European Union (EU) Ambassador Rune Skinnebach has said clean energy and natural resource management have potential to harness the country’s economic growth.
He said this on Wednesday in Lilongwe during the third Partnership Dialogue between the EU and Malawi Government under its Partnership Agreement with members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States known as the Samoa Agreement.
The EU press office in Malawi, in a statement made available to The Nation quoted Skinnebach as having said: “The EU and its member States are reliable and strong partners for Malawi in a wide range of areas, among them clean energy and natural resource management.
“We work together in these areas because they harness the greatest potential for sustainable economic growth in Malawi, and because we want Malawi to succeed-including in overcoming challenges related to governance, public institutions and legal frameworks.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo described the dialogue as important, in particular, in advancing issues of mutual interest at a time global trends show that development partners are scaling back on development aid.
The statement quoted her as having underscored the need to focus on investment-driven partnerships, highlighting the potential for deeper alignment with the EU in strategic sectors such as mining and energy.
Tembo further emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment that empowers the private sector to play a central role in driving inclusive and sustainable prosperity in alignment with with Malawi 2063 which identifies private sector dynamism as a key enabler of the country’s long-term development.
The partnership dialogue meetings are held twice a year at the highest political levels, and allow Malawi and the EU to exchange views on issues of common interest and agree on joint priorities for the bilateral, regional and multilateral agenda.
