Malawi heads to the polls next September with voters facing a big choice. The country might pick its first elected female president after decades of male leaders. Joyce Banda once held the top job from 2012 to 2014 but only because the previous president died. She lost her bid to stay in power when Peter Mutharika beat her at the ballot box. No woman has gotten close to winning since that defeat.
Women politicians face tough battles against old-fashioned thinking about who can lead. Many voters still believe men make better presidents and doubt women have the strength for tough decisions. Female candidates also struggle to raise money for campaigns because they control less wealth than men. Media outlets often focus on how women look...
Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera swept into power back in 2020 with huge promises to fix Malawi. He vowed to crush corruption and make everyone rich under his Tonse Alliance team. The courts forced a new election after the first one got thrown out. People celebrated like crazy when he won. Everyone thought their country would finally turn around.
His fans say Chakwera has been building good things behind the scenes. They point to his work making the Anti-Corruption Bureau independent and bringing computers to government offices. He built new high schools across the country and fixed up some villages. World leaders respect Malawi more because of his diplomatic work. The president also tried to keep the economy steady during tough global times...
Five hundred jobless nurses just stopped the government from hiring new health workers. The nurses went to court and won an order that blocks these new recruits from starting their jobs. Emmanuel Banda led the fight against what he calls a massive hiring scandal. The nurses claim the government picked people who cannot legally work as nurses in Malawi. These new workers were supposed to begin their duties on July first but must wait for the court case.
The High Court agreed the nurses had good reasons to challenge the hiring process. Three government departments face accusations of breaking the law when they selected these workers. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Local Government, and Local Government Service Commission all played...
Reading FC kept Tivonge Rushesha for another year after his impressive performances. The Warriors star player signed a fresh deal that runs until summer 2026. His old contract ended on June 30 but the club wanted him back badly. Rushesha first arrived at Reading during August 2023 from Swansea City Academy. The team gave him a basic one-year agreement with extra time available later.
Reading bosses used their option to extend his stay through June 2024 before offering this latest contract. The defender made 11 appearances during his first season with the club. He added 18 more games to his record during the recent campaign. Rushesha started nine matches and came off the bench for others. Most of his playing time happened during the...
Gambian parliament members pushed through new rules that could end the country's medicine crisis. Lawmakers voted Tuesday to change laws that keep essential drugs away from sick people. The current system forces all medicines through slow paperwork that takes months to complete. Patients suffer because drugstores cannot stock basic pills and treatments. Many families send relatives overseas just to buy simple pain medicine.
The new bill lets government health officials approve medicines already used safely across Europe and America. These countries check drugs very carefully before allowing sales to their citizens. Gambian officials would skip their usual registration process for medicines from these trusted places. The change means...
Dr. Lamin Manneh used to work at the African Development Bank and shared some tough news about money problems. He talked to Voice newspaper reporters about how the fighting near Iran hurts countries across West Africa. Global donors are sending their cash to help with that conflict instead of supporting places like Gambia. West African nations depend on outside money to run their governments and build things. The war has changed where rich countries decide to spend their aid dollars.
Countries that need budget help from other nations face serious delays getting their payments. Banks and lenders are making it harder to borrow money at good rates. African governments planned their spending around getting certain amounts of foreign...
Transport Minister Ebrima Sillah faced angry lawmakers about a failed embassy project. He admitted his government made huge mistakes building their mission office abroad. The project cost millions but created a building that cannot be used. Poor planning and bad supervision turned the construction into a disaster. Guinea-Bissau gave Gambia land for the embassy back during 2008.
Nobody checked if the government actually owned the land before starting construction. Local contractors got hired without any fair bidding process. The minister said he never saw records showing how these people got selected. Workers built the embassy with such poor quality that it might collapse. Fixing the building would cost just as much as the original...
Young people from across Gambia came together for a special meeting last month. The 4H organization held their biggest event of the year at Farafenni Youth Centre. Members traveled from North Bank and Central River areas to attend the gathering. The group picked "Inspire for Change" as their main message for 2025. Leaders wanted everyone to see how much progress they made during the past year.
Alieu Ceesay leads the national 4H program and spoke about why these meetings matter. He told the crowd that young people need chances to help their country grow stronger. The organization works hard to give youth better opportunities across Gambia. Board members talked about money matters and future plans during the event. Several guest speakers...
Spanish football bosses revealed the fixture list for the upcoming La Liga campaign during tonight's ceremony. Barcelona must travel to face Mallorca on August 17 as they begin their title defense. Real Madrid gets home advantage when they welcome Osasuna to kick off their season. The defending champions start their journey away from home against tough opposition. Officials announced all teams will learn their complete schedules for the entire season.
Atletico Madrid prepares to battle Espanyol during the opening weekend of action. Athletic Bilbao takes on Sevilla as one of the standout matches fans can expect. Valencia squares off against Real Sociedad as another exciting fixture during round one. These games promise entertainment for...
