Nyasa Times — Malawi's trusted source for national and community news

CapeStars Limited has entered a five-year sponsorship agreement with Impakt Events Management to support the annual Sand Music Festival, in a partnership organisers say is intended to bolster Malawi's tourism sector. Announcing the deal in Blantyre, CapeStars Director of Finance and Administration Rachael Mijiga said the investment was aimed at supporting tourism development, stimulating economic [...]

Prominent civil society activist Sylvester Namiwa will spend at least another week behind bars after the High Court set next Wednesday as the date to hear his bid for bail. The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) executive director's lawyers have already lodged an urgent application seeking his release from police custody — [...]

FDH Bank has pledged K1bn to Malawi's Higher Education Students' Loans and Grants Board (HESLGB), in one of the largest private-sector interventions yet aimed at expanding access to university education for financially disadvantaged students. The commitment is expected to support approximately 154 students annually who would otherwise struggle to meet tuition and related costs. Noel [...]

Malawi's Parliament has given the green light to Bill No. 9 of 2026 — the Banking (Amendment) Bill — in a move designed to shore up the country's banking sector and better protect ordinary customers' savings. The Bill was tabled by Finance and Economic Planning Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha, who told MPs the new law would [...]

A Malawian MP has made the extraordinary claim that some of his fellow parliamentarians show up to work drunk — and has called for breathalysers to be introduced in the chamber to stop it. Democratic Progressive Party MP Noel Lipipa, who represents Blantyre City Chilomoni, made the eyebrow-raising allegation during a chaotic sitting of the [...]

Malawian MPs have turned their attention to an unlikely issue amid debate on a major overhaul of the country's banking laws — demanding that banks be legally required to provide toilets for customers. The call was made by Mzimba South MP Emmanuel Chambulanyina Jere, of the Malawi Congress Party, during second-reading debate on the Banking [...]

Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says it is concerned after Team Malawi completed its campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow without winning a single medal. Before the Games, Sports Minister Alfred Gangata had urged the team to end a medal drought stretching back 40 years. But athletes competing across swimming, judo, boxing, [...]

Senior officials from the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) were spotted at the Fiscal Police in Lilongwe this morning, sparking fresh questions over the commission's finances. Sources close to MEC have revealed that those summoned for questioning include Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mpesi, Director of Finance Khumbo Phiri, Deputy CEO for Finance and Administration Andrew Kankwalala, [...]

Malawian singer Driemo is poised for his biggest international moment yet — after landing a spot on the bill for the star-studded Africa Connect concert in Harare, Zimbabwe. The homegrown hitmaker will perform alongside some of the continent's most in-demand acts, including Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Ayra Starr, Tanzanian favourite Diamond Platnumz and Zambia's Yo Maps, [...]

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation, Joseph Mwanamvekha, has presented the Banking (Amendment) Bill, No. 9 of 2026, to Parliament, proposing tougher regulatory measures aimed at protecting depositors and reinforcing stability within the country's financial sector. Under the proposed legislation, the Registrar of Financial Institutions would be granted expanded powers to intervene where a [...]

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri is set to take centre stage at the 7th Annual Wealth Creation Conference, where he is expected to share his insights on practical wealth creation strategies for navigating Malawi's turbulent economic climate. The high-profile event, hosted by Sycamore Consult, will be held at the Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre on 7 August 2026, [...]

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango has revealed government has signed a fresh supplementary agreement with the Chinese government to finally revive the long-stalled judicial service complex project sitting directly opposite Parliament in Lilongwe. Speaking candidly in Parliament on Monday, Mhango didn't mince his words in describing the site's sorry state, branding it [...]

Prominent commentator Idriss Ali Nasser has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the arrest of activist Sylvester Namiwa, arguing that authorities badly misjudged their response and inadvertently elevated the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) executive director's standing by choosing to detain him. The State has charged Namiwa with treason and publication of [...]

President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has delegated Second Vice-President Enock Kanzingeni Chihana to represent him at this year's Umthetho Cultural Festival, set to bring vibrant celebration to the foot of Hora Mountain in Mzimba District this Saturday, 8 August. The annual festival, held under the leadership of His Majesty Inkosi ya Makhosi M'mbelwa V, is [...]

Three of Malawi's opposition parties have joined forces in a united and forceful defence of detained activist Sylvester Namiwa, launching a scathing challenge against the State's decision to prosecute him for treason and warning the country risks sliding dangerously close to becoming a "police state." In a hard-hitting joint statement, People's Development Party (PDP) president [...]

A legal challenge brought by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and three of its MPs against two senior government officials, in a dispute over the Malawi Electoral Commission's (MEC) headquarters, has been listed to begin on August 17. Contempt charges have been filed against Chief Secretary to Government Justin Saidi and Minister of Lands and [...]

Chaos erupted in Malawi's National Assembly today after an MP was falsely accused of breaching the chamber's strict dress code, prompting a stern rebuke from the Speaker over the importance of getting facts right before making accusations. As MPs filed back into the chamber following a break, the Member of Parliament for a southern Mzimba [...]

Member of Parliament for Dowa East and MCP Secretary General, Richard Chimwendo Banda, has waded into the ongoing controversy over the seat change for Mangochi Monkey Bay MP Gerald Kazembe, dismissing the move as nothing more than "normal parliamentary management" that plays out on all sides of the House. Rising on a point of order, [...]

Malawi's parliament has stepped up scrutiny of the Kangankunde Rare Earths Mine in Balaka, with the Speaker of the National Assembly directing the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources, Energy and Climate Change to conduct a fresh investigation into the project's operations within 30 days, amid concerns over licensing arrangements and the export of mineral samples. [...]

Attorney General Frank Faroul Mbeta has thrown his weight behind the Malawi Police Service's investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement at the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), delivering a legal opinion that directly undermines the commission's attempts to delay the probe. In a formal advisory to the Inspector General of Police dated 29 July 2026, seen [...]

Six men have been sentenced to prison with hard labour after being convicted of attempted robbery, following a failed and violent armed heist at Chichiri Shopping Mall back in 2023. Ringleader Brian Banda was handed the harshest sentence of 21 years behind bars, while his accomplices — Richard Mzinga, Petro Kambadi, Martin Phiri, Oliver Maseko [...]

HTD Limited has thrown its weight behind Malawi’s football greats, donating K10 million to the Football Legends Association (FLA) ahead of the body’s high‑profile fundraising gala set for August 29 at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe. The donation, made during a symbolic presentation in Blantyre, was announced by HTD general manager Ziyaad Sidik, who [...]

Parliament on Monday turned into a scene of national celebration as MPs paid glowing tribute to the Malawi Women’s National Football Team — the Scorchers — following their sensational run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Presiding over the sitting, Speaker Sameer Suleman said the team’s performance had “lifted the spirit of [...]