JB to hold series of meetings in New York

Malawi President Joyce Banda, who arrived in the United States on Monday, is expected to hold a series of meetings in New York ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

Banda, according to a statement from State House, was Tuesday and Wednesday expected to meet business magnate George Soros and his Open Society Foundation on support to the Presidential Initiative on Poverty and Hunger Reduction and economic recovery, among other issues.

She was also expected to meet DuPont, one of the largest agriculture companies in the world, to discuss seed distribution and commercial farming in Malawi.

Banda is also scheduled to meet representatives of the Blanchard family and the 100x Development Foundation on their work with the youth in Balaka, according to a statement.

Said presidential press secretary Steven Nhlane: “Her Excellency the President is focused on using this unique opportunity where so many leaders are gathered in one place to cement ties with the international community and attract investors to put Malawi back on the path to economic growth.”

Banda was welcomed at Waldorf Astoria Hotel and John F. Kennedy International Airport by Chief Secretary to Government Bright Msaka, Gender, Child and Social Welfare Minister Anita Kalinde and Local Government and Rural Development Minister Grace Maseko, among other senior government officials.