BAM President Philip Madinga made the remarks today at Kamuzu Palace after meeting with President Mutharika.

Madinga cited falling inflation—which dropped from 28.2% in August 2025 to 20.0% in August 2026—and a lower interest rate, which moved from 26.0% in August 2025 to 24.0% this August, as key indicators that the economy is moving in the right direction.

“We have commended the President because, since he returned to power, we have seen economic progress.

“Inflation is going down, and significant strides are being made toward economic recovery,” Madinga said.

In his remarks, Mutharika expressed enthusiasm that BAM is prepared to partner with the government in key sectors including tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, and mining.

“We had an extremely fruitful meeting. Crucially, we have agreed to work together to advance the country’s economy in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, and infrastructure development,” said.

The Malawi leader has intestified austerity measures to fix ailing economic.

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The two financial institutions participated in the Tanzania–Malawi Investment Forum held from September 7 to 9, 2026 at the TANTRADE grounds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The forum brought together government officials, investors, business leaders, financial institutions, and other stakeholders from the two countries to explore opportunities to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation.

Speaking during the forum, Akiba Acting Managing Director Wezi Mwazani said the Bank was pleased to participate in a platform that brings together government, businesses and the financial sector to unlock investment opportunities and create meaningful commercial partnerships.

“At Akiba Commercial Bank, we believe that economic growth accelerates when opportunities are connected to capital, markets and the right partnerships,” said Mwazani.

She said the forum’s success would ultimately depend on converting discussions and connections into tangible business opportunities.

“The true value of a forum such as this is realised when a conversation becomes a partnership, when a partnership becomes an investment, and when that investment creates jobs and contributes to economic growth,” she said.

NBM plc Head of Digital Banking Services Division William Kaunda said the Bank was keen to use its strategic investment in Akiba Commercial Bank to make cross-border business transactions more convenient, efficient and accessible for customers.

“As NBM plc, we recognise that businesses today are not confined by geographical borders. Our role is to ensure that as our customers explore opportunities in Tanzania and other markets, they have access to financial solutions that make it easier for them to trade, receive and make payments and manage their businesses across borders,” said Kaunda.

He said digital banking was increasingly becoming an important enabler of regional trade, particularly as businesses sought faster and more convenient ways of conducting transactions.

“Through our strategic investment in Akiba Commercial Bank, we see an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the two markets and provide businesses with the confidence that their banking needs can be supported as they grow,” said Kaunda.

Kaunda said NBM plc would continue investing in solutions and partnerships that respond to the evolving needs of businesses, while supporting the broader objective of increasing trade and investment between Malawi and Tanzania.

Akiba Commercial Bank is a subsidiary of NBM plc. 

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CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 18 September 2026 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/ – Aleph Hospitality, the largest independent hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa, has announced today at the 17th Annual API Property Investment Summit that it will be expanding its presence across the continent with the opening of a regional office in Cape Town.

Aleph Hospitality currently operates 15+ hotels, four brands in over 10 destinations across seven countries in East and South Africa with five hotels in South Africa: Onomo Hotel Cape Town Foreshore, Onomo Hotel Cape Town Inn on the Square, Onomo hotel Cape Town Waterfront, Onomo Hotel Johannesburg Sandton and Onomo Hotel Durban.

The South Africa office will be led by Rob Kucera, Regional Vice President for East & South Africa, and will oversee the operations of the properties in the region as well as drive the development of future hotels for the group, fuelling Aleph Hospitality’s portfolio growth.

Bani Haddad, Founder and Co-CEO of Aleph Hospitality, said: “South Africa’s tourism sector has entered an exciting new phase of growth. International arrivals reached a record 10.5 million in 2025, an increase of nearly 18 percent year on year, with over 4,000 hotels rooms in the hotel development pipeline. These figures reflect both rising demand and growing investor confidence in the market. Establishing a regional office in South Africa allows us to be closer to owners and investors and to help convert this potential in high performing hospitality assets, and supports our growth journey across Southern Africa.”

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Aleph Hospitality 

About Aleph Hospitality
Headquartered in Dubai, with regional offices in Riyadh, Casablanca, Cape Town and Nairobi, Aleph Hospitality is the first and largest independent hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa. Aleph Hospitality manages over 50 hotels, representing 7,000+ rooms across 23 countries and 39 cities. Working for hotel owners, either with a franchise for branded properties or as a white label operator for independent hotels, Aleph Hospitality handles all aspects of hotel operations at any stage of development – from site and brand selection to technical assistance, pre-opening and day-to-day operations. Aleph Hospitality’s regional expertise has earned the trust of leading brands such as Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor, Best Western, Rotana, Wyndham and Onomo. Visit www.alephhospitality.com

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NEW YORK-(MaraviPost)-Former WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall is preparing for another professional boxing appearance at the age of 61, more than three decades after his famous knockout victory over Lennox Lewis made him world heavyweight champion.

