Emerging issues come along with lessons. For the Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity (MoCENU), one emerging issue that it has drawn lesson from, is the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has taught the Ministry to be proactive by putting in place mechanisms and strategies for swift interventions in times emergencies and eventualities.
As a strategy to deal with emerging issues, the Ministry has developed e Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with key and strategic partners. The partners include community radio stations.
According to the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) community radio stations claim a strategic position as they are able to reach remotest areas. In addition, community radio stations command wider audiences in their respective communities.
As institutions that command a competitive advantage in the media landscape, community radio stations can be utilised to disseminate useful information and messages to the population across the country including hard to reach areas.
The MOUs will, therefore, will enable the Ministry to easily and quickly engage community radio stations to dissemination information and messages on an emerging issue.
Speaking at one of the drafting MOUs sessions, the Director of Civic Education, Dalitso Chikwembani said the MoUs will facilitate a long-term partnership between the Ministry and community radio stations in the civic education drive.
“Community radio stations are one of our strategic partners in civic education. This is because, the Ministry alone cannot reach out to every place. It needs partners such as community radio stations to complement its activities he said.
In her comment, Mercy Kayange from Chanco Radio and Television, speaking on behalf of other community radios in the southern region, commended the initiative. She said the MoUs will help address some of the challenges the stations face when dealing with government institutions.
“We usually face challenges, especially with payment. With these MoUs, we will be able to help government send out messages to rural communities in good time on an agreement that assures us of the payment,” she said.
Apart from the community radio stations, the Ministry has also signed MOUs with various institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Malawi Police Service, the National Registration Bureau, and the Malawi Human Rights Commission.
Through the MoUs, the Ministry will engage these partners in in the delivery of civic education on various issues such as anti-corruption strategy, national identity cards, mob-justice and human rights.
Signing of the MoUs with the strategic partners is one of the Ministry’s reforms areas.
