Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo says Malawi stands to benefit from its connection with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which she said is willing to invest in multiple sectors, including mining and trade.
She was speaking in an interview at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Tuesday after President Lazarus Chakwera held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
While the visiting envoy did not grant an interview to the local press, Tembo said during the meeting, the two governments’ delegations signed memorandum of understanding (MoUs) of cooperation in areas such as diplomatic training, investments in mining, trade and education.
Government is also dealing with the UAE for a possible government-to-government fuel supply deal, but according to Tembo, this was not on the table for discussion on Tuesday.
She said: “The fact that we did not sign any MoU on the fuel does not mean we are not discussing. We are discussing, two weeks ago a team just returned from Dubai where they were discussing issues of fuel, not just Dubai we are also in discussion with the government of Saudi Arabia. We have been to Oman. So you cannot put all your eggs in one basket”.
Besides Tembo, other government ministers present during this meeting were Minister of Trade Vitumbiko Mumba and Minister of Mining Ken Zikhale Ng’oma who signed MoUs pertaining to their respective sectors.
According to Tembo, this meeting is one of the fruits from President Chakwera’s international engagements. She said with the trade agreement Malawi will be able to export agricultural produce to the UAE, which could boost the local economy.
Mining is one of the top areas of focus for the Chakwera administration along tourism and agriculture touted to spur economic growth.
