Malawi, Qatar explore investment opportunities

The governments of Malawi and Qatar have agreed to explore investment opportunities in each other’s territory, which would see Malawi exporting agricultural produce and labour, among other things.

This transpired on Wednesday, when President Lazarus Chakwera engaged with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, the Qatari capital, where they discussed opportunities available in agriculture, mining, trade and the labour market.

Speaking after the meeting, government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu said, among other things, Chakwera talked about exploration of markets for Malawi’s agricultural produce in Qatar.

“There is a lot of importation of food stuffs into Qatar and Malawi is one of the good producers from the African region. The President is trying to negotiate with them on how best to make use of that existing market,” Kunkuyu said.

Chakwera also told Qatari government officials about opportunities in the mining sector in Malawi, in particular the presence of rutile deposits.

The country is thought to have one of the largest deposits of rutile, which can be used for producing steel and copper alloys or used as a gem.

Chakwera is seeking a partnership in this area, in which Malawi will not be exploited.

The President also touched on the issue of labour, with the intention of making sure that there is a good government-to-government relationship, which would ensure safety for Malawians seeking employment opportunities in Qatar.

“When they come here, they should not be under conditions that are not conducive but they should come here so that they can be productive when they go back home,” Kunkuyu said.

The President also engaged the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister on issues of education, eyeing the possibility of Malawian students getting tertiary education opportunities in Qatar.

Al Thani has since pledged to send a team to Malawi to look further into the issues presented by Chakwera, at which point further steps may be taken.

Chakwera is attending the Least Developed Countries conference in Qatar and, on the sidelines, he has been meeting development partners and potential investors who would help Malawi in its drive to become a middle-income economy by 2030.