In a bid to tackle the devastating impacts of climate change, the Malawi Gaming and Lotteries Authority (MAGLA) has pumped in K10 million to support the Dzenza Mountain environmental sustainability initiative.
The funds will be used to purchase tree seedlings and beehives, bolstering efforts to restore the mountain’s degraded forests and promote environmental conservation.
The community at the foot of Dzenza mountain in Dedza district, led by Senior Chief Kaphuka, had requested MAGLA’s support for the initiative. MAGLA Director General Rachel Mijiga emphasized that the donation aligns with their mandate to contribute to environmental sustainability.
Mijiga praised Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V’s leadership in environmental sustainability, noting that trees provide essential benefits, including air, fruits, and climate change mitigation.
“We have been motivated and inspired by Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V’s leadership in environmental sustainability by encouraging citizens and collaborating with institutions. This is very important because trees give us air and fruits, and also combat climate change. So, it is the responsibility of all of us to come in and contribute to the reafforestation of our beautiful mountains in Malawi,” said Mijiga.
She highlighted MAGLA’s commitment to environmental conservation, having invested K30 million in similar initiatives this year.
Inkosi ya Makosi Gomani V expressed gratitude for MAGLA’s support, emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation. “We need the environment more than it needs us,” he said, adding that the partnership marks a new beginning in their efforts to conserve the environment.
This is not MAGLA’s first environmental initiative. In 2023, they partnered with the Maseko Ngoni in the Muonekela Mountain hiking experience, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
It’s high time we took reafforestation serious in our programmes. Dzenza Mountain has of late degraded leaving it desolate and empty.