Chakwera calls for support of girls’ education

President Lazarus Chakwera has emphasized the need to prioritize education of the girl child if Malawi wants to end child marriages for good.

Chakwera said this on Friday evening at Kamuzu Palace during the State Banquet that was held in honour of the visiting President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu.

He said, President Murmu is powerful example of what girls can achieve when protected and supported and him as He- for -She Champion has decided to take advantage of the meeting with Murmu to advocate for the promotion of girls’ education.

“Tonight, I am honoured not only to host her as our special guest, but also honoured by the inspiration she gives us as a nation to see that the fight we have committed ourselves to free Malawi’s girls from the evils of child marriages and set them on a path that leads to the fulfillment of their greatest potential is not only a good fight, but a holy fight.”

“For this reason, under the inspiration of all the women in the world who are trailblazers, women like President Murmu, I pledge to every woman and girls in Malawi that I will not rest until there is no place in Malawi where girls under the age of 18 are turned into brides and there is no any girl that has no access to education,”Chakwera said.

The President further said, during his participation at the 79th United Nations General Assembly, he secured partnerships and investments worth millions of dollars in support of the agenda to end child marriages by the year 2030.

He therefore thanked the President of India for supporting Malawi with 100 metric tons of rice to assist Malawi in addressing hunger caused by El Nino weather conditions, which has affected 23 districts. In her remarks, President Murmu said India and Malawi accords a very high importance to its bilateral relations since both countries have close cooperation and are making continuous efforts to achieve their development goals.

She said, the two countries have close cooperation in areas such as human resource development, capacity building, cultural exchanges, education and health.

“This year marks the completion of 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Malawi. Africa is a key component of India’s foreign policy and Malawi is an important partner. Under this policy, there has been significant growth in the special relations between our two democratic countries in the recent years,” Murmu said.

“Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet and talk to the vibrant Indian community in Malawi.”

The Indian community has been closely connected with the Malawi’s development journey and I express my gratitude to the people and government of Malawi for making the Indian diaspora feel a sense of belonging here in Africa,” She added.

Murmu announced that her government will establish a permanent artificial limb center in Malawi.

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