Overview
The Embassy of the Republic of Malawi in Washington, D.C. would like to invite members of the Malawi diaspora in the U.S. to a conference in 2018. His Excellency President Arthur Peter Mutharika will grace the occasion as the Guest of Honor.
The numbers of Malawians in the diaspora who have the potential to play strategic roles in Malawi’s development has increased due to globalization and transnationalism (in identity and practice), over the past few years. The Malawi government fully recognizes the need to engage the diaspora in development activities of the country.
In response, the Malawi government, through the Diaspora Unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in conjunction with the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi to the USA, will convene a Malawi Diaspora Conference in September 2018, in Washington, D.C. We have the support of the various Malawian diaspora organizations in the USA, and some of their leaders have been incorporated into the planning process.
The conference will be a first step for implementation as well as act as a platform to promote working relationships between government and its diaspora in the USA to help them be involved in the development of Malawi.
Mission
- Initiate a platform for building and promoting working relationships between the Malawi government and its diaspora in the USA to facilitate diaspora participation and engagement in the development and growth of Malawi as outlined in the draft National Diaspora Engagement Policy.
- Engage the diaspora in activities ranging from, but not limited to, business creation, trade links, investments, remittances, skills circulation and exchange of experiences.
Vision
- Engage the diaspora as a partner for growth and development.
Objectives
- Create coherent policy and program implementation recommendations that mutually incorporates interests, obligations and benefits for Malawi and her diaspora.
- Facilitate better relations for the engagement of the diaspora’s contribution to Malawi’s advancement in investment, knowledge transfer/circulation, research and development that goes beyond family-focused remittances.
- Create a relationship of trust between the diaspora and the Malawi government.
Goals
- Share an objective understanding of the development challenges at home for their intervention so that they can strengthen partnerships for experience, knowledge and skills transfer after ascertaining available professional and technical resources within the diaspora communities.
- Advise the diaspora on opportunities available back home for investment in local firms through joint ventures. Inform them on areas of viable economic investment which they can set up independent companies or lead international consortia for the same purpose.
- Identify challenges and possible solutions for enhancing diaspora involvement in various developmental activities in Malawi.
- Identify the existing diaspora organizations in USA involved in humanitarian action and develop a database for the same.
- Identify and create a database for the diaspora community in the USA.
Abstracts
You are invited to submit abstracts and panel proposals for the Malawi Diaspora Conference. Check back here for abstract submission details to be made available soon.
Sponsors and Exhibitions
Please contact the embassy for information about becoming a conference sponsor or exhibitor.