Mw, Zambia, US agreement goes beyond military

 The newly signed military trilateral agreement between Malawi, Zambia and the State of North Carolina National Guard in the US is expected to cut across many divides.

US Africa Command Lieutenant General John Brennan said the agreement, signed yesterday, will support disaster response and preparedness, education and agriculture.

He, however, said the agreement is not legally binding.

“This means that there is no statutory requirement, just a multifaceted partnership to tackle security, counter terrorism and agriculture,” he said.

After signing the agreement, President Lazarus Chakwera said Malawi will also improve on other areas as a direct result of its relationship with the United States Government.

“We are working together in a number of life-saving programmes that the US supports in our health facilities; infrastructural development through the Millennium Challenge Corporation [MCC]’s investment in the construction of key roads in Malawi and I look forward to joining the MCC in Dallas, Texas next week to make further progress on this,” he said.

North Carolina governor chief of staff Kristi Jones said there is more to this bilateral relationship such as business opportunities.

She said the State leads as a business destination in the US.

She said, “We can share ideas with Malawi on how we attained the first position in business, on how we invested in our public schools, how we invested in our people and how we invested in our work force.”

Since its inception in 1993, the State Partnership Programme (SPP) has been a cornerstone of US security cooperation worldwide.

With Malawi and Zambia’s inclusion in the SPP, they join over 100 others who have partnered with the National Guard Units of all 54 US States and territories