President Lazarus Chakwera has cancelled plans to attend the African Union (AU) Summit Meeting for Heads and Regional Economic Communities scheduled to take place in neighbouring Zambia.
According to a statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chakwera was supposed to attend the Summit as Chair of the Southern Africa Community Development (SADC).
The statement says Chakwera would like to concentrate on pressing matters of national development.
It further reads that the Malawi Leader has made the decision as a way of upholding government’s prevailing austerity policy.
Chakwera has instead designated the responsible Minister for Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo to represent him.
According to the Ministry, the meeting will, among other issues, review progress on the AU’s Agenda 2063, regional integration and the implementation of this year’s AU theme in nutrition.
The meeting is scheduled to take place in Zambia’s Capital Lusaka on 17 July 2022.
On Thursday, Chakwera also presided over a virtual Extraordinary SADC Troika Summit on the SADC Mission in Mozambique.
“The outcome of the summit meeting will be shared with members of the general public through a communique to be issued at the end of the meeting,” reads the statement.
