Minister of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism, George Partridge, has applauded the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for what he described as an “enduring and transformative partnership” with Malawi in the areas of agro-processing and quality infrastructure development.
Partridge made the remarks on Wednesday during a bilateral meeting with UNIDO Deputy Director General and Head of Delegation to the World Second Summit for Social Development (WSSD2), Ms Cecilia Ugaz Estrada, held in Doha, Qatar.
He commended UNIDO for its long-standing technical and capacity-building support, saying the cooperation has been instrumental in advancing Malawi’s industrial growth agenda.
“Malawi values its long-standing partnership with UNIDO, which dates back to 1966. The organisation has played a vital role in helping us build capacity and promote inclusive industrial development,” said Partridge.
Leading the Malawian delegation to the summit, Partridge said government is keen to deepen the relationship further and is exploring the possibility of hosting a permanent UNIDO presence in Malawi.
“Having UNIDO represented in Malawi would enable us to scale up collaboration and accelerate industrialisation, which remains a key pillar of our national vision, Malawi 2063,” he added.
He reaffirmed Malawi’s commitment to working closely with UNIDO to achieve sustainable industrial transformation.
“Industrialisation is central to our long-term development strategy. Through continued partnership with UNIDO, we aim to build a resilient and competitive industrial sector that creates jobs and drives shared prosperity,” added Partridge.
President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has vowed to transform Malawi’s economy from a raw material supplier to a processing and exporting nation, championing industrialisation as the engine for economic growth and the achievement of national development targets.
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