The House passed The American Dream and Promise Act, paving the way for undocumented immigrants to receive legal citizenship.

On Thursday, The House of Representatives voted to provide a pathway to ‘Dreamers’ brought to the U.S. illegally as children to receive citizenship. The vote was 228-197 in favor of The American Dream and Promise Act, giving temporary protected status to young undocumented migrants.

As ABC reports, the bill passed amid a larger debate over President Biden’s approach regarding the surge in migrants seeking to cross into the country from Mexico.

During the last session of Congress, the Dreamers’ act, along with another bill called The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, providing legal status to undocumented farmworkers, was passed by Democrats. However, both were postponed in a GOP-controlled Senate.

Democratic sponsors claim the bill would impact nearly 3.4 million people.

BREAKING NEWS: The house has passed The Dream and Promise Act! This will provide a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and others with temporary immigration protections. #HomeIsHere pic.twitter.com/bciUZC7j3C

— CASA (@CASAforall) March 18, 2021

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash, stated: “These people have lived in silence for far too long.”

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi added:

“For us, this is a day of not only passing legislation but a cause for celebration.”

It is believed to create a system for more than 1 million undocumented farm workers to apply for legal status.

The bill, which was first crafted in 2019, was approved by both Democrats and Republicans. However, it is still unclear whether the Senate will vote for or against the act.

It’s long past time Congress gives a path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS recipients who strengthen our country and call our nation home. I strongly support the Dream and Promise Act and urge all members of the House to vote yes.

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 18, 2021

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., claimed:

“There simply isn’t enough interest among domestic workers to get these jobs done.”

In the meantime, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., criticized Biden’s administration, stating:

“It is the Biden border crisis. So far, the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats aren’t providing any solutions.”

Administration officials report that nearly 10,000 unaccompanied children are being held in Department of Health and Human Services facilities.

Around 4,500 kids are currently in Border Patrol custody, where they are processed and transferred to the HHS shelters.

Although Biden’s administration faces criticism over the issue, they continue to blame Trump’s handling of the border. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said:

“Give us the time to rebuild the system that was entirely dismantled in the prior administration, and we have in fact begun to rebuild that system.”

According to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., immigration reform “is still a very difficult thing to achieve.” Pointing out that The House voted on several limited immigration measures rather than the comprehensive proposal pushed by the Biden administration that would provide a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, Durbin stated:

“I’m reaching out on the Republican side. Many of them have said they are focused on the southern border. And I think that has to be part of the conversation.”

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said border security and the handling of the unaccompanied minors by the Biden administration should be discussed when Republicans engage in negotiations over immigration reform. He added:

“Until he regains control with policies that work, it’s going to be hard to do anything on Dreamers or anything else. Legalizing anybody under these circumstances would lead to even more illegal immigration.”

If you’re in the market for the most sumptuous motorhome money can buy, how about a villa on wheels which comes with a second storey and even a built-in elevator?

The Maxus V90 Life Home Villa Edition may look like your everyday modern van camper on the road, but when parked it can transform into a futuristic two-storey villa at the press of a button. That’s right, with a single finger press you can become the envy of your friends and everyone on the campground. Not only do the walls of the motorhome expand outwards to offer more room in the living area and kitchen, but a cool sunroom extends out of the roof as well. It’s truly a sight to behold.

This second-storey sunroom features panoramic walls which can be darkened at the touch of a button, using polychromatic technology, as well as a small balcony if you want to step out for some fresh air and wave to your envious friends.

And if you’re thinking to yourself, ‘how on Earth to I get up there?’, well, you’re definitely not taking the stairs. The flagship Maxus V90 Life Home comes with its own one-person elevator that effortlessly shuttles occupants to the balcony level.

Apart from its innovative second floor and built-in elevator, the Maxus V90 Life ome Villa Edition also boasts an impressive number of amenities, including a transparent OLED TV, a well-equipped kitchenette, plenty of seating space, and a comfortable bed located in that curved space above the main area.

If you’ve always dreamed of owning your own villa on wheels, I’m afraid getting your hands on this baby isn’t going to be easy. The flagship V90 Life Home is currently only available on the Chinese market, with no announced plans to make the motorhome available on other markets.