According to Boxing News Online, McCall is being lined up for a potential heavyweight bout against former contender Ike Ibeabuchi, who is now 53. The proposed fight is reportedly being targeted for November 26, 2026, in New York, with the event being planned by PrizeFightingTV.

McCall made boxing history in 1994 when he stopped Lewis in the second round to capture the WBC heavyweight championship. Lewis later regained the title in their controversial 1997 rematch.

The veteran American has remained active despite his age. Boxing News Online reports that McCall competed three times between November 2024 and June 2025, recording two victories and one draw, including a win over Stacy Frazier, the nephew of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier.

Ibeabuchi, meanwhile, was once considered one of heavyweight boxing’s most promising contenders after defeating notable opponents David Tua and Chris Byrd. Following a lengthy absence from the sport, he returned to competition in 2025 and recorded a victory before suffering the first defeat of his professional career against Kabiru Towolawi.

The proposed McCall-Ibeabuchi fight, however, is not yet guaranteed to proceed. According to the report, organisers have set a fan-demand requirement of 12,500 advance pay-per-view purchases at $9.95 before committing to staging the event.

If confirmed, the contest would bring together two heavyweight veterans with a combined age of 114, creating one of the more unusual potential boxing matchups of 2026.

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The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) announced Thursday that the maximum price of diesel has jumped to US$2.08 per litre, up from US$1.95, while blended petrol is now US$2.06, up from US$1.99.

The new rates took effect on September 17.

In local currency, diesel now costs ZWG55.57 and petrol blend ZWG54.97.

The adjustment came only eight days after ZERA set its September prices on September 9, underscoring how quickly global pressures are being felt in the import-dependent country.

ZERA said it continues to track international developments and that government measures remain in place to cushion consumers.

“ZERA will maintain continuous monitoring and review, as Government interventions remain in place to mitigate the impact of global geopolitical developments on consumers,” the authority said.

The increase comes amid heightened volatility in world crude markets, driven by geopolitical flashpoints including the war in Iran and escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which have raised concerns over crude supply and shipping routes.

Zimbabwe imports almost all its fuel, meaning any spike in international crude and refined product prices translates almost immediately into higher domestic costs.

ZERA said the latest prices apply to diesel and E20 blended petrol, with the mandatory national blending ratio remaining at E20.

It added that retailers are free to sell below the capped prices and must display their prices prominently in line with regulations.

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BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Chikwawa Police has assured to provide maximum security to fight against livestock theft for the benefit of farmers in the Lower Shire districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje.
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‎Chikwawa Police Station, Officer in-Charge Brighton Mwase made assurance during an interface meeting with Shire Valley Livestock Association held at Chikwawa Police Station with an aim of addressing issues livestock theft within lower shire.
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‎”I assure you that my officers will properly investigate all livestock theft related cases so  that any rustler will be brought to full justice for you to earn your sweat,”  Mwase said.
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‎He further urged farmers to report  cases of theft and any malpractice relating with livestock to Police so that they act swiftly on the matter.
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‎In his remarks, Chairperson for Shire Valley Livestock Association, Frank Bewu commended the Chikwawa OC for this  commitment towards the security of their livestock.
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‎”We have been crying a lot over increase theft of our livestock and we hope that working with the police will help to fight and end livestock theft cases,” said Bewu.
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‎Bewu explained that they formed Shire Valley Livestock  Association in 1993 which was fully registered in October 1997 with an aim of orienting farmers on how best they can to take care of their livestock for better output.
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‎Meanwhile, police is enforcing the bylaws  that stipulate that no livestock trader will pass Kamuzu Bridge and Thabwa checkpoints beyond 6 pm if he or she doesn’t have livestock permit.
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The move marks the regulator’s most significant intervention yet into the control of the chemical, with PCB registrar James Kaphale saying the licensing system must be scrutinised to establish how the pesticide is escaping the controls designed to restrict its access.

“We cannot just let things slide. We are reviewing the licences and the whole distribution arrangement to establish where the gaps are and how Aluminium Phosphide is getting into the hands of unauthorised people,” Kaphale said in an interview Friday.

Kaphale said the review would cover the licensing and distribution arrangements surrounding the chemical, adding that the PCB would announce new measures shortly.

