On the 25th of February 2019, the General Representation of the Government of Flanders in South Africa launched the third Country Strategy Paper (2019 – 2023) for Development Cooperation between Flanders and Malawi in Lilongwe. More than 60 participants joined for this successful event, amongst whom government officials, local partners and international donors. Guest of honour was Joseph Mwanamvekha, Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development.
Opening the event, the General Representative of the Government of Flanders, Dr. Geraldine Reymenants, highlightened the importance of the development cooperation in Southern Africa. The global agenda on sustainable development and poverty reduction is indicative for the Flemish development policy. As a reliable but small donor, Flanders' focus is on a limited number of countries (Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa) and on sectors which reduce inequality. Flanders concentrates its efforts on multi-actor partnerships and cooperates with all relevant stakeholders, including government, civil society and the private sector.
Next his Excellency Joseph Mwanamveka, Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, showed his gratitude to the Government of Flanders for its support and recognized the efforts of Flanders in harmonizing the reforms of the agricultural sector in a sustainable way.
Nikolas Bosscher, Deputy General Representative, shared the key areas of the future cooperation between the Governments of Malawi and Flanders described in the Country Strategy Paper: "In the past 5 years remarkable progress has been made in the reform towards a more sustainable agriculture. By continuing its support to the development of a sustainable and smart agriculture, Flanders will contribute towards improving food security and food safety in Malawi."
Flanders provides 25 million euros for this cooperation programme for 2019- 2023. In line with the previous strategy, the efforts will be on improving the agricultural sector, with a specific focus on extension services, market-oriented farming and sustainable land management. Extra attention goes towards ensuring equal opportunities for women and youth, and to support the ongoing decentralization process within the agricultural sector.