Malawi’s President Mrs. Joyce Banda on Sunday arrived in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where she is expected to address the 2012 World Energy Forum in the Persian Gulf city on Monday, October 22, 2012.
“Indeed, the President has arrived in Dubai for this extremely important Summit. She arrived around twenty minutes to seven (twenty minutes to five, Malawi time) in the morning.
“As you are aware, Energy is one of the five major priority areas that the Government of Malawi has singled out for attention in line with the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) launched recently. It is therefore extremely important that the President shares her vision with her counterparts and the international community as regards the energy sector development in Malawi,” said Tusekele Mwanyongo, State House Press Officer, in a telephone interview from Dubai.
At the Summit, the President is also expected to participate in the signing ceremony by Heads of State to declare October 22, as the ‘World Energy Day’, according to the Press Officer.
President Banda in Dubai.-Photo by Govati Nyirenda/Mana
The President was met on arrival at Dubai International Airport by senior UAE Government officials, Malawi’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Younos Abdul Karim, Malawi’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Management and her deputy, Catherine Gotani Hara and Ibrahim Matola, respectively, Deputy Malawi Ambassador to Kuwait, Alison Liwanda, Secretary for Environment, Dr. Yanira Ntupanyama and CEO for the Malawi Regulatory Authority (MERA), Dr. Alex Chiwaya, among others.
The World Energy Forum 2012 will be held from October 22-24, 2012 in under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. This will be the first time that this High-Level International Energy Conference will be taking place outside the headquarters of the United Nations.
The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. At the Forum, leaders from Member States of the United Nations, international organizations, and corporations will seek tangible progress towards cleaner, safer, and more sustainable energy as well as achieving universal access to modern energy services.
While in Dubai, President Banda is also scheduled to meet various international investors interested to invest in the Energy Sector in Malawi as well as Airports, Roads, Highways, Industrial and Institutional Projects.
According to Mwanyongo, the President is also scheduled to meet Malawians living in the United Arab Emirates.
One of the primary objectives of this conference is to chart a roadmap for a sustainable energy mix that can fuel global economic and social development. The forum provides a unique opportunity to exchange new ideas on global energy issues from the perspectives of policy, technology, and business.
The World Energy Forum 2012 is expected to be attended by over two thousand delegates, including several heads of state, scores of national energy ministers, and top leaders from the industry.
Deputy Envoy Liwanda welcomes President Banda.-Photo by Govati Nyirenda
