NICO General CEO Donbell Mandala presenting the certificate
* NICO’s commitment towards working together with the media in Malawi
* Media plays a huge role in informing the public, not just NICO events, but in general terms as a whole
* “I enjoyed myself throughout the course, I made contacts with journalists from several journalists”
By John Saukira
NICO Group has honoured Nyasa Times’ seasoned scribe, Duncan Mlanjira who attended last year’s Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists.
NICO Group offers this scholarship to one journalist to attend a physical training course in South Africa but due to CoVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was held virtually.
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Sanlam finally sent Mlanjira’s certificate of successful completion of the course and NICO Group decided to add glamour by organising an official ceremony to present it at their refurbished NICO House in Blantyre.
Speaking at the function, NICO’s media liaison officer Mbumba Mlia, explained that since Mlanjira accepted not travelling was something they appreciated and that they decided to make the official handover of the certificate, which could have been presented with the same glamour in South Africa if he had attended the course physically.
“This is also to emphasize our commitment towards working together with the media in Malawi, which plays a huge role in informing the public, not just NICO events, but in general terms as a whole.”
In his remarks, Mlanjira said it was such an honour to have been nominated for this prestigious course whose main theme was overcoming challenges being faced due to the CoVID-19 pandemic and how to report and do business post CoVID-19.
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“It’s an honour in that I never expected to be accorded this opportunity until Mbumba called to inform me of the opportunity and to find out if I accept because I was not to travel but attend it virtually.
“Who wouldn’t accept such an opportunity, I said so to myself. First, virtual conferences were a novelty then for most of us and I was excited to go through such an experience that going forward I might consider interviewing my sources the same way.
“Secondly, it was an opportunity for me to experience what other Malawians had gone through the Sanlam Summer School for Financial Journalists.”
NICO Group has been awarding this scholarship in conjunction with their South African business partner, Sanlam since 2014 — starting two candidates — Lorraine Lusinje then working for the Nation Publications but now with FDH Bank and Innocent Helena of The Daily Times.
Chimwemwe Mangazi, then working for Capital FM, represented Malawi in 2015 followed by Aston Gondwe of MBC in 2016, George Lumwila in 2017, Times Group’s William Kumwembe in 2018 while 2019 John Paul Kayuni from Zodiak Broadcasting Station.
“I enjoyed myself throughout the course, I made contacts with several journalists from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africans. One of the course facilitators had visited Malawi before and we talked more of his experiences in Malawi,” Mlanjira said.
“We shared a lot of information amongst the participants which I have used in some of my reports, especially reporting African situation on CoVID-19 and a lot more and we continue to interact.”
Mlanjira thanked NICO for its appreciation of the role journalists play in informing the citizenry, not just about NICO Group activities, but everything in general — thus empowering scribes to be the best through such courses.
