By Gracious Chitakata, contributor:
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) students have hailed National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc for renovating a basketball court at Bunda Campus, saying it will motivate a lot of students to take up the sport.
Director of Students Affairs at Luanar, Ronnie Mvula, made the remarks when NBM officials toured the facility to appreciate progress on the renovations of the basketball court.
“The refurbished facility will encourage more students to join the sport and also ensure that Luanar has a strong basketball team. Last year, we had Tessam games in Lilongwe but we could not host any game here, including basketball, because our facilities were not good. So, the coming in of National Bank to renovate the court is timely and welcome.
“The renovation is in phases; the first one is about the court. Then they will include floodlights so that games can be played even at night. They will also provide stands for both sides of the court,” Mvula said.
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Students’ representative Wesham Mwala Moyo said the students were excited with the refurbishment of the court.
“You can be great players but not having the right facilities can affect the outcome of how you play during game time,” Mwala Moyo.
During the Mo626 College Basketball tournament launch in September last year, NBM committed to refurbishing Luanar and University of Malawi (Unima) basketball courts as a way of leaving a lasting legacy, in terms of sports infrastructure development.
NBM’s Accounts Relationship Manager Monica Zinyemba said the basketball court was in a sorry state, prompting the bank to intervene.
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“We thought it was safe for the students to be playing on a very modern court. It is supposed to be completed by January 25 and handovers will be done immediately after that so that students can start using it once they open the new semester,” Zinyemba said before expressing satisfaction with the progress of the works taking place at the facility.
Mo626 College Basketball Ambassador Hayze Engola spiced up the inspection tour by interacting with, and giving out NBM-branded items to, players.
NBM is expected to pump K40 million into the Luanar basketball court renovation project.
