Malawian President Chakwera receives PAP delegation, calls for African unity to confront challenges

President of the Republic of Malawi H.E. Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Thursday received the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) delegation to the country known as the “Warm Heart of Africa”.

The PAP delegation led by the Acting President Hon. Bouras Djamel delivered a message of goodwill to the Head of State; and provided a report on the activities undertaken as part of the five-day official visit to Malawi. Other issues that were discussed during the meeting include Continental Free Trade Area and the Malabo Protocol.

H.E. Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera thanked the delegation for choosing Malawi as a destination while underscoring his commitment to African unity and the values of the African Union.

“ Africa’s potential will only be harnessed through unity. Our long-awaited awakening will not come from elsewhere. It’s up to us to put aside our differences and work towards a common future as Africans. I hail the work done by the PAP, as the voice of the peoples of Africa, to advocate for integration of our continent. The AfTCA is an example of a significant step towards unlocking our potential. All the countries need to rally behind this deal and make it a reality,” said H.E. Dr. Chakwera.

President Chakwera also recognized the need to ratify the Malabo Protocol to enable the continental Parliament to deliver on its mandate more effectively.

The Acting President of the PAP Hon. Bouras DJAMEL conveyed his gratitude for the warm welcome accorded to him and his delegation throughout the official visit and lauded Malawi’s recent democratic and peaceful election and then called on other African countries to follow this path.

“On behalf of the Pan-African Parliament, I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of the Republic of Malawi following a historic decision by the Supreme Court. We are proud of what happened in Malawi and hope for this to be replicated in other parts of our continent. We therefore appeal to Malawi to play a bigger in advocating for the ratification of the AU Treaties and Protocols. Malawi is now also well positioned to be an Ambassador for women’s and children’s rights,” Hon. Djamel told H.E. Dr. Chakwera.

The audience with the Head of state followed the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Pan-African Parliament and the Parliament of Malawi to enhance mutual cooperation and interests.