National Theatre Association of Malawi (Ntam) has said that it is in need of K11 million to hold its annual general meeting (AGM) as well as regional and national elections.
Ntam President Maxwell Chiphinga, popularly known as Max DC, confirmed the development.
He said they were racing against time, taking into consideration that the elections were expected to be held in November last year.
“For now, we are waiting for the board to guide us. Otherwise, funding is a huge challenge. If we had the K11 million, we would have held the elections and AGM as soon as Monday,” Chiphinga said.
He said terms for those holding office at both national and regional level ended in November 2024.
“Last year, we could not make headway because of [shortage of] funds but also, at the same time, many of the members were busy with Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) projects.
‘So, the National Executive Committee (Nec), in consultation with the board, decided to pend everything,” the Ntam leader said.
Chiphinga, who will be seeking re-election, said they were working tirelessly on the ground to source funds to hold the AGM and other elections.
“There will be a taskforce which will manage the elections and that will also come after approval from the board during a meeting that has tentatively been scheduled for February 8 2025,” he said.
The Ntam leader said the taskforce would also be mandated to source funds.
“As indicated, the board will give guidelines and the taskforce will use them in conducting the elections. It is after this that members will begin to make submissions to contest for positions,” Chiphinga said.
Some of the members that have expressed interest in contesting on the position of president include Lewis Masamba and Steve Kango.
