Tanzania President, Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, has arrived in the country for a three-day State visit at the invitation of her Malawian counterpart, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera.
The State visit has also been scheduled as part of Malawi’s 59th independence anniversary celebrations where the Tanzanian President will be guest of honour. Malawi’s independence is commemorated on 6th July.
The visit is significant to Malawi because it gives chance to delegations from the two nations to reinforce cooperation as per the several agreements under the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC).
Among some of the agreements are Memoranda of Understanding on Political and Diplomatic Consultations and a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).
On the trade front, Malawi and Tanzania are conjointly setting up the Songwe/Kasumulu One Stop Border Post (OSBP) to facilitate movement of goods and services. Construction works were already completed on the Tanzania side while Malawi’s facility is at an advanced stage.
During her state visit, President Suluhu will among other engagements hold bilateral talks with President Chakwera and visit disaster-affected areas in Blantyre that faced the brunt of Cyclone Freddy early this year.
She will be taken on a tour to Kapeni View point in Manja Township where she will witness the level of damage the natural disaster rendered on communities living below Soche Mountain.
A program from Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that President Suluhu will leave the country on Friday afternoon.