President Peter Mutharika yesterday used the accreditation of the new African Union (AU) Southern Africa Regional Office representative-designate to reaffirm Malawi’s commitment to regional integration and economic cooperation.
to Mutharika. | State House
Receiving letters of credence from Ambassador Hilda Suka Mafudze at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, the President said Malawi views the AU as critical to Africa’s long-term economic transformation, industrialisation and shared prosperity agenda in the face of mounting global geopolitical and supply chain shocks.
He said: “The African Union stands as a cornerstone for our continent’s collective advancement.
“Through unity of purpose, coordinated policies and a spirit of solidarity, the African Union enables us to harness our vast resources, strengthen regional integration and ensure that the next generation inherits a continent defined by progress, innovation and hope.”
The President linked the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework to Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development strategy aimed at transforming the economy to industrialised lower middle-income status by 2030 and upper middle-income by 2063.
The diplomatic engagement comes as Malawi continues to battle persistent foreign exchange shortages, inflationary pressure, rising import costs and growing concerns over debt sustainability, fuel security and food inflation.
It also comes amid growing debate across Africa over whether deeper regional integration and intra-African trade can shield economies from external shocks linked to conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
In an interview after presenting her credentials, Mafudze said the AU was increasingly prioritising economic integration, trade and resource-based industrialisation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“We have done the politics, now it’s the economics,” she said.
The envoy said African countries needed to move beyond fragmented economic policies and strengthen regional coordination to better leverage the continent’s natural resources, expanding markets and strategic position in global supply chains.
Her remarks come as African countries push for greater beneficiation and value addition in mining amid rising global demand for critical minerals used in clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Malawi is among the countries seeking to position mining, agriculture and industrialisation as key drivers of economic transformation under MW2063.
Before her appointment, Mafudze, who will be resident in Malawi, served as the AU Ambassador to the United States since October 2021. Her profile on the AU website indicates that the Zimbabwean has over two decades of diplomatic experience and has held ambassadorial roles representing Zimbabwe in Sudan, South Sudan and Malawi.
