Minister Chinsinga suggests alignment of Malawi, Scottish partnership projects to MW 2063

Malawi: Professor Blessings Chinsinga, the Minister of Local Government, has proposed that projects carried out through the collaboration of the Malawi Scotland Partnership (MaSP) and Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) be aligned with the goals of the MW2063, writes Wanangwa Mtawali.

Chinsinga said that the move would make a significant contribution to the country's long-term development plan.

He spoke in Lilongwe during MaSP's 2022 Annual General Meeting, which drew hundreds of MaSP members, including outgoing SMP Chief Executive Officer David Hope-Jones and Scottish Minister of Culture, Europe, and International Development Neil Gray—both of whom participated virtually.

The MaSP and SMP partnership is an extension of Malawi's and Scotland's long-standing bilateral relations, which support Malawi in the areas of education, health, agriculture, climate justice, renewable energy, and democratic governance.

Chinsinga stated that the interventions in the partnership's focus areas are critical to achieving the Malawi that is required under the auspices of the MW 2063.

Interventions are carried out through various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that are members of the two coordinating bodies in their respective countries—MaSP and SMP.

Dr Ann Phoya, MaSP Board Chairperson, celebrated a slew of projects currently underway in Malawi as a result of MaSP and SMP collaboration.

According to Phoya, there is a project to help primary school students read properly, the construction of a dental school at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, and a water and sanitation project in Zomba, Machinga, and Mangochi where Water Aid is drilling boreholes, particularly in ECD centres, and building toilets, among other facilities.