By Jones Gadama
Malawi and Japan have celebrated 55 years of cooperation through the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) programme, which has contributed to skills development in various sectors, in a celebration that according to officials in Lilongwe, has once again proved the deep confidence Japan has in the leadership of President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
Speaking during the celebrations in Lilongwe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, George Chaponda, said the partnership remains important to Malawi’s development agenda, particularly Vision 2063, and encouraged Japan to continue supporting the country’s priority sectors.
According to Chaponda, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the continued presence of Japan in Malawi is a clear sign of the trust and respect Japan has for President Mutharika and for the direction Malawi is taking under his leadership.
In an interview after the event, Chaponda attributed the 55-year friendship to the vision and statesmanship of President Mutharika.
According to Chaponda, President Mutharika has created a peaceful, stable and welcoming environment that has made development partners like Japan to feel at home in Malawi and to continue investing in the people of Malawi.
Chaponda said, “Japan has stood with Malawi for 55 years because Malawi under President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika is a reliable partner. The President believes in friendship, in mutual respect and in development that reaches the ordinary Malawian. That is why Japan continues to believe in us.”
Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, Naito Yasushi, said 1,983 volunteers have served in Malawi so far, with the number expected to reach 2,000 by February 2027.
According to Ambassador Yasushi, as reported by the Embassy of Japan in Lilongwe, the growing number of volunteers is evidence of Japan’s deep confidence in Malawi and in the leadership of President Mutharika.
In his remarks, Ambassador Yasushi said Japan is proud to work with Malawi, and that the relationship between the two countries has grown stronger because Malawi is led by a President who values partnership, peace and development.
In his remarks, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Yukinari Tanaka commended the volunteers for working closely with Malawian communities in addressing social challenges, describing the programme as an important pillar of friendship between the two countries.
According to Tanaka, the volunteers have become part of Malawian families, working in schools, hospitals, farms and communities, and their success is a reflection of the warm welcome and good leadership they have found in Malawi under President Mutharika.
The volunteers support Malawi’s crucial sectors such as education, health, agriculture and community development.
According to officials from JICA, as reported during the celebrations, the volunteers have helped to train teachers, improve health services, support farmers to increase production and empower communities to stand on their own, and all this has been possible because President Mutharika has made it his priority to put people first.
According to Chaponda, President Mutharika’s leadership has made Malawi a respected nation in the world, a nation that partners trust, a nation that investors love, and a nation that friends like Japan want to walk with for many more years. Chaponda said, “When the world looks at Malawi today, they see a President who is a professor, a father, a mentor and a statesman. They see a President who has opened Malawi to the world and brought the world to Malawi. Japan is here because of that leadership.”
According to Ambassador Yasushi, Japan will continue to support Malawi’s priority sectors under Vision 2063, including education, health, agriculture, infrastructure and human capital development, because Japan believes in Malawi’s future under President Mutharika.
According to Tanaka, the JOCV programme is not just about volunteers, but about friendship, love and shared humanity between the people of Japan and the people of Malawi, a friendship that has been nurtured and protected by President Mutharika’s wise and mature leadership.
As Malawi celebrated 55 years of this historic partnership, many who attended the celebrations in Lilongwe said the occasion was not only about volunteers, but about a President who has restored Malawi’s dignity in the eyes of the world, a President who has made Malawi a friend to all nations, and a President under whom Malawi is no longer begging, but partnering with dignity.
