Foreign Affairs Minister George Chaponda on a spree of meetings with heads of diplomatic missions

Egypt Ambassador to Malawi Rasha Ambassador Hamdy

* Egypt presented comprehensive proposals for collaboration in mining, agriculture, energy, health, and education — including technical support for mineral exploration

* India High Commissioner, Amararam Gujar’s discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in same key sectors including industrialisation

* Cuba expressed commitment to revive the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC), which has been instrumental in advancing bilateral collaboration since its establishment in 1999

By Duncan Mlanjira

Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Chaponda has healed a series of meetings with heads of Diplomatic Missions from Arab Republic of Egypt; Japan; Republic of Cuba; India; China; International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); and the United Nations (UN) among others.

Today, October 24, Chaponda held an audience with Egypt Ambassador to Malawi, Her Excellency Rasha Hamdy underscoring Malawi–Egypt cooperation in key strategic areas, with the Ambassador conveying invitation to the Minister for official visit to her country and extending it to President Arthur Peter Mutharika in order to deepen bilateral ties.

The Malawi Government official Facebook page indicates that Hamdy presented comprehensive proposals for collaboration in mining, agriculture, energy, health, and education — including technical support for mineral exploration, agricultural productivity enhancement, infrastructure development, and renewable energy investment.

She further offered cooperation in healthcare, including affordable medicines; cancer treatment and professional training — alongside scholarships and capacity-building in diplomacy, security, and higher education.

Minister Chaponda commended Egypt for its continued partnership and outlined Malawi’s priority needs and long-term development goals, particularly in the mining sector.

Both sides agreed to finalise pending agreements and arrange a high-level visit to Egypt, marking a new chapter in the enduring friendship and cooperation between Malawi and Egypt.

Yesterday, the Minister met India High Commissioner, Amararam Gujar, whose discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in key sectors including health, education, agriculture, mining, trade, and industrialisation.

Chaponda reaffirmed the longstanding and cordial relations between Malawi and India, which date back to 1964 and are grounded in shared democratic values and South–South cooperation.

He further expressed appreciation for India’s humanitarian and technical assistance, including the recent donation of cobalt equipment and the establishment of an artificial limb centre at Zomba Central Hospital, as well as ongoing cooperation in the mining and energy sectors.

His Execllency Gujar expressed optimism for the conclusion of pending memoranda of understanding (moUs) in mining and defence cooperation, and reaffirmed commitment to holding the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in India.

The meeting underscored the mutual desire to deepen bilateral ties and enhance partnership for shared prosperity between Malawi and India, while on Wednesday, the Minister held discussions with JapaneseAmbassador, His Excellency Youichi Oya, where both sides reaffirmed the long-standing friendship and cooperation between the two countries, which dates back over 60 years.

The two countries share common values anchored in an open and free international order and Ambassador Oya highlighted Japan’s continued support towards Malawi’s development priorities under MW2063 national vision — including infrastructure development, food security, education, and capacity building.

He noted that Japan is considering emergency food assistance and announced progress on flagship projects such as the replacement of the Old Town Bridge, scheduled for completion in early 2026.

Chaponda expressed Malawi’s appreciation for Japan’s enduring support in areas such as energy, trade, transport, education, and climate resilience and commended Japan’s contributions to disaster response, technical cooperation through JICA volunteers, and educational exchanges that strengthen human resource development.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to deepen collaboration in trade, industrialisation, and environmental sustainability, and to continue working closely to advance mutual interests under global development frameworks such as TICAD.

The same day, Chaponda, Her Excellency Marileydis Dueñas Morales, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Zambia and Malawi, reaffirming the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries, which is rooted in solidarity and shared history.

Both sides expressed commitment to revive the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC), which has been instrumental in advancing bilateral collaboration since its establishment in 1999.

Discussions centred on strengthening cooperation in health, agriculture, education, and youth development, including opportunities for training of Malawian medical personnel in Cuba and the potential implementation of Cuban literacy and health programmes such as ‘Yes, I Can’ and ‘Operation Miracle’ in Malawi.

The two sides also explored ways to enhance trade, investment, and climate resilience partnerships, emphasising the importance of South-South cooperation in addressing shared development challenges.

