By Patricia Kapulula
Vice President for Malawi, Dr Jane Ansah, has requested the United Kingdom (UK) to support Malawi’s drive for trade, mining, and tourism as the country positions itself as a proactive partner in regional and global markets.
Ansah requested on Monday when the British High Commissioner to Malawi, Leigh Stubblefield, paid a courtesy call to the Vice President at Capital Hill in Lilongwe.
She said trade, mining, and tourism are Malawi’s key engines of economic growth, job creation and sustainable development hence the need for support.
“We recognise and commend the UK Government for its continued support, particularly in areas crucial to Malawi’s developmental agenda under the Malawi 2063, including governance, health, education, climate resilience, and humanitarian assistance,” she said.Ansah acknowledged UKs contribution of £8 million towards humanitarian needs following President Peter Mutharika’s appeal and declaration of a state of disaster in some districts in Malawi.
In her remarks, Stubblefield assured the Malawi Government that the UK remains a continued and long-standing partner as the country pursues reforms in various areas.
“We are committed to helping Malawi. The macro-fiscal challenges that the country is facing are not an aid-shaped problem; they are an investment-shaped problem which requires our support,” she said.
Stubblefield, therefore, said the UK will continue to invest in sectors like hydro power, mining, and agro-business in order to drive Malawi’s economic growth and close the fiscal gap.
