Sports Council launches Owaahni Sport Lounge
Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) has launched Owaahni Sport Lounge at the institution’s premises in Blantyre as one of income generating initiatives.
“We have gone on a route whereby we want to enhance our resource mobilisation drive and, as part of that, we are looking at all opportunities where we can get resources from. On part of businesses and investments, we have created this garden to help us in raising resources to complement the efforts the government is making in assisting Sports Council to develop sports,” said the institution’s acting executive secretary Henry Mereka on Friday during the launch.
He also encouraged sport associations to take a similar route to develop sports in the country.
Sports Council Accountant Shephord Boma said the initiative was under council’s business portfolio.
“Malawi National Council of Sports is a public institution. Its mandate is to regulate sport in Malawi. For it to serve the public well and complement government efforts in cash generation activities, it has a business portfolio in the name of Owaahni Sport Lounge.
“The Lounge has got three business lines namely: Sport Bar, Restaurant and Hostel. However, something was missing as the name Owaahni means Pamudzi in Lomwe language. As such the idea of Sport Garden was born to fully make the place pamudzi. This brings us to the fourth business line,” Boma said.
Netball Association of Malawi (Nam) General Secretary Carol Bapu hailed Sports Council for leading the way.
“This is the way to go. As associations we cannot only depend on the subvention which we get from the government but we need to beef it up,” she said.
Some Sports Council senior officials including Sports Development Manager Ruth Mzengo, Administration Manager Suzanne Mbejere and Food and Beverages Manager Thandi Bvalani attended the launch.
Nyasa Big Bullets Vice President Fleetwood Haiya, Nam President Khungekile Matiya and Southern Region Football Association Vice Chairperson Patrick Mbalati attended the launch of the garden which can host social and business fora, among others.
