INDO-MALAWI RELATIONS UNDER BINGU WA MUTHALIKA 2004-2012-GAINS, CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT

Abstract

Indo-Malawi relations became more observant and functional during the period Bingu wa Muthalika became president of Malawi, that is from 2004-2012. Bingu made all necessary efforts to open Malawi's resident mission in New Delhi for the first time in 2007,  for Malawi to benefit from trade, aid and other social advantages which were not forthcoming at that time from the traditional Western donors. Bingu's track record of human rights violations made him unpopular among Western countries. The first objective of the study was to discuss the gains Malawi made from its ties with India which included access to loans, grants, capacity building programmes, trade and investment. The second objective was to identify the challenges, the Indo-Malawi relations, encountered during the period Bingu was in power. Limited connectivity because of the long route to India from Malawi to transport goods and services and trade imbalance were some of the challenges registered. The third objective was to digest the lessons learnt. The lessons learnt, the study unearthed, were on the importance of having a strategic choice for a bilateral partner for mutual and maximum benefit from the ties, and also that agreements made have to be followed up and implemented accordingly for mutual benefit of the two countries. Additionally, People of Indian Origin [PIOs] in Malawi remain a partner in development, as their companies and businesses create jobs for the locals. The PIOs  need full support and cooperation from the host country. The study used library research to collect secondary data from articles, official documents, periodicals, newspapers and YouTube videos. The data was analysed using Content analysis.