The Office of the Vice-President has justified the size of the Malawi delegation that has travelled with Vice-President Michael Usi to a United Nations (UN) conference in Turkmenistan.
The clarification via Facebook by one of the Vice-President’s aides Winnie Nyondo comes after a backlash on social media that Malawi, with 40, has the biggest delegation at the UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) followed by Zimbabwe with 34 and Mali with 20.
She said the delegation from the VP’s office comprised 15 “essential staff”, and that his wife, Ella, has not travelled to Turkmenistan as indicated on the list that has gone viral on social media.
“Other Malawians attending the conference are from various government departments or organisations, some sponsored by development partners like the UN. The Vice-President doesn’t vet or approve those,” said Nyondo.
Efforts to reach Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Nkhalamba were unsuccessful.
In contrast, Malawi’s neighbour Zambia has sent 16 delegates, Botswana 12, Lesotho eight, Niger five and Central African Republic two.
President Lazarus Chakwera delegated Usi to attend the conference which begins today. He left on Saturday through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe and arrived in Turkmenistan on Sunday.
An African delegation list The Nation has seen indicates that Malawi’s delegation has 40 members, the largest among African countries at the conference.
The Malawi delegation also includes the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN Agnes Chimbili-Molande and Ambassador to Qatar and Turkmenistan Roy Kachale.
While in Turkmenistan, Usi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with various development partners, including the Government of Portugal.
Commenting on the size of the delegation, governance expert Willy Kambwandira said the numbers entail significant expenses and raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to fiscal prudence.
In a separate interview, political analyst George Chaima said it does not make sense for a country struggling financially to send such a huge delegation.
The conference is being held under the theme ‘Driving progress through partnership’ and seeks to strengthen cooperation to support the development aspirations of landlocked developing countries.