“We are looking at the licensing arrangements very seriously. We cannot allow a highly hazardous pesticide to be moving into the hands of people who are not authorised or trained to handle it,” he said.

“We will be announcing new measures shortly,” Kaphale added.

The review follows meetings between the PCB and key players in the Aluminium Phosphide supply chain, including CropLife Malawi and the Agro-Dealers Association.

Minutes of a September 3 meeting with CropLife Malawi show that the PCB raised what it described as “grave concern” over the increasing abuse and misuse of Aluminium Phosphide.

The regulator told the meeting that some agro-dealers were selling the pesticide to unauthorised users and were “decanting the product and selling it in single tablet”.

The PCB said the practice contravenes regulatory requirements and significantly increases the risk of misuse and accidental poisoning.

The September 3 meeting subsequently proposed tighter licensing of importers and distributors, stronger inspections, restrictions on unlicensed and untrained agro-dealers buying the chemical and improved training and certification.

The PCB then met the Agro-Dealers Association on September 10, where similar concerns were raised and stakeholders again supported stronger licensing, tighter monitoring and stricter control of access to Aluminium Phosphide.

The licence review is expected to establish whether companies and individuals involved in importing, distributing, selling and using the chemical are properly licensed and trained.

Aluminium Phosphide releases highly poisonous phosphine gas when exposed to moisture and can cause severe poisoning, breathing difficulties, dangerously low blood pressure, heart problems, shock, organ damage and death.

Under Section 11(1) of the Pesticides Act, the PCB is mandated to regulate pesticides, including their importation, distribution, sale, storage and use.

The regulator is now using that mandate to revisit the licensing arrangements governing one of Malawi’s most hazardous pesticides.

“We have to know exactly who is importing, who is distributing, who is selling and who is using these products,” Kaphale said.

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This the warning the CEO of deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations, as markets scramble to work out what happens next.

The comments from Nigel Green come as the Bank of Japan lifted its policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%, in a decision split 7-2 among policymakers. 

The pace of tightening has quickened sharply, with this hike arriving just three months after the last one, compared with six months previously. 

Top-line inflation is running at 1.9%, yet the yen still weakened to 156.64 immediately after the announcement, even after Tokyo and Washington had days earlier intervened together to defend the currency. 

Japan’s 10-year government bond yield fell almost 5 basis points to 2.947% on the same day, an unusual reaction to a rate rise.

He says: “A central bank raises rates to defend its currency and support confidence in its bonds. Here, both moved the wrong way within hours. 

“This is a credibility problem, and credibility problems in the world’s fourth-largest bond market don’t stay contained to Japan.”

Japanese investors are the largest foreign holders of US government debt, sitting on close to $1 trillion in Treasuries, and recent months have already brought record inflows back into domestic Japanese bond funds as that capital reconsiders where it wants to sit.

“Every basis point the Bank of Japan adds makes it more attractive for Japanese money to come home instead of funding US and European markets,” explains the deVere CEO.

“If that shift accelerates, borrowing costs everywhere get more expensive at exactly the moment governments are issuing record volumes of debt to fund their own deficits. This is a global funding story now, and it won’t stay confined to Japan.”

The 7-2 vote adds a political fault line to the mix. Dissenters Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato, both seen as reflationists appointed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier this year, argued the underlying economy isn’t strong enough to justify tightening, pointing to core inflation easing to 1.7% in August from 1.8% the month before.

He says: “Investors are being asked to believe two things at once, that inflation is dangerous enough to justify accelerating rate rises, and that the prime minister’s own appointees are right to say the economy can’t handle it. 

“Markets hate holding two contradictory stories together, and something in that tension tends to give eventually.”

Nigel Green warns that the era of treating ultra-cheap Japanese money as a permanent feature of global markets is ending faster than most portfolios have priced in, and that the next shock, if one comes, is unlikely to announce itself in advance.

He says: “Three years ago this normalisation felt slow enough to ignore. Three months between hikes isn’t slow. 

“Investors sitting in equities, emerging-market currencies or long-duration bonds without asking how much of that pricing depends on cheap yen and cheap Japanese capital are carrying a risk they haven’t stress-tested. 

He concludes: “This is a moment for genuine scrutiny of portfolio exposure rather than panic. 

“Japan’s shifting stance should be taken seriously risk by investors across the world.”

