By Ameh Gabriel
Abuja, Nigeria — June 30, 2025 Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening democratic governance across Africa, with a pledge of diplomatic and technical support to Malawi ahead of its general elections scheduled for September 2025.
The assurance was given by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during a bilateral meeting with Malawi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nancy Gladys Tembo, who paid a courtesy visit on the sidelines of the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings held in Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasized that promoting democracy remains a central pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “4Ds” foreign policy agenda: Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora.
“President Tinubu is committed to seeing democracy take root across African states. Nigeria will support Malawi in its forthcoming elections, both diplomatically and technically,” she affirmed.
The discussions also revealed Malawi’s intention to establish a resident diplomatic mission in Abuja later this year an initiative warmly welcomed by the Nigerian government. Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the move as a significant step toward revitalizing bilateral relations that had remained underleveraged for years.
She recalled that two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2012 visit to Malawi have yet to be operationalized. The opening of a full diplomatic presence in Abuja, she said, could provide the momentum needed to activate cooperation in trade, education, and diplomatic engagement.
“It’s remarkable that two countries with such historical goodwill have not yet deepened ties. The establishment of a resident embassy will open new avenues for collaboration,” the Minister noted.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also encouraged Malawi to leverage Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps (TAC) programme to bridge manpower gaps in key sectors such as healthcare and education.
“We are ready to deploy qualified Nigerian professionals to Malawi. Several countries, including Namibia, are already benefitting. Just recently, 40 nurses were approved for deployment,” she stated.
In response, Malawi’s Foreign Minister, Nancy Tembo, commended Nigerian entrepreneurs contributing to economic development in Malawi and extended an invitation to more Nigerian investors particularly in the country’s emerging mining sector.
“Malawi has been an agriculture-based economy, but recent discoveries of mineral deposits have opened up opportunities. We now have a mining regulatory agency and are eager to welcome Nigerian investment,” she said.
Tembo was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Ambassador Mwayiwawo Polepole, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Francis Mphatso Mponda, Director of Africa at Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting concluded with both nations expressing mutual interest in expanding cooperation in the areas of governance, economic partnership, and people-to-people diplomacy, reaffirming a shared vision for deeper African integration and development.
