Malawi News

Malawi, India agree to boost cooperation

Malawi, India agree to boost cooperation

President Lazarus Chakwera and President Droupadi Murmu Friday agreed to bolster the two countries’ cooperation in the fields of agriculture, mining, tourism, energy, trade, sports, health and education.

Chakwera and Murmu made the commitment during talks held at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.

During the meeting, Chakwera hailed India for restructuring its debt with Malawi.

He also commended the Indian government for donating 1,000 metric tonnes of rice in response to the state of national disaster he declared early this year due to the food shortage situation in the country.

During the meeting, the two governments signed four agreements in the areas of sports development and health.

On her part, Murmu hailed the cordial relations that her government enjoys with Malawi.

Murmu, who arrived on Thursday morning, is on a three-day official visit.

Before meeting Chakwera, Murmu Friday visited the National Memorial Park in Area 18 and Kamuzu Mausoleum Lilongwe as part of her agenda of exploring sites of cultural and historical significance in the country.

On Thursday, Murmu opened the Malawi-India Business Round Table where she said that the bilateral trade between India and Malawi has been growing despite Covid-19 pandemic induced downturn.

“India is currently the fourth largest trading partner of Malawi and India is also one of the largest investors in Malawi with over 500 million US dollars worth of investments in various sectors.

“Malawi is a country rich in natural reserves and fertile agricultural land. On the other hand, India has a large consumer base with increasing demand for energy, minerals and food for its large population. Both our countries can come together to find synergy in many areas. There is an immense scope for enhancing our cooperation in the field of agriculture, mining, energy, tourism etc,” she said.