On his second day of his state visit to Mozambique, President Lazarus Chakwera carried out several assignments some of which have been highlighted herein;

MEETING WITH MOZAMBICAN SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT

The President visited the Parliament building in Maputo where he was hosted by the Speaker of Parliament Esperança Bias. The two discussed a range of issues around strengthening mutual relationships between the legislatures of the two countries.

The two also discussed various ways of strengthening the legislative framework for regional integration within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

ACCORDED HIGHEST HONOUR OF CITY OF MAPUTO

The President was handed the key of Maputo Municipality which is the highest honour the municipal accords to a visitor. Mayor of Maputo City, Eneas Comiche, handed over the key to President Chakwera as an appreciation of his visit to the city. By having the key, Dr Chakwera has been granted citizenship of the city and can operate in the country like any other citizen.

In his remarks after receiving the key, President Chakwera said he is delighted to be accorded such an honour.

He said Maputo is a model city and Malawi will benchmark its operations in areas of sanitation, housing, infrastructure health and service delivery among others.

“This is especially critical for us in our quest to establish secondary cities as outlined in the Malawi 2063 vision. We believe we have to get our cities right because they are centres of distribution, centres of delivery and centres of diversity, making them a unique economy within the wider economy,” said Dr Chakwera.

Mayor of Maputo City, His worship Eneas Comiche, said Malawi and Mozambique share a lot in common in terms of cultural beliefs and languages among others.

He said President Chakwera’s visit is a manifestation of his will to build stronger bilateral and diplomatic relations between the two countries. Comiche further said the key will reinforce unity between the people of the two nations.

 INTERFACE WITH MALAWIANS LIVING IN MOZAMBIQUE

Thereafter, the President conferred with a cross-section of Malawians living in Mozambique under an umbrella body called Association of Malawians in Mozambique (ASSOMAMO). The President was delighted to note that the Malawian community in Mozambique is willing to embrace various opportunities that have been cultivated through the strengthening of ties between the two countries.

ASSOMAMO members thanked President Chakwera for supporting victims of recent natural disasters across border areas where help was accorded indiscriminately even to Mozambicans.

They also commended the President for his deliberate gender equality policies that has seen appointment of more women in key leadership positions including the incumbent High Commissioner at the Malawi High Commission in Maputo, Her Excellency Wezzie Moyo.

The Malawi leader said he was encouraged that ASSOMAMO has also outlined a number of issues that government must address in areas of tourism, trade, power supply, culture, infrastructural development and visas among others.

PAYING HOMAGE TO MOZAMBICAN HEROES

The President accompanied by the First Lady visited the Mozambian Heroes Acre Monument in Maputo, where they paid homage to the fallen brave sons and daughters who played an indelible role in the struggle for that country’s self-rule.

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has said that Malawi and Mozambique share notable similarities in the fight for independence with the two countries being among those who led the political struggle that set the African continent free from colonialism.

President Chakwera said because of such common historical background between the two countries it was only prudent that the two countries unite, not only in social-economic development, but also in honouring their respective heroes.

“The visit evoked familiar memories because Malawi and Mozambique share notable similarities in the fight for independence. We therefore unite in honouring our heroes. They led the political struggle that set the continent free from colonialism,” said Chakwera after laying a wreath at the Heroes Acre.

 BILATERAL TALKS WITH PRESIDENT NYUSI AND HIS DELEGATION

Before the visit to the Heroes Acre, President Chakwera also had one-on-one deliberations with President Nyusi focusing on a range of issues of interest and later led talks involving the delegates of the two countries where a commitment was made for immediate actions on all the issues agreed.

“The discussions centred around how the two countries should fortify cooperation in areas of trade, security, transport, energy and diplomacy. Both sides have agreed to continue collaborating to fully harness opportunities and address existing bottlenecks for the betterment of our people,” said President Chakwera after the two meetings.

President Chakwera’s delegation included Ministers of Trade (Hon Mark Katsonga – Phiri), Energy (Hon Ibrahim Matola), Foreign Affairs (Hon Nancy Tembo), as well as deputy ministers of Defence (Hon Harry Mkandawire) and Transport (Hon Nancy Chaola – Mdooko).

Both sides have agreed to continue collaborating to fully harness opportunities and address existing bottlenecks for the betterment of their respective populations.