And even if you were somehow able to import it, you’d have to pay 2.68 million yuan ($413,000) for it, plus shipping, so not exactly cheap.

An Indian man who started planting trees in a barren, sand-filled field 15 years ago is now being praised for transforming the wasteland into a 10,000-tree orchard.

Satyendra Gautam Manjhi, a simple man from the small village of Imaliyachak, in the Indian state of Bihar, claims he was inspired to start planting trees after being visited by Dashrath Manjhi, known as “the man who moved a mountain“. The story of how he spent over 20 years chiseling away at a mountain to make a road to his village has inspired a generation, including the protagonist of this story. Satyendrav says that Dashrath himself told him to start planting an orchard, and that’s exactly what he did.

“Dashrath Manjhi told me to plant an orchard in this area,” the Bihar man said. At that time this place was barren and deserted and there was only sand everywhere. It was a lot of trouble in the beginning. Water had to be brought from the house in a pot for the plants.”

To make matters worse, wild animals constantly destroyed the trees he planted, but he didn’t give up. Satyendra went into the forest and brought thorny bushes that he used to make hedge fencing to keep the animals at bay. It was hard work, but that hedge is still protecting his orchard, after 15 years.

“When Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar came to know about my contribution to environmental protection, I was made a member of the Child Protection Commission,” Satyendra Gautam Manjhi told ANI News Agency.

Today, Satyendra’s guava orchard numbers over 10,000 trees. It has brought the tenacious man not only the respect and gratitude of his villagers and state officials, but also monetary gains, as he has started selling the guava he harvests for a nice profit. His dream is to become an inspiration, just like Dashrath Manjhi was to him.

A 17-year-old form three student from Mbita Town, Kenya has surprised his community after he innovated a radio transmitter and a station using locally sourced materials like old motherboards and other electronic gadgets.

Steve Biko Odhiambo uses the radio transmitter that he assembled by himself to pass educational messages and to entertain the community in Suba.

The student at Fr Tilen Secondary School says radio fans in his community have been tuning their radios to listen to his station known as Konzer FM which covers a radius of 26 kilometers.

Watch the Video below:

Within 20 minutes of the installation of a statue depicting a ‘Homeless Jesus’, police were called.

Timothy Schmalz’ ‘Homeless Jesus’ reminds people that all are created in the image of God.

The statue depicts a bench and the figure of a man covered in a blanket. It is only the figure’s wounded feet which one can see and it is through them that one can understand that the figure represents Jesus.

Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz created the statue with the aim of raising awareness of homelessness and reminding people that all are created in the image of God. Currently, the statue is located at St. Barnabas Bay Village Episcopal Church.

Furthermore, according to Priest Alex Martin, within twenty minutes of its installation, a passerby had called the police as they mistook the statue for a homeless person.

St. Barnabas Bay Village Episcopal Church and Priest Alex Martin tweeted:

We're glad to temporarily host this statue of Homeless Jesus to raise awareness of homelessness in Cleveland and remind us that all people are created in the image of God. pic.twitter.com/EKClQm7PFG

— St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (@StBarnabasBV) October 12, 2020

Within twenty minutes of the statue arriving, I was having a conversation with a very kind police officer because someone called to report a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. Within twenty minutes… https://t.co/kyD1vyEd4p

— Alex Martin (@ADMartin86) October 12, 2020

Numerous people criticized the display, pointing out its irony.

Many pointed out the irony of having anti-homeless architecture raise awareness of homelessness. They noted that those who are homeless would much rather have benches they can use instead of a bronze statue depicting a homeless Jesus.

We're glad to temporarily host this statue of Homeless Jesus to raise awareness of homelessness in Cleveland and remind us that all people are created in the image of God. pic.twitter.com/EKClQm7PFG

— St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (@StBarnabasBV) October 12, 2020

We're glad to temporarily host this statue of Homeless Jesus to raise awareness of homelessness in Cleveland and remind us that all people are created in the image of God. pic.twitter.com/EKClQm7PFG

— St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (@StBarnabasBV) October 12, 2020

We're glad to temporarily host this statue of Homeless Jesus to raise awareness of homelessness in Cleveland and remind us that all people are created in the image of God. pic.twitter.com/EKClQm7PFG

— St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (@StBarnabasBV) October 12, 2020

We're glad to temporarily host this statue of Homeless Jesus to raise awareness of homelessness in Cleveland and remind us that all people are created in the image of God. pic.twitter.com/EKClQm7PFG

— St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (@StBarnabasBV) October 12, 2020

On the other hand, many appreciated the statue’s message and beauty.

