TCC Plead With Roads Authority To Rehabilitate Kanengo Roads As JTI Thanked For Good Partnership

The Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) has asked National Roads Authority to include Kanengo Industrial roads in its road rehabilitation works programme.

The call was made at the commissioning of a 200 metre road in Kanengo industrial site in Lilongwe. The road has been rehabilitated with K52 million from JTI a tobacco buying company.

Munthali: important area has bad roads 

Speaking on Monday at the launch of the road, TCC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bruce Munthali said Kanengo which is a every important area, has number of its roads in bad shape. 

“Most of our roads here in Kanengo are in bad shape" he said

Tehabilitated road now
seen heavy trucks moving smoothly 

However in an interview, Munthali said after delivering his speech at the commissioning of the road, CEO of National Road Authority assured him that there is a programme to rehabilitate most of the roads including Kanengo industrial site roads.

On the rehabilitated road, the TCC CEO, said was pleased that a tobacco buying company has done such great job which will in the end benefit all businesses that ply on the road.

Bruce Munthali said “ This undertaking by JTI is quite commendable because is in line with the government that Tobacco companies should partner with government to ensure that they have expanded corporate social responsibility programmes. So the road construction by JTI definitely goes along way to demonstrate that commitment to government and Malawi that tobacco companies should also undertake such activities.”

He said, before rehabilitation, the road was in a bad shape, during rainy season it was slippery and in dry season it had potholes which was an added cost to transporters.

Munthali then said the undertaking by a tobacco buying company JTI of rehabilitating a 200 mitre road at Kanengo Industrial site in Lilongwe is a good example that companies in the sector should emulate. 

“My appeal is to the tobacco buying companies that this type of undertaking should be emulated by all. And partner with government to rehabilitate Kanengo roads and not only in Kanengo but even roads found countrywide." Appealed Munthali 

JTI, on Monday, opened the heavy concrete 200 metre road which costs the company K52 million. The company took it upon itself to do the rehabilitation after other companies and the Lilongwe City Assembly failed to respond to its request to support rehabilitation works.

Lilongwe City Assembly Hail JTI for Rehabilitating Road In Kanengo

Rehabilitateđ róad 

The Lilongwe City Assembly says is impressed with one of Malawi's tobacco buying company, JTI for rehabilitating a 200 metre road at Kanengo Industrial site.

JTI has single-handedly rehabilitated the road which pass by the company's warehouse to a tune of K52 million. The high quality concrete road is conducive for heavy trucks.

Mayor (center)

Deputy Mayor of Lilongwe City, Akwame Bandawe, said when commissioning the road “This attests to the fact that if we can join hands with the private sector, we can make our city a better place to live in” he said

He described this support from JTI as "so colossal" then appealed to other companies to borrow a leaf from JTI and partner with the City Assembly in improving the City’s infrastructure.

Akwame Bandawe 

“The needs of the city are many and yet the resource envelope is too narrow. We expect the private sector to come to our rescue and take part in developing this City. We will as a City Assembly continue to harness a cordial working relationship with the private sector as corporate citizens and of course all the city dwellers in ensuring that we provide utmost good amenities for the people.” he added

The Deputy Mayor however, admitted that the City is failing to carryout its functions and provide services because it lacks resources since a lot of individuals and institutions continue to shun from paying city rates. He disclosed at the event that the city assembly did not respond to JTI request for the City Council's support for the rehabilitation of the project due to financial constraints


“We have a lot of defaulters when it comes to city rates, so it’s a challenge for us to be giving out what we are supposed to be doing because we rely on the same money. So its a challenge now and that is why we are saying that we really need to hold hands when coming with these kinds of developments” said Akwame

Bruce Munthali 

Chief Executive Officer for Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), Bruce Munthali also hailed JTI for such a commendable undertaking.

