JB’s tour of duty ‘huge success’ earns Malawi MK37 billion

President Joyce Banda says her official visit to the United Kingdom, Republic of Botswana and the United States of America has yielded huge results, disclosing it has earned Malawi MK37 billion to be used in various social –economic development programmes.

Briefing the press at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Monday, the President described her tour as a landmark to the country’s development.

“My visits to the United Kingdom and the United states of America as well the state visit to Republic of Botswana, were a huge success and landmark in the history of the Malawi nation,” she said.

President Banda said the MK37 billion which she has raise for the country will be used in the fight against HIV and AIDS, emergency drug procurement, improve the Agriculture sector and other priority areas for economic resuscitation.

Banda said in the United Kingdom, 42 million pounds sterling was announced as new allocations to the Malawi government.

“I held talks with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron where we discussed ways of taking the bilateral relation between Malawi and UK to a higher level through trade and investment,” President Banda said.

She added the Malawi Investment Forum showed that the business world is also keen to invest in Malawi and begin moving the country away from an aid-dependent to a trade and investment country.

She said her trip to the United States of America was also successful as the US Government committed to continued assistance to Malawi, with the goal of moving Malawi from aid to trade.

“The US will support a renewed effort to export more Malawian products to the US with the aim of assisting in competitiveness, quality standards, identification of more products for export, and training of entrepreneurs especially women,” she said.

On her tour to Botswana, the Malawi leader said the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in poverty eradication and social development programs.

“The MOU will be signed during the joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation meeting on 6th and 7th May 2013,” Banda said.

The president also commented on the issue of maize at the Kanengo Silos saying she received reports that the maize went bad due to the overstaying of the silos without being rehabilitated.

President Dr Joyce Banda is the first Malawian President to be invited to the White House in Washington DC in the USA.

The president visited the UK from March I7 to 22, Botswana from March 25 to 26 and the USA from March 27 to March 30, 2013.