While some criticized Schmalz’ work, others found his statue to be thought-provoking and an appropriate way to raise awareness. They noted that the purpose of art is to spark discussion and evidently, this piece is doing just that.

https://twitter.com/_Sandy_Toes_/status/1316285430514372608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1316404565357592581%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_1&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fiheartintelligence.com%2Fpolice-called-on-homeless-jesus-statue-after-it-was-mistaken-for-a-homeless-person%2F

https://twitter.com/MaMajoannekim/status/1316549986495070211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1316550293631328256%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_0&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fiheartintelligence.com%2Fpolice-called-on-homeless-jesus-statue-after-it-was-mistaken-for-a-homeless-person%2F

A suburban Chicago home has become known locally as the “Pie House” because of its resemblance to a wedge-shaped slice of pie.

Built in 2003, on an oblong plot of land in Deerfield, Illinois, the Pie House has become somewhat of a local tourist attraction, with people stopping by regularly just to take pictures of the unusually narrow building.

Famous for its unique shape, the Pie House was born out of necessity, as developer Greg Weissman of Advantage Properties tried to make the best of an oblong piece of land only 0.09 acres in size, which is unusually small for the suburbs.

Despite one of the walls being only 3-feet-wide, the Pie House turned out quite cozy, and ended up selling for little over $284,000 in 2007.

Photos of the Pie House of Deerfield, a north shore suburb of Chicago, recently went viral after photos of it were posted on Zilow. The owners decided to move and originally listed the property for $339,000, but later reduced the price to $325,000 and $309,000 before taking it off the market for a while. It was relisted in January for $299,900, and according to the Zillow listing it sold last week for $260,000.

Featuring 1,122 square feet of livable space, the Pie House is considered a precursor of the modern tiny house. Photos taken inside show that the wedge-shaped home is much more spacious than it looks from the outside, but that hasn’t stopped people from joking that the house looks more like a hallway than an actual house, and asking how anyone can live there.

“It is different than any other house that’s built in Deerfield,” listing agent Alan Berlow told The Chicago Tribute. “It attracts attention from many walkers and bikers. Commuters walk by and drive by every day, as it’s across from the parking lot. It’s an alternative to a town house without having the maintenance fees.”

The one-storey Pie House features two bedrooms – one upstairs and another one int he fully furnished basement, two and a half bathrooms, and an open space ground floor. For obvious reasons, it lacks a garage, but does have a parking pad that can hold six cars.

Photo: Zillow

The “skinny house” even went viral on video sharing platform TikTok, where a short clip showcasing its narrow side got over one million views. According to Wikipedia, the house flares out to around 25-feet-wide at the other end.

A newly opened highway in China’s Guangdong province has been making news headlines for a very peculiar reason: it’s built around the tiny home who refused to move.

China is well-known for its “nail houses”, properties of homeowners who reject compensation from a developer for their demolition, but while most such examples are encountered within new residential complexes, the one we’re featuring today stands in the middle of a highway bridge.

Footage released by Chinese media shows the property tightly squeezed between the lanes of the newly opened Haizhuyong Bridge, in the city of Guangzhou. It is located in a pit in the middle of the four-lane road bridge and has become somewhat of a local attraction.

Ms. Liang, the owner of the modest 40-square-metre, one-storey house told reporters that the Government failed to provide her with a replacement property in an ideal location, instead offering her a flat located near a morgue, which she just couldn’t accept.

She is the only person out of a total of 47 homeowners and seven firms who still lives there. The others accepted the Government’s offers and moved away by last September.

“You think this environment is poor, but I feel it’s quiet, liberating, pleasant and comfortable,” Ms Liang said, adding that she doesn’t care what other people think of her stubbornness.

