* Iceland is one country in the developed world whose journey from poverty to prosperity is a source of inspiration and worthy for Malawi’s emulation
* Bjarni Benediktssoni said his government is looking forward in exploring new avenues to cooperate with the Malawi Government
Maravi Express
At the State Banquet held this evening at Kamuzu Palace in honour of Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktssoni, President Lazarus Chakwera described his visit to Malawi as a blessing, saying the country stands to benefit from it.
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The official Malawi Government Facebook page, reports that Chakwera said Iceland’s regard for closer collaboration with Malawi, through bilateral development support programs and projects jointly implemented by the two nations, is of paramount importance.
“Iceland is one country in the developed world whose journey from poverty to prosperity is a source of inspiration and worthy for Malawi’s emulation,” he said.
He further hailed the relationship and partnership that exists between Malawi and the Iceland government dating back to 35 years ago — noting that the relationship is crucial in fostering various developmental projects in the country.
Prime Minister, Bjarni Benediktssoni
In his address, Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktssoni said his government is geared to expand district approach programs by continuing to initiate various projects in other districts of the country, as one way of strengthening relations between Malawi and Iceland.
He also said his government is looking forward in exploring new avenues to cooperate with the Malawi Government.
During the day, the two leaders held some bilateral talks in the company of top government officials, where Benediktssoni expressed the government of Iceland optimism to assist Malawi in improving education and health sectors in order for the country to attain an educated and healthy society.
This was said by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo when she briefed journalists at Kamuzu Palace, saying Iceland is investing in the education and health sectors in the country, targeting Mangochi District.
“The model is that Iceland concentrates on a particular area and see its impact,” she said. “In Mangochi, they noted that there was high girls’ dropout rate in school hence the investment in education. Now, we have seen an improvement as the number of girls remaining in school has improved.”
Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson arrived in the country on Sunday through Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) for a five-day working visit and he is expected to visit Koche Demonstration School in Mangochi on Wednesday, among other engagements he is expected to undertake whilst in the country.
Early this year, President Lazarus Chakwera inaugurated construction of the state-of-the-art maternity wing at Makanjira in Mangochi as part of Iceland’s support to Malawi in the health sector.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister joined President Chakwera to preside over the 9th African Population Conference at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) being held under the theme ‘Road to 2030: Leveraging Africa’s Human Capital to Achieve Transformation in a World of Uncertainty’.
The Conference, which will run until Thursday, May 24th, aims at deliberating how the African continent can leverage its human capital to accelerate its sustainable development in a world of uncertainty.
In his opening speech, President Lazarus Chakwera said African countries need platforms for collaboration, where the continent’s population advantage is married to the human capital disadvantages of other continents to create a better world across the globe.—Background reporting by Malawi News Agency
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