will secure the health of our health workers so that we fight this disease with vigour,” said Mithi.
President Lazarus Chakwera is set to appoint three former ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP) gurus in his anticipated new cabinet which he will dub ‘cabinet of national unity’, we can reveal.
Our credible information indicates that the inclusion of the three namely Chimwemwe Chipungu, Bright Msaka and Joseph Mwanamvekha will effectively lead to a longer term ‘electoral relationship’ between Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the DPP.
The broker of the deal is Chakwera’s powerful Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga who arranged a meeting in December 2020 between Chakwera and DPP leader and former President Peter Mutharika in Mangochi where the negotiations for a working relationship between the two parties started.
We can also reveal that Chakwera and Mutharika are set to meet on Tuesday in Lilongwe privately taking advantage of the Covid-19 low capacity activities at Kamuzu Palace.
Our information which has been independently verified by people from both camps indicates that Chakwera and Mutharika agreed on the working pact during the famous Chakwera visit to Mutharika’s retirement home in Mangochi in December 2020.
Among the issues that the two leaders agreed and will finalize during the Tuesday meeting in Lilongwe include the fielding of Former Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) Governor Dalitso Kabambe as runningmate to Chakwera in 2025 elections. Kabambe recently joined the DPP and is being touted as Mutharika’s favourite to succeed him as DPP leader.
Mutharika is said to have pleaded with Chakwera to unfreeze his bank accounts and not charge him with any crime on the K5 billion cement duty scandal.
The two leaders also agreed that some of DPP sympathizers should remain in their positions in government and that those who have been recently arrested on various graft charges should have either their cases delayed or frustrated until they are thrown out by the courts.
True to the agreement, government has renewed contracts of well-known DPP cadets namely Zacchaeus Meke as Postmaster General at Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC), Rhoda Misomali as Chief Executive Officer of Airport Developments Limited (ADL), Symon Mandala as Director General of Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) and Hellen Buluma who will soon be promoted to Chief Executive Officer at National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma).
We can also reveal that the ‘steering committee’ of the alliance agreement consist of Kapondamgaga on the MCP side and Brown Mpinganjira and Joseph Mwanamvekha on the DPP side. The committee is expected to meet this weekend in Lilongwe in preparation for the Chakwera-Mutharika meeting on Tuesday next week.
