JB elevates Kwataine to Ntcheu’s senior TA
President Joyce Banda on Saturday elevated Traditional Authority (TA) Kwataine of Ntcheu to Senior Traditional Authority as a reward for his active participation in development work and safe motherhood programmes.
Banda elevated the chief to Senior Traditional Authority at Madzanje Primary School in his area at a maternal and safe motherhood campaign mass rally.
Earlier, the president toured safe motherhood activities and a maternity clinic structure which is under construction in the chief’s area.
“After thorough investigation of the Kwataine chieftaincy and the chief’s hard working spirit in fostering maternal and safe motherhood initiatives, and with consideration of the Ngoni tradition, among others, it has pleased me to elevate Traditional Authority Kwataine to Senior Traditional Authority Kwataine,” said Banda.
Safemotherhood
She commended Senior Traditional Authority Kwataine for taking a leading role in promoting maternal and safe motherhood activities in his area.
The chief is Chairperson of the Presidential Initiative on Maternal and Safe motherhood.
Banda said she was impressed with such efforts which had made the area to be a model on maternal and safe motherhood interventions.
She pledged to do everything she could to support maternal and safe motherhood activities in the area in particular, and the country as a whole.
She said Senior Traditional Authority Kwataine and the National Coordinator of the Safe motherhood Programme, Dorothy Ngoma should orient chiefs across the country on maternal and safe motherhood programme to reduce maternal and infant deaths.
“Let me advise all leaderships and political parties that this not time for politics, but for development. I also call upon all civil servants to continue being committed to their duties so that there is good collaboration between policy makers and implementers of government programmes for the country to develop,” said Banda.
Maternal deaths cut
Earlier in his speech, Senior Traditional Authority Kwataine said he introduced safe motherhood activities in his area in 1996, adding that the initiative was yielding results.
He said currently, maternal and infant death rates had drastically dropped in his area due to interventions being implemented and which his subjects owned.
The chief appealed to government to consider building a waiting shelter for expectant women at Ntcheu District Hospital as one way of encouraging expectant women to be delivering at health facilities.
Continuing his efforts to promote maternal and safe motherhood programmes, Senior Traditional Authority Kwataine in collaboration with his subjects, are building a maternity clinic in the area.
