MALAWI, GERMANY HOLD BILATERAL TALKS

Malawi and Germany on Tuesday held bilateral talks where issues of corruption were discussed among other things.

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Head of Division for Southern Africa, Alois Schneider  zero tolerance against corruption is an important precondition for developing Malawi to the benefit of its people.

Schneider also talked about the importance of accountable management in development.

He added that Malawi needs continued commitment and leadership in providing conducive environment for the success of implementation of programs.

“Through actual enforcement and implementation, we will be able to achieve tangible advancements for the poor population.

“Implementation capacities at all levels need to be strengthened and the scarce resources available must be put to the best use,” said Schneider.

On his part, German Ambassador to Malawi, Jurgen Borsch said the negotiations will give pointers as to where the two countries stand and where they want to go for the next two years.

Secretary to the Treasury, Cliff Chiunda hailed Germany’s support to Malawi’s priority areas such as education, health, social protection, private sector development and public financial and economic management, saying it plays an important role in eradicating many of Malawi’s development constraints.

He observed that rapid population growth, unequal income distribution, poor access to education and primary health and overreliance on rain-fed agriculture were some of the many factors hampering development in Malawi.

“We appreciate that the aim of the development cooperation in Malawi is to assist in poverty reduction as well as inclusive and sustainable growth,” he said.

The two day negotiations will see the two countries on Wednesday signing an agreement of the summary record of the bilateral negotiations of the two countries.

The negotiations, which reiterate both governments’ commitment to engage in an open and transparent manner to discuss strategic issues, are a means of continuing the dialogue on Malawi-German Development Cooperation.

Malawi-Germany Cooperation dates back to 1964 when Malawi attained her independence.

For more than 55 years now, the two countries have worked together for the people of Malawi to improve health and social protection, access to and quality of education and to create more jobs and income through private sector development in rural areas among others.

The last negotiations on development cooperation between the two countries were held in 2017.