Malawi joins West and East Africa’s One Network Service

Malawi has joined 12 countries in West and East Africa to extend its network of having a borderless mobile network called « One Network, » a service that eliminates the need for roaming facilities.

The One Network countries include Nigeria, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, Congo Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.

Celtel Malawi’s Marketing Director, Charles Maye, told journalists during the official launch of the One Network in Lilongwe that the service is a convenient and cost-effective service for its customers.

Maye added that the Celtel Group had to put weighty consideration at the needs of developing African economies.

« The fledgling economies of our continent need a robust, borderless and timeless mobile communication service to achieve sustainable growth and beat the poverty trap through trade, » he said.

For a trade to flow smoothly between countries and regions, he said, a reliable telecommunications service is needed.

He said he believes that One Network will act as a solution to Non-Tariff Barriers (NTB) for trade and make it easier and cheaper for the Southern African Development Community, the Common Market for East and Southern Africa and the Economic for West African States do their business as one.

In the past, Africa had very limited telecommunication options like telephone, fax and postal mail, he noted.

Maye added that the advent of globalisation has given rise to the proliferation of modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools such as internet and mobile telephones.

During the launch, Deputy Minister of Information John Bande said the introduction of One Network Service is another milestone in the ICT development in the country.

Black Leopards plan Malawi tour

Black Leopards, who have Malawian players Peter Mponda, Robert Ng'ambi and Fischer Kondowe in their squad, are set to strengthen their ties with Malawi football in January when they are scheduled to tour Blantyre.

Reports from the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) indicate that Black Leopards have written to the association proposing a series of friendly matches with four top Super League teams.

FAM manager Suzgo Nyirenda confirmed to Kick Off in Blantyre that the association had since referred Black Leopards’ proposal to the Super League of Malawi.

Current Super League leaders and defending champions MTL Wanderers have since expressed interest in hosting Lidoda Duvha.

Escom United, Silver Strikers and Big Bullets are also keen to play the South Africans.

If the trip takes place, Leopards will be the second PSL team to visit Malawi in the past three years.

Jomo Cosmos were the last team to make the trip and they lost 2-1 to Big Bullets at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.

Pupils' Malawi orphans help gets TV accolade

PUPILS at a Kirkham school are celebrating after big success on the small screen.
Youngsters at The Willows Primary School, on Victoria Road, starred in an award-winning television programme after helping orphans in the African state of Malawi.

They featured in ITV1's current affairs series Granada Edition which has won the Royal Television Society award for Best Regional Current Affairs Programme.

The programme showed Preston-based charity Friends of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) giving an assembly at The Willows Primary School and followed pupils and parents collecting hundreds of uniforms, shoes, and football kits to send to Africa.

Their help means that 4,000 Malawian children – many of them orphans – can go to school and make a better life for themselves through education.

Enjoyed

Peter Croft, headteacher at The Willows, said: "Our children were very moved by the assembly presented by the charity and they were motivated to go out and do something practical that had a real impact on the lives of the children in Malawi.

"Knowing we were helping the orphans in itself was a great experience for all of us, and the excitement of having the television crew was a bonus which we enjoyed."

The Granada film crew recorded the FOMO assembly and the pupils collecting all the donations.

They then travelled to Malawi with former footballer Viv Anderson to see how the orphans were being helped.

The episode won Best Regional Current Affairs Programme and the award was presented to the Granada team by the Royal Television Society at a ceremony in Manchester's Hilton hotel.

Series producer Gerrie Byrne said: "We were overwhelmed by the generosity at The Willows and even now, months after we filmed and the programme went out, parents are still donating uniforms which their children have grown out of."