Her Excellency Dueñas Morales conveyed warm greetings from the Government of Cuba and reaffirmed Cuba’s readiness to deepen collaboration with Malawi for the mutual benefit of both nations.

In the meeting with Chinese Ambassador, Her Excellency Lu Xu, discussion focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and advancing development priorities of mutual interests in agriculture, infrastructure, digital governance, education, and trade sectors among others.

Chaponda expressed gratitude for China’s continued support, highlighting the cancellation of US$20 million in debt, now redirected toward food security, fertilizer, and emergency food assistance.

Both parties also discussed ongoing infrastructure projects, such as the M1 Road Phase 1 and the approval of phase 2, as well as the Judicial Complex.

In the audience with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Country Director, Bernadette Mukonyora reaffirmed IFAD’s long-standing partnership with the Malawi spanning over 42 years.

She highlighted IFAD’s ongoing support to Malawi, with an active portfolio valued at approximately US$450 million, focused on rural transformation and agricultural development.

She further announced a US$3 million immediate grant to support Malawi’s fertilizer programme, reaffirming IFAD’s commitment to contributing to food security and agricultural productivity without adding to the country’s debt burden.

Chaponda commended IFAD for its continued partnership and underscored the Government’s dedication to addressing food insecurity, promoting access to finance, and empowering rural communities, particularly women and youth.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation towards achieving Malawi’s development priorities and ensuring sustainable growth in the agriculture sector.

With United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh, discussions centred on strengthening collaboration and continued partnership towards the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), in alignment with MW2063 and its first 10-year implementation plan.

Chaponda reaffirmed Government’s commitment to continued policy dialogue and enhanced coordination with the UN system in addressing national priorities — including climate change, humanitarian response, nutrition and food security, education, health, governance, gender equality, and human rights.

He further emphasised Malawi’s focus on socio-economic recovery, macroeconomic stability, and resilience-building in resolving current multifaceted crises facing the country.

Adda-Dontoh, commended the strong partnership between Malawi and the UN and expressed readiness to strengthen the UN-Government coordination platform for more coherent and impactful support.

She also invited Malawi to actively participate in the upcoming UN@80 Commemoration to be held at a later date and the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Brazil next month.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment to sustainable development and continued cooperation for the prosperity of Malawi and its people.

On the part of President Mutharika, he had an audience with Scottish First Minister, John Swinney on Monday at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre during which he indicated that his administration is set to procure 200,000 metric tons of maize from Zambia as part of its commitment to addressing immediate challenges such as food, forex, fertiliser and fuel facing the country.

He added that currently government officials are making financial arrangements to bring the maize in the country and that processes are underway to source fertiliser from reputable suppliers, not butcheries.

He also emphasised the need to invest in mining, manufacturing, production, and value addition as part of a long-term solution to forex and other challenges as well as outlining projects in the energy sector, such as power interconnections — but cited financial resources as a major challenge.

First Minister John Swinney said his visit to Malawi aimed to cement the relationship between the two countries beyond their 20 years of cooperation — indicating that the focus is on inclusive education, health, equality, renewable energy, and economic justice, while emphasising the need for an innovative and forward-looking relationship.

Meanwhile, newly-elected Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation & Water Development, Rosa Fatch Mbilizi, has underscored the significant role of the Malawi-Zambia maize procurement deal in addressing the country’s looming food insecurity.

She said this during the contract signing ceremony in Lilongwe on Wednesday where she attributed the severe food insecurity to poor agricultural performance over the past two years.

The Minister said Mutharika’s new administration has priotised the urgency of addressing food insecurity, hence the implementation of  several strategic interventions — such as intesfied irrigated winter cropping and promotion of resilient crops.

Speaking on behalf of the Zambian Government, Minister of Agriculture Rueben Mtolo commended the Malawi Government for prioritising addressing food insecurity over other challenges it is facing, saying his country is committed to supporting humanitarian efforts including addressing food insecurity.

Under the deal, Zambia will export 200,000 metric tons of maize to Malawi worth US$76 Million (K135 billion) to help address the country’s food shortage.