07 Jul 2025

President Advocate Duma Boko has assured Malawi of Botswana’s support as the country is working on addressing challenges such as poverty and underdevelopment.

Addressing the nation of Malawi at Lilongwe’s Bingu National Stadium, as the guest speaker of the country’s 61^st anniversary celebrations yesterday, he however expressed confidence in his host, President Dr Lazarus Chakwera and the Malawian people’s ability to find solutions to their challenges.

He said the fact that Malawi got self determination on the same day in 1964 was worth celebrating, adding that it was also imperative that the country reflected on its independent past and found solutions toward progress. President Boko further said Africa was currently undergoing a revolution and would require acts of courage from bold Africans who were willing to lend a hand to transform the continent toward shared prosperity.

Delivering the main address to Malawians under their independence theme: Restoring Broken Foundations: Taking Malawi Forward, Dr Chakwera commended Botswana for being a peace-loving nation and appreciated it for being a friend and ally to Malawi. He described Malawi as a peaceful country that would continue building relations with others.

Previously, the British Protectorate of Nyasaland, Malawi acquired independence as a Commonwealth realm on July 6, 1964, with Dr Kamuzu Banda as the prime minister and thereafter president in 1966 when the country declared itself a republic. Botswana and Malawi established diplomatic relations in 1966, the year both nations adopted republican constitutions. 

Their bilateral relations are guided by the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) agreed to in 2001. Over the years, Malawian citizens have provided human capital to Botswana, serving in fields such as education, banking and the health sector.

Twice over the past decade, in 2015 and 2023, Botswana extended humanitarian support to Malawi with boats and over 20 000 tonnes of relief material, including foodstuffs and blankets when Malawi had been besieged by cyclones. President Boko’s state visit and the commitment to reviving regular JPCC meetings are anticipated to lead to the two nations’ historic goodwill gravitating toward tangible outcomes beneficial to both. ENDS