According to a report by Hong Kong-based news outlet South China Morning Post, the Government made Ms. Liang several offers, but she turned down all of them.

One of the most generous ones included two other flats as well as monetary compensation of 1.3 million yuan ($186,500). She allegedly asked for four flats and 2 million yuan ($287,000).

After failing to reach an agreement with the homeowner, the Government reportedly had no choice but to alter the original project and build the bridge around the ‘nail house’.

However, a spokesperson said that negotiations with the woman will continue. Meanwhile, this bizarre case has sparked a heated online debate, with most social media users accusing the woman of being greedy.

“Other owners have already moved, which suggests the compensation is acceptable. This house owner must think she can force the Government’s hand,” one person commented.

“A case of being too greedy and ending up with nothing,” someone else wrote.

Source: odditycentral.com

The Malawi Enterprise Development Fund has started issuing out loans to the country’s youth and women.

The K13 billion loan program was set up to help the targeted beneficiaries with capital to create and grow their businesses.

In March, President Peter Mutharika launched the program in Blantyre at Mount Soche saying he want to empower the youths and women to be the drivers of change in the country.

Mutharika added that Malawi can achieve its goals by empowering women and youths.

He emphasized that the loan is for Malawians; every woman, every youth and everywhere in the country.

MEDEF Chairperson Patrick Chilambe urged the beneficiaries to pay back the loans in order to rotate the facilities to other beneficiaries.

Under the youth and women enterprise loans, the youth can access Maziko Meant for start-ups and Katswiri for those who are already in business needs boost.

For women who wants to start -up businesses, there is Chiyambi while those already in business but needs boost can access Titchukume.

#AliensExist and #UFO2020 are trending on Twitter after the Pentagon officially acknowledged a video of a strange flying craft which many people were convinced was evidence of alien activity.

Back in 2017, US Navy radar footage of a mystery object with “glowing aura” and flying erratically was leaked to the public, and it made headlines across the globe.

Debate over Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) reached fever pitch when the footage emerged of what some called an alien craft.

One particular instance details footage from a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, a twin-engined fighter, showing an unidentified aircraft surrounded by a glow.

The object travelled at a high speed and rotated as it moved – the pilots onboard are captured as saying “there’s a whole fleet of them”.

While the US Navy acknowledged the incident, officials at the Pentagon – the US’s Department of Defense – kept quiet.

However, after verifying the authenticity of the footage years ago, the Pentagon has now acknowledged and finally released three videos of separate encounters between Navy pilots and unidentified flying objects

The videos — two were taken in January 2015, while the third dates back to November 2004 — were released “in order to clear up any misconceptions by the public on whether or not the footage that has been circulating was real, or whether or not there is more to the videos,” Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said.

One of the UFO videos released by the Pentagon.

“Dude, this is a f—king drone, bro,” one pilot says, forever immortalizing himself as a dude-bro.pic.twitter.com/ngVzH31QdF

— OP (@FromTheOP) April 28, 2020

The Department of Defense claims they withheld the official release of the footage partially to ensure nothing in the video required ongoing secrecy. Now, all three have been posted on the official page of Naval Air Systems Command.

“After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military air space incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena,” Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said.

The pilot who had the mysterious encounter in 2017, Chad Underwood, recently spoke out to reiterate the unusual behaviour of the craft which flew against strong winds while it was rotating which is seen in the leaked video.

He told New York Magazine’s Intelligencer in December: “You’re not going to see it with your own eyes until probably 10 miles, and then you’re not going to be able to visually track it until you’re probably inside of five miles, which is where [commanding officer, who first made visual confirmation of the UFO,] Dave Fravor said that he saw it.

“The thing that stood out to me the most was how erratic it was behaving.

“It was just behaving in ways that aren’t physically normal. That’s what caught my eye. Because, aircraft, whether they’re manned or unmanned, still have to obey the laws of physics.”

Mr Underwood added the UFO, nicknamed Tic Tac, was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

He said: “Well, normally, you would see engines emitting a heat plume. This object was not doing that.

“You don’t see birds at 5,000 or 10,000 or 20,000 feet. That’s just not how birds operate.”

