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Joyce banda courts British investors

President Joyce Banda on Wednesday shared her investment vision for Malawi and invited British private sector to come and invest in the country.

The president held a two-hour meeting with potential British investors at the Royal Over-Seas League Club House in London which was convened by renowned British politician Baroness Lynda Chalker.

Baroness Chalker hosted the State President and the British investors as chairperson of Africa Matters Limited (AML), an independent consultancy which provides advice and assistance to companies initiating, developing or growing their activities in Africa.

AML’s aim is to help businesses to improve their performance in Africa as well as building closer relationships between the private and public sector, with a view to creating strong, meaningful and sustainable partnerships.

Baroness Chalker later briefed the media, saying the discussions accorded an opportunity to British potential investors to Malawi to appreciate investment opportunities in the southern African country.

“The meeting accorded President Banda an opportunity to meet business people who have an interest to invest in Malawi and some who want to develop interest in Malawi,” said Baroness Chalker.

She described the meeting as positive, saying British investors were also able to appreciate the priorities that Banda set up for improving and attracting investment into Malawi.

“We have discussed good ideas about investment opportunities in Malawi and now what is left is to make concrete follow ups,” said Baroness Chalker.

The veteran British politician, pledged to get AML involved in Malawi “for the simple reason that we believe we now have a government with which we can work and that can actually respond to needs for change to make it easier for businesses to operate and create jobs and benefit the people of Malawi.”

AML, under the leadership of Baroness Chalker, has in the past 14 years worked to promote responsible investment in Africa through partnerships among governments, multi nationals, local companies and non-governmental organisations to ensure that private sector investment plays a constructive role in driving African development.

Baroness Chalker has been a member of the Lower and Upper Houses of the UK Parliament for over 35 years and between 1986 and 1997 she was Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, holding responsibility for Africa and the Commonwealth and for Overseas Development.

She is a trustee of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF), as well as co-coordinator of the Honorary International Investment Council of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and a member of similar bodies in Uganda and Tanzania.

President Banda and other Commonwealth and world leaders are in the United Kingdom to take part in the celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee making 60 years of her reign.

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