"This undertaking by JTI is quite commendable because is in line with the government that Tobacco companies should partner with government to ensure that they have expanded corporate social responsibility programmes. So this road construction by JTI definitely goes along way to demonstrate that commitment to government and Malawians that tobacco companies should also undertake such activities.”

Fries Vanneste

Earlier, Fries Vanneste, JTI's Managing Director said the company rehabilitated the road as a way of assisting government development endeavors in ensuring utmost good infrastructure to spar socio-economic development as well to facilitate JTI business processes and enhance safety requirement.

Vanneste said the road was in a very poor state which negatively impacted on their business operations and other companies in Kanengo.

“Due to its sorry state, the road was slippery during the rainy season and therefore not conducive for heavy trucks that ply this road on daily basis.” he said

“As a responsible corporate citizen we felt we had a role to play in ensuring that this road is rehabilitated. We therefore took the initiative to contribute to the city’s infrastructure by repairing this road and create a meaningful and win-win scenario for both the city and our business success.”

He further assured that the company will continue support government development agenda on road infrastructure because as a tobacco buying company understands that it cannot comfortably transport tobacco if the road network is bad.

Mzuzu Needs TTC- Education Committee

Chilenga (right)

A Parliamentary Committee for Education accuses government for overlooking at importance of re-establishment of Mzuzu Teacher Training College (TTC) since long ago it was changed to Mzuzu University.

A lot of members of Parliament from the northern region particularly those from Mzimba district have also been complaining through various forums including in the National Assembly that government has sidelined people of North for not re-establish their Mzuzu TTC.

However, government maintains ‘the decision was normal and there is nothing wrong’ according to Minister of Education Science and technology Emmanuel Fabiano

He argued that the decision to change Mzuzu TTC to University was based on demand for secondary school teacher’s and there is no need to complain for replacement as teacher colleges do not only benefit people from within districts near the college but the nation at large.

“In the first place the Teacher Training College that was in Mzuzu was not for Mzuzu, the people that went there to train as primary school teachers came from other part of the country.” He said

He also mentioned that the decision to change the status of TTC to University without replacement was not new odd by giving an example of similar primary school teacher training colleges that were changed to institution that train Secondary School teachers which now offer Diploma and Degree programmes including Domasi college of Education.

“So what happened in Domasi is similar to what happened in Mzuzu” and added “In a similar way in 1973, government decided that Soche College that was training Secondary teachers at Diploma and Degree level started training primary school teachers”

He continued “Am sure that when the government made the decision at that time was looking at the demand for the secondary school teachers. The demand was very high”

He said “So depending on need government will change the status of an institution so that it meet the demands at that particular time”

He also indicated that in order to promote quality education in primary school level new colleges will be established in Rumphi, Mchinji and in Chikwawa and that funding is available and that by the end of this year they may be completed.

But in an interview, Parliamentary committee on Education lambasts over government failure to make immediate re-establishment of Mzuzu Teacher Training College (TTC) since it was changed to Mzuzu University in 1997.

“This issue has been overlooked by government” reacted chairperson for the Education Committee in parliament, hon. Elias Chakwera who emphasized that “Ideally when Mzuzu TTC was taken over by coming in of the Mzuzu University we needed to relocate Mzuzu TTC to another place so that our numbers in terms of Teacher Training Colleges are not affected by that.”

He therefore asked government to seriously look at the issue “It’s true that when we train teachers in all TTC’s we are not saying that those teachers will be teaching in those districts, but the issue here is that when that TTC was taken way we had lost in terms of number of teachers to be produced and in order for us to regain that number we needed to have a TTC.”

Chakwera said in which case, there is no valid justification that city of Mzuzu considered as centre for the northern region is not equipped with all necessary amenities that could support education such as Teacher Training College.

He therefore said it is an anomaly to have no TTC in Mzuzu and that though there may have excuses but they don’t add-up to anything in terms of what government should be thinking about plan for this country

The Education Chairperson said though the matter was not discussed in the committee but was hopeful that it will take up the matter seriously.