One of the videos from 2015 depicts what one pilot referred to as “a fleet” of high-speed objects that, at one point, begin rotating in a static position.

“Look at that thing, dude!” one pilot says in the video. “It’s rotating!”

When the footage emerged, a former Pentagon employee Luis Elizondo, who headed up a secret official UFO program, said it was “compelling evidence” we might not be alone in the universe.

Mr Elizondo said: “These aircraft – we’ll call them aircraft – are displaying characteristics that are not currently within the US inventory nor in any foreign inventory that we are aware of.

“Things that don’t have any obvious flight services, any obvious forms of propulsion, and manoeuvring in ways that include extreme manoeuvrability beyond, I would submit, the healthy G-forces of a human or anything biological.”

The Navy previously acknowledged the authenticity of the footage, with officials going as far as drafting guidelines in 2019 to establish a formal process for pilots and military personnel to report UFO sightings — a move made following a surge in what the Navy called a series of intrusions by advanced aircraft on Navy carrier strike groups.

But with the Pentagon acknowledging the sightings, Twitter users have gone on the platform to discuss aliens and UFOs.

The Chinese-owned hotel which was set to open its doors in February 2020, has been delayed as they have not finished purchasing furniture due to closure of some factories in China.

Derrick Xu, Assistant General Manager of the hotel has said, the problem has arose due to Corona virus that has struck China and some countries around the world.

“The outbreak of Corona virus forced some factories to shut down but we are optimistic that the furniture will be in the country anytime soon. We have, therefore, shifted the opening to next month,” Xu said.

The Sogecoa Golden Peacock Park comprises of a five star hotel, two restaurants, a shopping mall, conference rooms and also a casino.

The project, that started in 2018, was completed in December 2019.

Mchinji District Council says it is set to start the construction of Kapiri Market and Bus Deport.

District Commissioner (DC) for Mchinji, Bester Mandere said Mchinji is not doing well in revenue collection and the projects will help in boosting its revenue.

“We believe these structures will help us increase the amount of revenue that we normally collect,” he said.

Senior Chief Dambe, hailed the projects for that they will change the face of Mchinji completed and also they will create jobs for the locals.

“For so long, our district council has been failing to collect enough revenue, so with the two projects, we hope the revenue will improve and will create more jobs for the locals,” he said.

The construction of the two facilities will cost close to K1 billion and will take a year to complete.

As a continuation of its quest of increasing access to information technology education in schools, Malawi’s premier mobile network and information communication technology (I.C.T) services provider,TNM Plc, has delivered computers to Chayamba Secondary School in Kasungu.

The delivery of 12 computers replete with internet connectivity tools is part of the company’s ‘I.C.T for Schools’ initiative, which will see selected public education institutions benefiting from TNM’s digital literacy agenda.

The donation underscores TNM’s commitment towards improving education through the exposure of students to information technology.

TNM as a Malawian company understands various technological trends in the developed world, where education is being delivered through the use of technology. We acknowledge the gap in Malawi as most schools do not have access to I.C.T facilities hence the donations in secondary schools to align them with global trends.TNM through the initiative is empowering schools to access I.C.T infrastructure which is in tandem with government’s efforts to enhance learning.

Deputy Head Teacher at Chayamba Secondary School welcomed the decision by TNM Plc, which deepens science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M) education through its I.C.T for Schools initiative.

“The coming in of the computers and the WIFI internet connectivity is a step forward towards the acquisition of quality and relevant education to our students, particularly now when our country is science-driven,” he said.Mkandawire said the I.C.T equipment will help accelerate learning delivery by teachers and uptake of I.C.T by students.

For publication of your news content, articles  or any other news worthy materials, please send to info@faceofmalawi.com

By Robert Kumweda

Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the World with over 80% percent of its population living in rural areas, hopeless, struggling to live and in abject poverty.

Access to social services like health care, education and safe drinking water among others remains a challenge especially for the rural communities.

In relation to this, issues about climate change and climate variability have not spared Malawi such that hunger, drought and floods affects the country in most areas year in and out living the marginalized displaced, without shelter and in need relief aid.

It is against this background where Malawi Relief Fund UK embarked on a number of projects whose objectives are giving hope to that are hopeless.

