A 2024 study by the World Unfolds has ranked Malawi the highest mango producer in Africa and the seventh in the world.
According to the study, Malawi produces 1.7 million tons of mangoes every year during a season that runs from October to March.
The study indicates that Malawi is competing with countries such as India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico and Brazil that form the top six highest mangoes producing countries.
Mangoes
Ministry of Trade and Industry spokesperson, Patrick Botha says at the moment, mangoes are exported in pulp form by one company and called upon the private sector to join the subsector.
“Let us join hands in promoting this Mango sector. Mangoes are very important and they can bring us a lot of forex,” says Botha.
Meanwhile, economist Edward Chilima says there is need for research and investment in technologies that can improve the quality of mangoes so that they can attract more markets.
Mangoes are fruits that have a range of possible health benefits.
The nutrients they contain may help boost eye, skin, and hair health and prevent cancer and heart disease.
Malawi’s top business magnet Leston Ted Mulli, who is now MBL Limited Executive Chairperson on Wednesday, hosted a Nigerian delegation which included parliamentarians and commissioners to a luncheon at Woodlands in the capital, Lilongwe.
The Nigerian delegation is in the country for various business engagements.
Speaking during the meeting, the visiting team expressed joy to be in the Warm Heart of Africa and said they were ready to discuss a number of business ideas which will network the two nations.
Leader of the delegation of the visiting team, Engineer Ahmed Kadi Amshi described the meeting as very important.
He further said the meeting the team held with Mulli was crucial as it will clear the way for the Malawian business mogul to push ahead with his plans to open a multi-million dollar tea factory in Nigeria.
“We are very happy to be here in Malawi and to engage MBL Limited Executive Chairperson. Our meeting has been fruitful and we look forward to seeing him move ahead with his plans to invest in Nigeria,” said Kadi Amshi.
However, Kadi Amshi asked Mulli to quickly move on his plans so that Chombe Foods Products are available in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Mulli said he was delighted to have hosted them to a luncheon and thanked the Nigerian Embassy in the country for having fast-tracked his multiple visa so that he is able to stay in Nigeria at any time he wants.
“Our meeting with the Nigerian delegation was very crucial. As you already know MBL wants to expand into Nigeria.
“We expect support from everyone and meeting the Parliamentarians was a great opportunity for us to sell them the investment ideas we have,” he said.
In November last year, Mulli was invited to invest in the continent’s largest economy Nigeria by setting up a tea processing and blending plant in that country.
The invitation came during a business-to-business meeting between the Nigerian Investments Promotion Commission chief executive officer Aisha Rimi and Intra-African Trade Fair chairperson Olegun Obasanjo, who is also the former Nigeria President, held with Mulli in Cairo, Egypt.
Following the invitation, the Malawian business mogul has visited Nigeria twice.
During the most recent visit he attended Obasanjo’s birthday, where key business leaders in that country encouraged Mulli to have tea products manufactured in the country.
The Nigerian delegation leaves the country tomorrow, Thursday.
Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara has appealed to the government of China to complete the second phase of the parliament project, which includes the completion of offices at the parliament building.
She made the appeal on Tuesday when Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Cai Dafeng together with his 15-member delegation visited parliament, and held bilateral talks with the Malawian Speaker of Parliament and her team.
Hara said the completion of the parliament building was the first phase of the project and now they are looking forward to the completion of the second phase as agreed at the time.
Gotani Hara with Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Cai Dafeng
“In terms of the second phase, China was supposed to help us with offices for the members of parliament as well as members of staff. We want chairpersons of various parliamentary committees of parliament and commissioners to have their own offices where they can operate from and engage with the public . So we are appealing to the government of China to help us with phase two of the agreement.
“We also want China to continue supporting us on trade so that our country can become economically independent. As such, we want China to continue buying tobacco and soya from us, as this will definitely benefit the people that we represent” Hara said.
Hara observed that the visit by the Chinese delegation is crucial in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
She then thanked Cai Dafeng for honoring the invitation, saying the exchange visits will provide an opportunity where Malawi will learn the magic China played for them to move from being a poor country to becoming one of the richest in the world.
During the meeting, Cai Dafeng assured the Malawian Speaker of Parliament that he will present to his government the issues raised to him during the meeting such as the completion of the second phase of the parliament project.
He assured Malawians that his government will continue buying tobacco and soya from Malawi so as to uplift the lives of Malawians.
The visit by the Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China is part of exchange visits between parliament of Malawi and China aimed at strengthening the relationship between Malawi`s parliament and the People’s Congress.
During the visit, China donated 60 desktop computers and 16 laptops to the Malawi Parliament secretariat.
First Lady Madame Monica Chakwera has expressed her gratitude for the good work that the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRCRC), through the Malawi Red Cross Society, is doing in Malawi, especially after Cyclone Freddy and the recent floods in the country.
She made these remarks on Tuesday, after paying a courtesy call to the Secretary General of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRCRC), Jagan Chapagan, at the IFRC Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
Madame Chakwera reiterated her passion towards the work done by the Red Cross, particularly in ensuring that the education of the girl child is not interrupted during times of crisis, considering that girls normally have a limited number of years they can adequately attend school.
First Lady with Red Cross officials in Geneva
She further assured the Secretary General of her commitment to collaborate with IFRCRC in humanitarian programs, considering that the world is still facing many crises.
“The crises Malawi is experiencing are beyond what the country prepared for,” she said.
During the meeting, Chapagan and his team from the Health and Education departments highlighted different programs being implemented in Malawi through the Malawi Red Cross Society.
He indicated that among priority areas which IFRCRC is focusing on include support for crisis-related challenges, strengthening the capacity of the Red Cross in Malawi, collaboration with the Ministry of Health on disaster preparedness and planning for re-position preparedness on disaster with the Global Fund.
He also indicated that plans to scale up community-based crisis-related response, mitigation, and preparedness are underway.
On the sidelines of education, the IFRCRC through the Danish Red Cross with funding from the European Union provides support to schools to be better and safer places with continued education provision during crises to avoid the disruption of education services as most times, education facilities become temporary places of accommodation.
He stated that plans in education include climate change-related activities – greening schools to be more climate change resilient, assisting in ensuring agriculture practices that are climate resilient, and first aid awareness for teachers and pupils, young people and students, including behavioural change programs and family support (the youth to be advocates for change in families and communities); anticipatory actions – preventing loss and damage, setting up places within schools for continued education provision during crises and disasters.
President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has reiterated his dedication to the development and strengthening of institutions of higher learning and the implementation of policies that promote innovation.
Chakwera was speaking at the first Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences Congregation at MUBAS campus in Blantyre, where he was also installed as the University’s Chancellor.
The president disclosed that his administration has increased upkeep loans for students in public institutions from 350,000 to 560,000 per student as he had earlier promised.
Chakwera at Mubas
Chakwera said the congregation marks a significant shift from training young people to occupy officer posts to equiping them with the technical expertise to be industrious, contributing to the country’s development through their innovation and enterprise.
Citing the groundbreaking ceremonies of the Chileka Likuni road under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the Lilongwe industrial park, Chakwera said the numerous development projects across the country need the innovative skills of the graduates.
“We need to have innovators now not the future as you are the leaders Malawi needs today to build the future,” he remarked.
In her remarks, Professor Nancy Chitera who is Vice-Chancellor of MUBAS commended President Chakwera for his dedication to the promotion of high-quality education in the country.
She said the university is positioned to contribute to the Malawi 2063 vision in the areas of agriculture productivity and mechanisation, industrialisation and urbanisation.