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Reinforcing the airline’s longstanding commitment in market, the partnership agreement supports Kenya’s ambition to be the most visited tourism destination in Africa by promoting the destination in key regions on the airline’s vast global network

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, September 18, 2026/ –&nbspEmirates (www.Emirates.com) and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) have signed a partnership agreement at the 2026 Arabian Travel Market, to strengthen collaboration and support the growth of inbound tourism to Kenya. Already one of the most consistently in-demand destinations on the airline’s Africa network, the partnership will build on this strong demand and help unlock new opportunities for Kenya to attract visitors from emerging and established markets around the world.
The partnership agreement was signed by Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Centre, and June Chepkemei, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Tourism Board, in the presence of Ambassador. (Professor.) Julius K. Bitok, CBS. Principal Secretary, State Department for Tourism, and Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Rashid Alardha, Vice President of Commercial Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Emirates and Christophe Leloup, Emirates’ Country Manager in Kenya, along with other senior officials.

Adil Al Ghaith said, “Kenya has been an important market for Emirates for over three decades, and our commitment goes much deeper than operations and connections. We’ve consistently invested in our presence in the market, working closely with travel trade partners and tourism stakeholders to stimulate inbound travel, and contribute positively to the global perception of Kenya. Nairobi remains one of the top 5 busiest gateways for Emirates in Africa, with significant traffic coming from UK and Europe, as well as the US. This partnership solidifies that longstanding commitment, enhancing our collaboration with the Kenya Tourism Board and the full, thriving tourism ecosystem across Nairobi and Kenya.”

June Chepkemei said, “We are delighted to partner with Emirates to strengthen Kenya’s global tourism profile and showcase the remarkable experiences our destination offers to travellers around the world. Emirates’ extensive international network and strong reach in both established and emerging markets will help us build on the growing demand for Kenya and unlock new opportunities to attract more visitors. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to promoting Kenya as a leading, diverse and unforgettable destination, while supporting the continued growth of inbound tourism and the many communities that benefit from it.”

Tourism is a key pillar in Kenya’s economy, creating thousands of employment opportunities and serving millions of tourists who visit the country each year. The Kenya Tourism Board has bold plans to establish Kenya as the most visited tourism destination in Africa, with a year-round calendar of diverse, sustainable and authentic experiences that appeal to a swathe of international visitors.

Under the framework of the partnership agreement, Emirates and KTB will explore joint initiatives to promote Kenya in key markets on the airline’s global network, showcasing the breadth of Kenya’s year-round tourism offering, and encourage more travellers to visit. The partners will also closely collaborate to develop programmes for trade partners and tour operators that educate and excite the industry, such as incentives, familiarisation trips and other marketing initiatives.

Last year, Emirates marked 30 years of operations to Nairobi and, during that tenure, has established deep-rooted ties with local communities and the travel trade ecosystem. Earlier this month, the airline’s tour operating arm, Emirates Holidays, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kenya Association of Travel Agents to stimulate outbound travel by equipping over 300 travel agencies with enhanced product and network insight and competitive promotional opportunities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Emirates Group.

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Former University of Malawi Vice Chancellor Professor Zimani Kadzamira has died, Maravipost has learnt.

Professor Kadzamira, who was brother to the iconic Mama Cecilia Kadzamira, was one of the most respected scholars Malawi has ever produced.

Born on July 1, 1941 in Harare, Zimbabwe which was then called Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia, Prof Kadzamira started his early education in Zimbabwe before returning home to Malawi for his secondary school.

His quest for academic excellence took him to the United States of America where he studied Political Science at the world famous Princeton University and graduated in 1966. He did not stop there.

In 1974 he obtained his doctorate in Government from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

His love affair with the University of Malawi started way back in 1966 when he joined the institution as a young Assistant Lecturer.

From that humble beginning, he rose with dedication and discipline through the ranks to become a full Professor.

At Chancellor College, he served in various top positions including as Principal before his appointment as Vice Chancellor of the University of Malawi in 2005, taking over from Professor David Rubadiri.

He went on to become one of the longest serving Vice Chancellors of his time.

But Prof Kadzamira was not just an academic.

He served his country as Malawi’s first Ambassador to Japan from 1992 to 1994, opening a new chapter in Malawi-Japan relations.

He also served on the international stage, holding senior roles with the WorldFish Center and as Chairperson of the UbuntuNet Alliance, which connects African universities.

His family name needs no introduction in Malawi. His sister, Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira, served as official hostess to founding President Ngwazi Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda and was loved by Malawians as Mama Cecilia Kadzamira.

Another sister, Mary Kadzamira, served as private secretary to President Banda.

Yet Prof Zimani Kadzamira carved his own legacy. From Assistant Lecturer to Professor, to Principal, to Vice Chancellor, to diplomat, his journey was a story of excellence, service and patriotism.

Malawi has lost a library. Malawi has lost a pillar. Malawi has lost a man who built generations of leaders in lecture rooms.

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