President Joyce Banda has asked the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica) to open its office in Malawi.
Speaking to journalists at the end of her trip to South Korea on Friday, Banda said during her discussions with President of South Korea Lee Myung-Bak, she called for the opening of Koica office in Malawi because it is currently difficult to access funding for different development projects from that country’s organisations.
“I have asked President Lee for the opening of Koica and I am informed that in fact they did not open an office because we did not ask. They do not open an office in a country where they have not received any request,” Banda said.
Koica is a centralised organisation to implement and monitor Korea assistance programmes under auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in South Korea.
Meanwhile, Jeonju University, one of South Korea’s leading institutions of higher learning, on Friday conferred Banda with an honorary doctorate degree in economics. The function was held at the university campus in Wasan-gu.
The university president, Dr. Kern Koh, said they conferred the degree to the President in recognition of her achievements in furthering global peace, economic reforms in Malawi and advancing the dignity of mankind in the world.
