Speech at a Reception for the Irish Community
Ambassador’s Residence, Lilongwe, Malawi, 11th November 2014
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted and honoured to be with you here in Lilongwe this evening. As you may know, Sabina and I spent last week in Ethiopia and we will travel to South Africa on Thursday. It is our privilege to have this opportunity to meet and interact with the people of these three diverse and equally fascinating and beautiful countries.
We are delighted this evening to have the opportunity to meet with you, the Irish and the wider development community here in Malawi, and I want to thank you all for coming to be with us this evening. Many of you have made this beautiful country your home, some for just a short few years but others have spent practically their entire lives here.
In reading about Malawi, I was struck by the many similarities in our histories and in our journeys. Both our nations share a colonial past. This year Malawi celebrates its first fifty years of independence while in Ireland we are preparing for the 100 year commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising which set in train the series of events which led to our own hard won independence.
And, of course, both our peoples have endured and suffered through periods of great hunger. Although it is over one and a half centuries since Ireland’s great famine, it is a dark chapter in our national narrative which has left an indelible mark and legacy on our national psyche – a chapter which explains why food security, agriculture and sustainability are at the heart of the programme of development cooperation between Ireland and Malawi.
Through our visit, we hope to celebrate and deepen Ireland’s strong historic relationship with Malawi – including the important contribution of the Irish community here. We are also happy to have learned more about Ireland’s contribution to Malawi’s development in order to inform and progress our continued support into the future.
We were honoured yesterday evening to be welcomed as the guests of President Mutharika and his wife Gertrude. We spent a few very enjoyable hours in their company while also meeting with key government and other development partners.
This morning we travelled to Salima district to meet with and learn from the people of SaopaMapeni village. We were very impressed to see how they have combined their resources and knowledge with the support provided through the joint UK, Norwegian and Irish funded resilience building programme, implemented by strong NGO partner organisations Concern Universal as well as Italian NGO “Cooperazione Internazionale”. It was an inspiring experience which demonstrated how working together in a spirit of partnership can achieve real change and transform lives.
This afternoon we met with representatives, partners and participants from four Irish NGOs: Concern Worldwide, Goal, Self Help Africa and Trócaire who are working together on the issue of gender violence – and I am delighted to see many of you we met here again this evening. Sabina and I were greatly interested to hear about the work of advocacy conducted by those organisations, and also to meet with the women and men who have worked with some of these agencies in advancing the status, role and contribution of girls and women in Malawi. I applaud their efforts.
We were also delighted to have the opportunity to meet with some of the staff and clients of the Irish Rule of Law International project. A justice sector in which citizens can have confidence is an essential link in the chain of democratic governance. Indeed, without a functioning justice system it is difficult if not impossible to craft a peaceful and fair society. I know, too, from my own experience that advocacy on these issues is difficult in every society and I commend the young lawyers who work with such dedication on behalf of those in the criminal justice system in what can often be challenging circumstances.
Of course Ireland’s original pioneers and ambassadors here in Africa were our Missionaries, who began to arrive here in Malawi at the beginning of the last century. Many never returned to their native country, and made Malawi their new home dedicating their faith and skills for the greater good of others.
Sabina and I have always been amazed, in our visits, by the number of people whose lives have been changed by the education and health services which are the legacy of these selfless, dedicated and committed individuals, a legacy which continues today through the inspirational work of their successors here in Malawi and across the globe.
As they celebrate their first ten years of work this year, I would like to make specific mention of the invaluable work carried out by Mags Riordan and the staff of the Billy Riordan Memorial Trust. Their work in bringing much needed medical services to the people of Chembe village and the surrounding community is an inspiring example of a new type of direct linkage between communities in Ireland and Malawi, and across Africa. It is also, of course, a great memorial to Mags’ son, Billy.
May I also highlight the many ongoing partnerships and linkages between Irish and Malawian Universities and other research institutions. Research and exchange partnerships that draw together the best and brightest academics here and in Ireland are setting the foundations on which to build a stronger Malawi.
My own alma mater University College Galway is working with a number of agricultural research bodies in developing bio-fortified crops, and in partnership with a number of research bodies here in Malawi and in other developing countries on delivering the first Masters programme in Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. They are also working with Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources – which I look forward to visiting tomorrow – on a programme that harnesses user-driven innovation, farmer participation and rapid prototyping to develop labour saving technologies for women smallholders.
I understand that University College Cork, Trinity College, and the University of Limerick, amongst others, are also working with and learning from Malawian Universities and research institutions and I hope these will be fruitful partnerships.
Indeed, I was impressed earlier today to see at first hand a locally produced energy efficient oven that can provide power for both lighting and phone charging that is being developed through a partnership between Trinity College and Blantyre polytechnic; and has global potential to meet the energy needs of many of the world’s poorest households.
There is a sizable number of Malawians studying in Ireland, and I look forward to the continued development of collaboration and partnership between our academic institutions.
While the education sector is key to development, so too is the role and contribution of the private sector. Malawi, along with our other partner countries, is increasingly looking to move beyond aid to trade which can promote inclusive economic growth. Ireland’s Africa Strategy will be an important tool in increasing and improving the links between Irish and African companies and entrepreneurs.
In this respect, let me recognise the hard work and able representation by our Honorary Consul General Sean O’Neill. Sean has led and represented the interests of the Irish community here in Malawi since 2001 prior to the establishment of our Embassy in 2007. He continues to act as our Honorary Consul General representing our interests in the southern region and leads on our private sector engagement providing valuable insights and connections for all Irish companies and individuals exploring potential partnerships and investments here in Malawi.
I understand that we also have Irish entrepreneurs and companies active in areas such as energy, food production, and water. I look forward to growing trade links to the mutual benefit of the ordinary people of our two countries. Through your very kind support for these visits I am confident that we will achieve our objective of better understanding and supporting our growing partnership with Malawi.
Once again we are delighted to be here this evening to meet with so many of you, the key people and partners in this growing partnership. We assure you of our commitment and support for the strengthening of the relationship between Malawi and Ireland. We again thank you for your wonderful work in advancing this relationship in all of your respective areas of work and expertise and wish you deserved and continued success and happiness in your lives.
Finally, I would like to thank Ambassador Hearns and her husband Patrick for hosting this reception and for all the work she and her team have put into making this visit an enjoyable and successful one for Sabina and myself.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.