MALAWI GATE OPENER Official Name: Republic of Malawi Head of State: President. Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa MUTHARIKA Capital City: Lilongwe Area: 118,484 sq km Location: Southern Africa, bordered by Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania Population: 15,028,757 (July 2010 est.) Government Type: Multi-party democracy Branches: Executive President (the president is both chief of state and head of government Legislature Unicameral National Assembly (193 members) Judiciary High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, subordinate Magistrate Courts Independence: 6 July 1964 Languages: Chichewa, Chiyao Chitumbuka, Chisena Chilomwe Chitonga and English which is the official language Religions: Christianity, Islam and others Natural Resources: Limestone, arable land, hydropower, PUBLISHED BY uranium, coal, and bauxite High Commission for Malawi F-63, Poorvi Marg, Vasant Vihar GDP (PPP): US$12.52 billion (2009 ) New Delhi – 110057, INDIA Tel: (91-11) 4607 8800 GDP Growth: 7.6% (2009.) Email: [email protected] Editor Inflation: 8.4% (2009) Alfred Vilili - Counsellor and Malawi High Commission Team Main Exports: Tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel PRODUCED BY L.B. Associates (Pvt) Ltd Contract Publishers etc. Main Imports: Petroleum products, semi manufactures, H-108, Sector 63, Noida - 201301 consumer goods, transportation Delhi NCR, U.P. India equipment Tel: 91-120-242-7280, 7419 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lbassociates.com Coordinator Linda Brady Hawke Production Team William Hawke – Editorial Atul Kumar – Layout/Design CONTENTS 4 Profile of His Excellency Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi 5 Profile of The President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil 8 Foreword from the High Commissioner, Her Excellency Dr. Chrissie Chawanje Mughogho 10 Speech by His Excellency Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa Mutharika President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairman of the African Union at the 65th Session of the United Nations 12 Malawi India bilateral relations 16 Vice-President of India visits Malawi 17 Malawi Minister of Industry and Trade holds talks with counterpart in India 18 Prof. Peter Mutharika addresses the Lawyers Conference in India 20 Malawi connected to the e-network project 21 His Excellency Prof. Ngwazi Bingu wa Mutharika inaugurates Nsanje World Inland Port 25 NSIC partners with OVOP to develop SMEs in Malawi 27 Malawi to tap solar expertise from Indian Institute 28 The Joint India-Africa action Plan begins to bear fruit 31 Confederation of Indian Industry for strong trade links with Malawi 33 India contributes to Malawi human resource development 34 Invest in Malawi 36 Interview with Managing Director of Bharti Airtel 38 Visit Malawi: The Warm Heart of Malawi 40 OIA in the Business of Thinking Ahead Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure complete accuracy of the text, neither the High Commisin of the Republic of Malawi in New Delhi, nor L.B. Associates (Pvt) Ltd will accept responsibility or consequences arising from errors, omissions, or advice given. PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY NGWAZI PROF. BINGU WA MUTHARIKA President of the Republic of Malawi ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS Building Societies. He was also responsible for drafting the first Reserve Bank of Malawi Act. (a) Primary and secondary Education • Henry Henderson Institute (HHI), Blantyre (Church of Government of Zambia (1965-1966) Scotland Mission) Administrative Officer (Principal), responsible for administering the Banking, Currency and Exchange Control and Insurance • Dedza Secondary School (Cambridge Overseas School Regulations. Participated in drafting the first Bank of Zambia Leaving Certificate Grade A) Act, and also served in the Presidential Committee on the (b) University Education Settlement of Disputes between Government and non-civil service government employees. Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) Degree (With Honours) from Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, India (1961), majoring United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in Advanced Accountancy, Money and Banking, Mercantile Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (1966-1975) (Business) Law, and Political Science Held various positions including that of Chief of the Africa Master’s (M.A.) Degree in Economics, from Delhi School Trade Centre, and Head of the Unit Responsible for Africa-EEC of Economics, University of Delhi, India, (1963), majoring Relations in International Trade, Monetary Economics, Development Economics, African Economics and Classical Economics • Spearheaded the establishment of several regional and sub-regional economic organizations, such as the Association Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Development Economics of African Central Banks (AACB), the Conference of African from the Pacific Western University, Los Angeles, USA Ministers of Finance, and the African Federation of Chambers (c) Short Term Courses of Commerce and Industry (AFCCI). • Trade and Commercial Policy, Makerere University • Served on several high-level committees on financial and (Uganda). economic integration set up by the United Nations, the African Development Bank Group, and the Global Coalition for Africa. • Legal Aspects of Regional Integration, University of Uppsala (Sweden). The World Bank (1975-1978) • Financial Management, George Washington University, Secretary’s Department (1975-1976), participating in servicing Washington DC., USA. the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. • The Film Industry (Screenplay writing, production and marketing) Georgetown University, Washington DC., USA. Loan Officer (1976-1978) for Kenya and Tanzania responsible for processing loans and credits to over a dozen projects. • Running Small Businesses for Profit, American University in Washington D.C., (USA). United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (1978-1990) PROFESSIONAL AND MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE Chief, Transnational Corporations Unit (1978-1983), and was responsible for advising African Governments of the role and A highly distinguished international career diplomat, Prof. impact of transnational corporations on the African economy Mutharika has had a rewarding career that gave him the and trade. opportunity to acquire extensive professional and high level management experience at different levels in the following President Mutharika also actively participated in committees on capacities: the establishment of the Preferential Trade Area of Eastern and Southern African States (PTA), the African Centre for Monetary Government of Malawi (1963-1964) Studies (ACMS), the Trade and Development Bank for Eastern Administrative Officer, responsible for administering Banking, and Southern African States (the PTA Bank), and the PTA Re- Currency and Foreign Exchange Regulations, Insurance and Insurance Company (ZEP-RE). 4 MALAWI 2010 Continue on page 6 PROFILE OF HER EXCELLENCY SMT. PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL President of the Republic of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil was born on 19 December 1934 in Nadgaon village of Jalgaon District, Maharashtra. Smt. Patil assumed office as the 12th President of India on 25 July 2007. She is the first woman to have been elected to this august office. Immediately prior to election as the President of India, Smt. Patil was the Governor of Rajasthan from 8 November 2004 till 21 June 2007. Education Smt. Patil received her early education from RR Vidyalaya, Jalgaon and later obtained her Master’s degree in Political Science and Economics from the Mooljee Jetha College, Jalgaon. Later, she obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Government Law College, Bombay (Mumbai). While in college, she took an active part in sports, excelled in table tennis and won several shields at various inter-collegiate tournaments. Professional Career Smt. Patil started her professional career as a practicing lawyer at the Jalgaon District Court and simultaneously devoted herself to various social activities, especially, for the upliftment of poor women. Political Career At the young age of 27 years, she successfully contested her first election to the Maharashtra State Legislature from the Jalgaon Assembly constituency. Subsequently she was continuously elected four times as MLA from the Edlabad (Muktai Nagar) constituency till 1985. Thereafter, she served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from 1985 to 1990 and later elected as a Member of Parliament to the 10th Lok Sabha in the 1991 General Elections from the Amravati constituency. She enjoys the unique distinction of not having lost a single election that she contested. Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil in her long stint in Maharashtra has held various positions both in the Government and the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra. She was: • Deputy Minister, Public Health, Prohibition, Tourism, Housing and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Maharashtra from 1967 to 1972, • Cabinet Minister, Social Welfare, Government of Maharashtra from 1972 to 1974, • Cabinet Minister, Public Health and Social Welfare, Government of Maharashtra from 1974 to 1975, • Cabinet Minister, Prohibition, Rehabilitation and Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra from 1975 to 1976, • Cabinet Minister, Education, Government of Maharashtra from 1977 to 1978, • Cabinet Minister, Urban Development and Housing, Government of Maharashtra from 1982 to 1983, and • Cabinet Minister, Civil Supplies and Social Welfare, Government of Maharashtra from 1983 to 1985. Continue on page 7 MALAWI 2010 5 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa AUTHORSHIP