Yakub Adam Valli Country Coordinator for the organization said they are committed to improve access to health care as the country has one of the highest levels of preventable blindness with over 160,000 people having low vision due to cataracts.

He said access to this, simple, low cost, and life changing surgery is often affordable and out of reach to many Malawians.

“We have managed delivering almost 6,000 operations. The Gift of Sight programme targets people in rural areas where there are no hospitals providing cataract operations free of cost to a tune of 35 pounds per person,” he said.

Since the country has over 1 million orphans, Valli said Shukran orphanage under their flagship project is providing a caring and supporting living environment for 60 children.

He said the children are provided with secular and religious education and support with their physical, social, emotion and spiritual development.

‘Our aim is to ensure each child is inspired and supported to fulfill their  full potential, our outreach orphanage programmes supports children living with their families to access education, health, food and clothing,” he said.

The Malawi Relief Fund UK Country Coordinator also said they are saving lives by making health care accessible.

He said the remote areas have perennial problems of impassable muddy and difficult terrain that is inaccessible by motor vehicles making it a challenge to transport the sick, elderly, children and expecting mothers to hospitals, clinics could be up to 25 KM away saying that they provide rural bicycle ambulance at low cost as a solution to improve access to clinics.

“There is no doubt that this low cost solution will have massive impact in the rural communities and save many lives,” he said.

Valli said that people with disability are provided with tricycles saying that the aim of the project is to alleviate poverty and improve the life of suffering from immobility due their disability.

“The tricycles allow children to attend school, adults to go to work, become independent, and also improve their self-esteem and confidence,” he said.

He, hopefully, said it will improve their chances and allow them to play an active role in the local communities.

He further said that MRF’s shelter programme has assisted many people whose homes were divested by floods and those that were badly damaged, as well as those with poor housing by providing them with decent houses.

“Most people in rural areas live in sub-standard mud houses, many without protection against the elements. Our ambitious plan is to build 2,000 decent homes over the next few years to improve living conditions, sanitation and access to clean water,” he said.

Valli added that over 900 decent houses have already being built under the project.

He said small holder farmers are provided with maize seeds and fertilizer to ensure food sustainability and to reduce reliance on food aid.

“Our Qurbani programme has helped to reach out to many poor families and individuals in the remote areas as to many Malawians meat is a luxury which they cannot afford and very much look forward to festive season only,” he said.

These are some of the programmes that MRF UK is embarking on with the aim of giving hope to those that are hopeless so that they can live a better life and enjoy like anyone.

The organization has since registered as an NGO in Malawi and established a local office which helps in administration and delivery plan.

Communities in Rumphi District who applied for the installation of electricity in the district have given the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) a period of Fourteen days to connect their houses to power or else face a mass demonstrations.

During a meeting held on Monday initiated by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) some residents complained that they paid the power utility body in 2014 for the installation of power but up to now there is no any progress to justify their payment hence calling for a mass demonstration.

Through out the meeting ESCOM officials continued making contradictory remarks trying to justify their delay to install power to the applicants, who also demanded answers on some serious allegations of corrupt practices taking place at the District Escom office where some officers are said to be demanding bribes.

In response to the allegations of corrupt practices during question time , Mzuzu ESCOM District Engineer George Matukuta shifted the blame to the absence of the Access to Information (ATI) law which is still gathering dusti in the minister’s office pending signature to effect its usage.

The ATI could be very essential in circumstances like this because that will help the population to know exactly how state owned institutions like ESCOM operates hence promotion of accountability and transparency at all levels,”

He further told the gathering that ESCOM is failling to meet the cost of power installation to its new customers since all the required appliances including the poles and cables are now being procured from outside the country unlike in the past when the Viphya Plantations (Chikangawa forest) used to be the source of supply

One of the participant to this citizenry engagement meeting,Maggie Kaunda astonished the gathering when she informed the ESCOM officials and HRDC leaders that her son was electrocuted by a faulty power line and now her child is mentally ill but never got compensated in anyway.

Speaking after the meeting the HRDC District Secretary Walita Moir Mkandawire expressed satisfaction with the citizenry participation in engaging duty bearers demanding accountability on pertinent issues affecting their daily living.

