NPL, ZBS pledge top standards in Miss Malawi contests
Media giants Nation Publications Limited (NPL) and Zodiak Broadcasting Corporation (ZBS) have pledged to maintain high standards in the Miss Malaw pageant that will identify beautiful and dignified girls with a passion to developing the nation.
NPL chief executive officer Mbumba Banda said this at the glittering Miss Malawi finale that saw Cecilia Khofi, a nutritionist at the Ministry of Health, snatcihing the Miss Malawi crown at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on Friday night.
In the tightly-fought finale, Nthanda Manduwi and Yvonne Kamanga were crowned first and second princess, respectively.
NPL and ZBS organised this year’s Miss Malawi Competition jointly, raising the standards by making the contestants prove their intelligence and passion to solving some of Malawi’s challenge. The theme this year was managing over-popultion in the country. 
Declared Mbumba, also speaking on behalf of co-organizer ZBS: “Rest assured that we will provide a credible platform where the young la-dies are celebrated, and not exploited. Our hope is that the winner will be a lady of exceptional beauty, intelligence and skill who will exude virtue, valour and true values of a progressive Malawian woman.”
She said the competition this year, revived after a four-year break when other were organisers, had had 34 young, eloquent and passionate contestants from the three regions, saying competition had been stiff throughout.
Banda said the 14 contestants in the finals, who made powerful presentations on the ills of over population and what solutions were needed, were proof that there are brainy women in Malawi who are passionate about providing answers to the country’s challenges. 
“Already all areas of social service provision are groaning under the current pressure of numbers. Our education, health and other systems can’t cope. If this is the case now, what do we have to look forward to in the future (in the face of the current population boom)?” she asked. 
She thanked First Lady Gertrude Mutharika for gracing the event as guest of honour and hoped the joint Miss Malawi pageant organizer’s would enjoy support from Mutharika’s Beautify Malawi (Beam) charity that promotes cleanliness in communities.
Banda also saluted all government, business and other partners who made the competition a great success and she hoped they would continue doing so as the competition hopes to raise the bar higher.
