US govt pledges continued support

The United States Government says it is committed to supporting the country’s development in various sectors, including the rule of law, human rights and the implementation of Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development blueprint.

The development follows President Lazarus Chakwera’s visit to the United States of America (US) this month where he attended the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

While there, Chakwera held several meetings aimed at bolstering bilateral relations and wooing development support for the country.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Chakwera’s strong leadership, particularly in pursuing reforms for a strong democratic foundation, including the ongoing efforts to fight corruption.

He said: “We greatly appreciate the partnership across a number of issues, including global issues—and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine right now—and look very much forward to talking about the work we’re doing to deepen the partnership between us.”

On Ukraine, Blinken commended Malawi’s unambiguous calls for the withdrawal of Russian forces, acknowledging the economic impact of Russia’s invasion on Malawi and other countries in the region.

In his statement, Chakwera said Malawi’s democratic journey is maturing because of the partnership and encouragement of friends such as the US.

At Southern African Development Community level, Chakwera said the bloc needs involvement in the context of peace as they are working to deal with issues of support.

While in the US, the President also met with USAid administrator Samantha Power to discuss mutual priorities, particularly continued collaboration for advancing Malawi2063 agenda. In his brief remarks at Kamuzu International Airport on arrival from the trip on Monday, he said the most outstanding highlight on his trip was the unanimous adoption of a programme of action to enable LDCs like Malawi to graduate from least developed to developed nations.