AI-generated image of the spot above which resident Dennis Imaan envisions in the long term
* Awesome news. Through this investment Lilongwe City Council, the Bank plus citizens can achieve more—Dennis Imaan
* We can defeat dust in Lilongwe with grass and tree planting. Dust must be a thing of the past, let Lilongwe breathe at last—Blessings Samuel Phumisa
By Duncan Mlanjira
Lilongwe residents have warmly welcomed the initiative by Standard-Bank-to-decorate-Dr-Saulos-Chilima-Highway-with-ornamental-trees/, saying through the investment the City Council, the Bank and the citizens can achieve more in the greening and restoration of the Capital’s lost vegetation.
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The debate was generated by Dennis Imaan of Facebook, who post was decorated by an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated artistic impression of the end result.
The tree-planting ceremony, held on World Earth Day, April 22, brought together leadership from Standard Bank, Lilongwe City Council, Road Fund Administration, stakeholders and community members, is an initiative to recoup the tree cover that was replaced during construction of the additional lanes of the road.
Standard Bank Chief Executive Phillip Madinga planting his tree
It also marked the recognition that Standard Bank is the lead financier for Malawi’s first six-lane highway that stretches through Dr. Saulos Chilima Highway (formerly named as Kenyatta Road) through to Mzimba Street.
In his post, Imaan remarked that “the K50 million investment to Lilongwe City Council for the greening and restoration of lost vegetation during the road expansion work is indeed heartening”.
“Brilliant [and] awesome news,” said Imaan. “Now, what I am thinking is that through this investment, the City Council and the Bank plus citizens can achieve more.
“As I passed by the Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) Clover, this is what I saw [in my mind],” he said in explaining that the image he used was an AI-generated. “I believe that the Bank is seeing the same. If not, then please see.
“During the last tree planting season, former Mayor Esther Sagawa and the team planted over 2,000 trees along the road, I hope this partnership can go into serious beautification of the area than just planting more trees.
Lilongwe City Mayor, Councillor Peter Banda during the ground-breaking exercise
“His Worship the Mayor, Peter Alex Banda, we have our trust in you. You have Lilongwe City Green Guardians (LLGG) to support this.
“What if other corporations could follow this lead?” he suggested — and in response, Blessings Samuel Phumisa said he always visualises that “we can defeat dust in Lilongwe with grass and tree planting. Dust must be a thing of the past, let Lilongwe breathe at last.”
Ernest Chunga Chikhungu observed that the AI-generated flower decoration idea can come with a huge cost to maintain because they are annual, and he suggested that “the place can be made beautiful using succulents — plants that require less attention but still look beautiful” — and offered that as a horticulture specialist, he can help in the design free of charge.
Atupele Chaponda advised that there was need to plant drought resistant trees and grass as a starter while exploring ways in which they can sustain with irrigation, to which Ernest Lundu suggested that managers of the project can draw water straight from Lingadzi River using a tanker.
“The City Council was doing that some years ago and I have seen a similar practice in other countries,” he said, while Afshan Omar joined in saying: “I love that there are funds being provided locally and Standard Bank is seeking to support greening initiatives.
“I wonder if we can’t gather a few design ideas and collaborate on something that reflects what a lot of communities/residents in Lilongwe want to see on this highway and push implementation.”
Imaan responded to suggest that “the best way for this to happen is to have a contracted company and ‘guardian groups’ responsible for the project — leaving this entirely to the City Council workforce, we know how it will end.
“I hope Standard Bank Malawi and the CEO of the City Council plus the Mayor have a plan. I will try to write the CEOs on the best possible collaborations and if you have ideas, please share,” he offered.
On Lingadzi River being close by, Imaan suggested an investment of solar-powered water pumps through partnerships with other corporate stakeholders.
On another note, Kenneth Mhango, while applauding the initiative as a “good vision”, brought to the attention of the Mayor and the City Council as to “who is responsible for removing the soil that builds up in the tarmac roads along the yellow line. Mu City Centre nde mwanyanya”.
