Diplomacy

This past week marked the final training sessions for a whole new group of Peace Corps volunteers coming to Malawi.  They will begin their two year stint working in either health or environment jobs.

Some of us were…

MALAWI will lobby for the removal of the illegal Western sanctions regime that is affecting ordinary people, the nation’s President Dr Joyce Banda has said. Officially opening the 54th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair here

yesterday, Dr Banda said her country would “blow the trumpet”. “My visit to Zimbabwe has provided me with a rare opportunity to see what is emerging in Zimbabwe. “It gives hope to see that the destiny of Zimbabwe remains in the hands of Zimbabweans.

“We will march with you and the rest of us shall blow the trumpet: ‘lift sanctions, they are hurting…

President Robert Mugabe welcomed Malawian President Joyce Banda today in Zimbabwe whom he has invited the to officially open this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo.

The trip is Banda’s first official visit to Zimbabwe since taking over power after the death last year of her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika, who was a close ally to Mugabe.

The president wrote this message on her official facebook page:

This afternoon I have arrived in Harare…

Africa has left itself wide open with glaring sores to the eyes, for celebrities to bandage. When one is drowning in poverty and gross mismanagement, any extended hand of support provided is better than nothing at all! It is not the African elite who suffer due to lack of an elite girl’s school or a functional maternity ward- their own children are whisked away to the best schools and hospitals money can buy to give birth! There are many African nations – who are truly appreciative of such celebrity meddling in their dysfunctional service delivery to the poor, indeed the poor among Africans welcome these super stars who make personal…

President Dr Joyce Banda on Tuesday requested the Flemish Government to earmark the next cycle of assistance towards the agriculture sector.

The President made the request at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe after signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on agriculture between the Government of Malawi and Government of Flanders.

The next cycle of assistance amounting to 25 million Euros (about K14 billion) has been pledged towards this course.

“I believe that it…

Governments of Malawi and Mozambique on Wednesday signed three pacts in the areas of power, science and technology, and immigration and public security.

The signing of the agreements took place at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe after the visiting Mozambican President Armando Guebuza held bilateral talks with President Dr. Joyce Banda.

The two governments first signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Scientific Technological and Innovation which was signed by Malawi Education Minister, Eunice Kazembe and Oldemiro Julio Marques Baloi,…

State House Press Release

25 March 2013

Malawi, Botswana commit on sharing resources, expertise

The governments of Malawi and Botswana have committed to sharing resources and expertise in a number of areas that will immediately see Botswana providing Malawi a soft loan of U$10 million for the latter’s agriculture and health sectors.

The loan will also help the country improve its fuel situation.

The commitments were made during bilateral talks between Her Excellency Dr Joyce Banda and her Botswana counterpart Lt General Seretse Khama Ian Khama and their officials in Gaborone on Monday where the Malawi President is on a two-day state visit.

During the talks, held at the Office of the President in Gaborone…

U.S. agencies that work to fight HIV this week began a five-year effort with Malawi’s government to improve health care for Malawians infected with the virus.  The program – targeting seven districts across Malawi – aims to build on the country’s success in combating HIV/AIDS.  The United Nations says that from 2001 to 2011, Malawi reduced infections by 72 percent, more than any other country in Africa.

Spearheading the new program is a non-governmental organization, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, with funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Malawi is touted as the first…

By Sgt. Terysa M. King, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs Hardships that come with returning from a deployment can greatly affect Soldiers and their family members. This concept not only applies to American Soldiers, but Soldiers from other countries as well.

In an effort to help soldiers of the Malawi Defense Force (MDF) deal with redeployment challenges, two U.S. Chaplains traveled to Lilongwe, Malawi to teach solution-focused therapy concepts to 28 MDF chaplains and chaplain assistants March 4-8.

Chap. (Lt. Col.) Scott A. Hammond, U.S. Army Africa deputy chaplain, said MDF soldiers are facing some of the same challenges…

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group approved, on March 25, 2013, a grant amounting to US $3.04 million to finance the Kholombidzo Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) Feasibility Studies in Malawi. The Government of Malawi will contribute US $0.23 million (7%) of the total study cost of US $3.27 million.

The grant aims to produce a full bankable feasibility study for the future development of a power generation project to contribute to the expansion of electricity generating capacity in Malawi, which would ultimately help to address electricity shortages and enable the delivery of reliable energy and electricity access expansion in…