
* Held talks with former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who now heads the Global Green Growth Institute
* An intergovernmental organisation supporting and promoting sustainable economic growth in developing countries
* Chilima appealed to organisations to consider assisting and working with Malawi to fight effects of climate change, arguing that global warming is a threat to food security
By Andrew Mkonda, MANA in Seoul, South Korea
Ahead of the official opening of the Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima held talks with former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon where he appealed to organisations to consider assisting and working with Malawi to fight effects of climate change, arguing that global warming is a threat to food security.

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Ki-Moon now heads the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), an intergovernmental organisation supporting and promoting sustainable economic growth in developing countries currently with 48 member states.
And in his response, Ki-moon said if Malawi joined GGGI as a member, she stands to benefit support for social economic development, saying: “Addressing these climate change issues, we have experts, and we can even establish an office in Malawi to work with your government on green economy.”
The Vice-President is leading a hectic schedule aimed at forging strategic partnerships and planning to present a compelling case to tap from financial deals on offer at the summit.
Earlier, he held several side meetings highlighting Malawi’s potential as a gateway to the Southern African Development Community market and also met South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee.
He further addressed a high-level panel discussion on forestry and desertification hosted by the Korea Forest Service and the UN Convention on Desertification.
“Together, we can leverage on advanced technologies, share best practices and mobilise resources to combat deforestation and desertification effectively,” Chilima said.
Meanwhile, the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit started today with a call for Korea and African countries to be committed in finding ways of expanding economic ties and cooperation in supply chain and development with the resource-rich countries.
President of the Republic of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol made the call during the official opening of the two-day summit with high expectations that it will increase various opportunities in trade, agriculture, and tourism, among others.
President Yoon said South Korea aims to expand trade and investment with Africa through a series of agreements, such as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and Trade and Investment Promotion Frameworks (TIPFs).
He also vowed to support Africa’s efforts towards regional economic integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), launched in 2019.
“In terms of trade, we will speed up the signing of EPAs and TIPFs,” he said. “On the investment front, we will expand investment protection agreements to promote exchanges between the two countries’ companies.”
The summit has drawn together 48 African countries such as Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Togo, Rwanda, Mozambique, São Tomé e Principe, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, among others.
The summit is being held under the theme; ‘The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity’.

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