Japan pledges continued support in various sectors

The Japanese Government has pledged its continued allegiance to Malawi in various sectors such as education, agriculture, and aviation to help the country achieve its Malawi 2063 development blueprint.

Speaking during a media tour to observe development activities supported by the Japanese Embassy at three sites – Msunga Primary School, KIA in Lilongwe, and Dzaleka in Dowa District – Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, Yoichi Oya, highlighted the strong 60-year friendship between Japan and Malawi.

The visited sites showcased the commitment to sectors like education, agriculture, and infrastructure.

Ambassador Oya stressed the importance of education for development and assured that the embassy would remain dedicated to supporting the sector, with interventions spanning from early childhood development to tertiary education.

“Improving sanitation and girls’ hygiene is one of the components achieved through education sector projects particularly under our GGP projects, applicants are free and encouraged to incorporate such initiatives and we are always happy to consider supporting such requests. I believe what is important is to keep working together with the people in Malawi and addressing the utmost needs,” said Oya.

“I am very much aware of the importance of agricultural inputs, the Embassy will keep working together with Malawi and other partners to address this challenge, you may recall that Japan donated about 5,200 metrictons of fertilizers last year.

Also through FAO we are currently supporting farmers in Kasungu and Mzimba by providing portable solar powered irrigation pumps and farm inputs as well as skills in organic fertilizer production,” explained Oya.

In his remarks the Headteacher at Msunga Primary School in Lilongwe, Kalonga Chilindiza, noted a significant decrease in the school dropout rate following the construction of new school blocks and toilets supported by the Japanese government (grant amounting to 63,725 USD).

“The school previously reported 20 learners dropping out of school per year but currently the number has reduced to an average of four per year, the school’s enrollment stands at 2582 learners up from 2376 previously,” said Chilindiza.

A student from standard 7, Donnex Owen, emphasized the ongoing need for support at the school, as some learners are still studying under trees.

Commeting on agriculture sector, Joseph Mac, a 39-year-old from Yona Village, Traditional Authority Msakambewa in Dowa District, expressed gratitude to the MA-SHEP project for providing training on market orientation, manure production, and seasonal planning for agriculture.

“Through this project i have managed to construct a decent house with iron sheet roofs and i also managed to buy pigs for business purposes,” said Mac.

The Japanese Government aims to support the commercialization of agriculture and infrastructure to foster industrial development and will continue cooperation in education and health sectors.

Japan has also contributed to the development of Kamuzu International Airport since its opening in the 1970s, including funding the expansion of the terminal building and installation of a radar surveillance system in 2015 to enhance capacity (grant amount 3,675 million yen).

The Japanese Embassy is currently involved in a project to improve the M1 roads in Lilongwe, which was launched at the end of January this year.

Additionally, Japan supported the installation of a 20-megawatt hydropower plant in Tedzani in 2015 and handed over the Old Town and Kanengo Substations this year.