As one way of ensuring speed installation to its customers late last year the power utility body raised the installation fee from K46 000.00 to K93 000.00 with the aim of trying to meet the whole cost of connection process.

Tanzania’s president John Magufuli has fulfilled his pledge to have the entire government relocate to the country’s new capital of Dodoma by the end of 2019.

John Magufuli

Dodoma, which was elevated to city status last year, was designated as the capital city by the country’s founding president, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in 1973. Its central location, compared to the coastal Dar es Salaam is considered ideal for bringing government services closer to the people.

Magufuli, who last week shifted his voting address to Dodoma, told journalists he had finally shifted his presidential base from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma.

“I was in Kitavi region, but I decided to come to my home city, Dodoma, to register my name because this is now my official address,” Magufuli said.

The president also urged Tanzanians to register to vote in the forthcoming November 14 civic elections.

Following the 2017 move to Dodoma by the country’s prime minister, Kassim Majaliwa, followed by several ministries and the vice president Samia Suluhu Hassan, the entire Tanzanian government is now installed in the new capital.

Government says the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is as a game changer to old behaviours and traditions as it will enhance trade among member states and create wealth to benefit its people.

Speaking during a sensitisation workshop in Lilongwe, Director of Administration in the Ministry of Industry and Trade Joseph Mkandawire noted that the initiative is premised on the realisation that countries have for a long time been trading with the outside world more than other economies on the continent.

Mkandawire explained that AfCFTA marks a new dawn for African economies, and brings hope to boost intra-Africa trade and a creation of a Pan African Market which would resulting in manufacturing exports within Africa and beyond.

He underlined the need for the initiative to be used as a vehicle for Africa’s economic transformation.

Among others, he cited ease in travel requirement, expanded market and enhanced competitiveness at industry and enterprise level through exploitation of opportunities, continental market access and better allocation of resources as some of the benefits Malawi stands to get from the arrangement.

The Ministry of Industry official stated that Malawi is proud of her decision to sign the trade instrument because the AfCFTA has accommodated her interests.

The interests include a longer period of 15 years for liberalisation against 10 years adopted by the majority and flexibilities to deviate from obligations in case of unforeseeable eventualities.

“As a country which has premised its development on a trade-based economic strategy, Malawi is committed to the AfCFTA and its ability to help create an efficient regional trade environment and rules-based system as an integral part of global economic and trade governance” Mkandawire noted .

He appealed to implementers to ensure the initiative should go further to address productive and supply side constraints that have hindered most African countries like Malawi from fully taking advantage of the preferential market access offered to them.

Mkandawire indicated that several factors in the agreement such as policy deficiencies in standards, ICT connectivity, complex trade procedures and documentation, need special attention before commencing the implementation of the AfCFTA.

Whilst acknowledging the loss of revenue which could be experienced during the process, he assured that they are working with the Ministry of Finance and Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) as member states are expected to have reduced tariffs.

Afro Exim Bank is expected to cushion countries with grants to help in the revenue loss.

Current statistics show that 85 percent of goods traded in Africa come from outside the continent. Only 15 percent of goods traded in Africa are produced locally.

The meeting was organised in conjunction with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and African Union.

UNECA’s Director Said Adejumobi highlighted immense opportunities for increasing intra-regional trade, enhancing production, promoting economies of scale, creating jobs and raising incomes as some of the benefits.

He however cautioned that this has to be backed up by increased productive capacity, enhanced regional value chains, and removing internal obstacles to the growth of SMEs so that African countries can compete well in the liberalised regional market.

However concerns have been raised over competitiveness especially of local industries in a much liberalised market, the issue of jobs associated with it and government revenue.

Adejumobi quickly allayed the fears and concerns on the issue of ratifying the AfCFTA.

”Those fears are more perceived than real and this platform will offer us a unique opportunity to dispel those fears, raise issues, make clarifications, and come to  a common but better informed understanding, on why we should be part of the AfCFTA process,” assured the UNECA official.

The initiative is set to create the biggest free trade area in the world with a market of more than 1.29 billion people and a combined GDP of more than US$2.5 trillion.