On September 24th, Ambassador and Mrs. Fujio Samukawa held a farewell reception at Capital Hotel in Lilongwe. The reception was attended by a total of 64 guests including the guest of honour, Hon. Ephraim Abel Kayembe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation; Hon. Ibrahim Matola, Minister of Energy; Hon. Prof. Peter Mutharika, President of the Democratic Progressive Party; Hon. Dr. Goodall Gondwe, Member of Parliament (MP); Hon. Aaron Sangala, (MP); members of diplomatic corps and international organizations; and members of the Japanese community. In his remarks, Ambassador Samukawa expressed his gratitude for all the support rendered to him during his tour of duty. He also added that he would treasure his stay in Malawi citing memorable experiences such as the many success stories of bilateral cooperation and exchange visits during his term. Hon. Ephraim Abel Kayembe also gave a speech and commended the hard working spirit of the Ambassador. He stressed that Malawi had benefited greatly from its cooperation with Japan during Ambassador Samukawa’s tenure.
Another farewell reception was hosted by Hon. Ephraim Mganda Chiume, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation on 1 October at Capital Hotel in Lilongwe. Among the distinguished guests present at the reception were Hon. Ken Kandodo, Minister of Depence, Hon. Dr. James Munthali, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Sosten Gwengwe, Minister of Industry and Trade, and Hon. Ibrahim Matola, Minister of Energy. In his speech, Hon. Ephraim Chiume remarked that the Japan-Malawi ties had grown from strength to strength during Ambassador Samukawa’s tenure and even cited examples of notable projects. He called on the Ambassador to remain dedicated to further consolidating the Malawi-Japan ties even after his tenure. Ambassador Samukawa on the other hand, stressed that both infrastructure development and equitable access to education were fundamental to Malawi’s development. He explained that Japan was committed to assisting Malawi in these two areas as was pledged at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which was held last year in Japan.
Links for Aｍbassador Samukawa's farewell speeches: [Sept. 24 Speech] [Oct.1 Speech] |
