Malawi, France strengthen bilateral relations

The governments of Malawi and France have signed statements of intent to pave the way for bilateral coordination in areas of agriculture, food and national security.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo and French Minister of State for Development—Francophone and International Partnerships Chrysoula Zacharopoulou signed the statement at Sunbird Capital in Lilongwe on Thursday evening after a two-hour meeting on the nature of the two countries’ cooperation.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, Tembo said she is optimistic that Malawi can benefit greatly from the technical knowledge and financial resources of a country like France.

She said: “President Lazarus Chakwera has anchored Malawi’s growth on agriculture, tourism, and mining—the so-called ATM strategy. We need to develop these economic sectors, but we realise we cannot do this by ourselves.

“We need investors and technical experts. We are confident that we can get both by deepening our cooperation with France.”

In a separate interview, Zacharopoulou, who is scheduled to have a private meeting with Chakwera at Kamuzu Palace yesterday, said Paris will provide technical support in the education and security sectors.

“It is important that we formalise our coordination in the agriculture sector. But our cooperation will be deeper than that. We will also be sending Malawian military and security officers for security training at African military schools supported by the French government,” she said.

The French minister further said France will offer scholarships to Malawian students and will support local efforts to boost learning of French in secondary schools and French cultural centres that will be established across the country.

Zacharopoulou arrived in Malawi earlier on Thursday to undertake official engagements, the first by a senior French Government officer in 20 years.

France closed its resident embassy in Lilongwe in the early 2000s but following the re-engagement, the French Government is expected to send diplomats to Malawi. Currently, the French Ambassador to Zimbabwe is also accredited to oversee Malawi.