Scottish minister hails Malawi-Scotland ties

Scotland has hailed its bilateral ties with Malawi, saying the 10- year partnership has benefitted both parties.

Visiting Scottish Minister for Europe and International Development Humza Yousaf said this during a networking luncheon the Malawi-Scotland Partnership (MaSP) organised in his honour at the Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) cafeteria in Lilongwe on Tuesday.

The luncheon also served as a special 10th anniversary celebration for the partnership.

Yousaf said such partnerships are vital in the global village, calling them catalysts to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said: “One of the reasons I am here is to confirm, assess and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the formal signing of the cooperation agreement between Malawi and Scotland. I would say my assessment of those 10 years is that the relationship has never been stronger. I feel if [Scottish missionary explorer] David Livingstone were alive today, he would have been proud of how far we have progressed.”

The minister said over 94 000 Scottish people are now involved in the relationship.

However, the Scottish minister observed there is still room for improvement, saying the official signing of the partnership agreement a decade ago provides room for improvement.

In his remarks, MaSP board chairperson Andrew Namakhoma said Malawi on her part, offers room for Scottish universities to conduct academic research whose findings usually lead to improved livelihoods in the regions as they focus on health, education and agriculture; areas that coincidentally form part of the country’s socio-economic backbone. n