Malawi President Joyce Banda has described her visit to the State of Kuwait as a success because of the meetings, initiatives and agreements she has had with various individuals, companies and top government officials of that country.
President Banda said was overwhelmed with the positive responses and agreements her Government has signed with the various development partners based in Kuwait that will help improve lives of Malawians.
Banda made a roundup of her visit to Kuwait on Wednesday at Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel when she granted interviews to a crew of Malawian journalists that accompanied her on the trip under the sponsorship of the Kuwait Government.
President Joyce Banda was in Kuwait to attend the third Arab-African Summit that was organized by the Kuwait government with the aim of trying to strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships between the Arab world and the African continent in her capacity as Chair of SADC and Head of State of the Malawi Government.
President Banda said was happy that a total of US$26.2 million deal has been clinched between the Malawi government and its Kuwait based development partners for the improvement of road infrastructure and upgrading of water system in Chitipa District.
Said Banda; “First we signed an agreement with the OPEC Fund of US$6 million to complete the road between Liwonde and Naminga an ongoing project that needed more money to complete. Another agreement of US$10.2 million was signed with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development given to us for the construction of the Lirangwe-Chingale-Machinga Road.
“BADEA also signed an agreement with us amounting to US$10 million for the upgrading of water system in Chitipa district.
“We have also sealed a Euro10 million deal with Direct Aid International that will see the organization construct an Islamic University in Lilongwe whose land has already been identified, construct a Grand Mosque in Mangochi and drill boreholes for the Mudzi Transformation Trust Villages and other areas in the same Lakeshore district,” she said.
Banda added: “Direct Aid has also purchased medicines for us based on a request I put forward to them the last time they came to Malawi and I am told the containers carrying the medicines are on their way to Malawi.”
The president said on the margins of the summit she had an opportunity to meet bilaterally with the Amir of Kuwait where they discussed areas of interest.
“As you may have heard, they have pledged to provide US$1 billion for development of infrastructure on the African continent, so my meeting was to thank him for the money and agreements we have signed but also to ask that we be included among countries that will benefit from the new pledge.
“I also met the Prime Minister and I have pressed a request for food and fuel for our country,” she said.
She said to sum it up she had a meeting with the Minister of Labour of Kuwait as it transpired that they are interested to import labour from Malawi.
“I thought we needed to have a formal agreement between our two governments so that I can feel comfortable that our young men and women when they come to work in this country, will be under the protection of this government and of course, our own,” said President Banda.
President Joyce Banda is expected to arrive in the country tomorrow ( Friday).
