The second edition of the Presidential Zikomo Awards has been slated for July 1 2022 at Kamuzu Palace and on this occasion President Lazarus Chakwera will award individuals in education, agriculture, arts, youth and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). Our Reporter BRIAN ITAI caught up with Presidential Press Secretary ANTHONY KASUNDA to give more details ahead of the event.

Kasunda: It will also demonstrate a gender balance of at least 60-40

 Give us a brief background of the Presidential Zikomo Awards

 Just to say the inaugural awards were launched last year and you may wish to recall that on that auspicious occasion, the President had awarded 36 health workers. You may also recall that then, we had the Covid-19 pandemic at its peak and, therefore, it pleased the President to salute and honour our men and women plying their trade in the health sector and, in particular, those who had made an impact through their service delivery to the nation in times of the ravaging pandemic.

 What should Malawians expect during this year’s awards?

 First and foremost, let me begin by stating that this year’s awards ceremony is so unique. In the first place, it has pleased the President to broaden the horizon and scope of the event. This year, the first citizen plans to award individuals from five sectors of education, agriculture, arts, youth and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). With that in mind, you can appreciate that the package is already different from last year’s as the inaugural event only recognised those within the health sector. Secondly, the awards will coincide with Chakwera’s two years in office, and as such, the president intends to take advantage of the day to recognise 20 individuals whose service to the country showcases the spirit of “servant leadership”.

 What is the linkage between the presidential awards and the ‘servant leadership’ theme?

 The servant is one of the pillars of the Chakwera’s Super Hi5 and you know that the Super Hi5 is simply a backbone for the President’s development agenda as he continues to diligently govern this country. Apart from ‘servant leadership,’ Super HI5 also has other equally important pillars such as Uniting Malawi, Prospering Together, Ending Corruption, and Rule of Law. Going back to your question, let me state here that unlike in the first edition, this time around, it has pleased the President to extend the awards to education, agriculture, arts, youth and ICT because these are among key crucial areas that are propelling the implementation of the country’s second national development masterplan, the Malawi Vision 2063. The Malawi Vision 2063, which was launched on January 19 last year by the President himself, is simply the country’s second long-term national development strategy which intends to help the country graduate into a lower middle-income country and also helps the country attain a $1 000 per capita income by 2030.

 Do we know by this far the theme for this year’s Zikomo Awards? If yes, how relevant is this theme?

 Yes! The theme for this year’s awards is “Outstanding Service to the country”. This theme boils down to the earlier question about servant leadership where the President would like to award those 20 Malawians who have demonstrated exceptional services in those five sectors I mentioned earlier. The President himself believes in outstanding or extraordinary services to his Malawian people and it is in the same spirit that he would like to recognise other Malawians whom he believes have done the same to the Malawian people.

 What are the criteria for selecting the awardees this year?

 The potential awardees must demonstrate that they have gone above and beyond the call of duty or what would be considered reasonable effort and resolve to contribute to the development of the country through their craft, expertise, service and/or humanitarian prowess. This may be in the form of a project they have embarked on in their community or service they are providing or an innovation that will serve to enhance the Malawi 2063 development agenda. The selection process of potential awardees must reflect the diversity of the country through representation from its width and breadth. It will also demonstrate a gender balance of at least 60-40. As you have already seen on the ground, the President believes in women’s empowerment and that is why he has placed women in the most crucial senior government positions. Just to add that the awardees will be identified by the respective ministries through The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), which will then institute a technical committee that will review the list of potential awardees.

 Any remarks which you would like to share with Malawians out there?

 The President is always appreciative of the good work and support that hard-working Malawians are providing to the country and this is in line which the president’s philosophy. The President is very happy and pleased to host all the attendees during this grand event, which will also feature a variety of entertainment to spice up the night.

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