Malawi Vice President Everton Chimulirenji has commended the media for the critical role they play in disseminating information that help people living and working in disaster prone areas to be well informed.
Speaking during a two-day interface meeting for the media organised by Department for Disaster Risk Management Affairs (DODMA) in the resort district of Salima on Saturday, he said, media is a very important vehicle in shaping the dialogue particularly in promoting practices that build a resilient nation.
“People should be informed not just about disaster occurrence but how they can prevent, mitigate, prepare, respond and recover from these disasters,” he said.
The VP who is also Minister for DODMA, added that his government has put several initiatives in place to manage disaster risks and ensure sustainable development since disasters are a major threat to development.
Malawi Government Spokesperson, who is also Minister of Information, Civic Education and Communications Technology, Mark Botomani, said media need to be imparted with knowledge on disaster risk management so that they report from an informed point of view and maximise their roles in reducing disaster risks.
“A well informed and knowledgeable nation on disaster rik reduction can accerelerate socioeconomic growth and development and this can only be achieved when the media is playing an active role in effort aimed at reducing disaster risks,” he observed.
He therefore urged the media to put an extra gear in sensitizing the general public on disaster risk reduction and resilience of communities to various hazards.
Malawi is highly vulnerable to impacts of extreme weather events worsened by rapid population growth, unsustainable urbanization, climate change vulnerability and environmental degradation.
FT/abj/APA