German parliamentary secretary visits Malawi

Germany’s parliamentary state secretary from the Federal Ministry for Economic and Development Gudrun Kopp arrived in Malawi on Monday for a four-day visit.

According to a statement from the German Embassy, Kopp is expected to hold talks with President Joyce Banda, senior government officials and civil society leaders, among others.

“Kopp’s visit will be marked by talks with President Banda, the Finance Minister, the Minister for Economic Planning and Development and representatives of Malawi’s civil society, private sector and international development partners.

“The delegation will also visit German Malawi Cooperation projects, including initiatives for improving access to family planning in rural areas, for developing a basic social insurance system and for the agricultural sector,” reads the statement.

It also says Kopp’s delegation has visited the country to encourage transparency between government and organisations.

Kopp visit comes over a year after she cancelled her trip to Malawi  in February 2011 during the reign of the late president Bingu wa Mutharika.