Interview with the Irish Amdassador Liam Mac Gabhann

This morning we went to the Irish Embassy in Lilongwe to speak to Liam Mac Gabhann, the first Irish Ambassador to Malawi. Irish Aid’s cooperation with Malawi began in 2002, after a spell of food shortages led Irish Aid to begin an emergency aid programme. However, the underdeveloped nature of the economy means that Irish Aid now have a constant bilateral agreement with Malawi. Malawi is one of the poorest nations in the world, and is particularly plagued by famine owing to food shortages, flooding and drought, as well as HIV/AIDS. To facilitate the needs of Irish Aid, Ireland established an embassy in Lilongwe, in 2007. In 2008 Ireland's support to Malawi totaled over €15 million. Much of this funding is directed towards the development of agriculture, food security and governance.

The Ambassador was lovely and spoke to us for 40 minutes regarding Irish Aid's involvement in Malawi. He explained that NASFAM are one of the partners they work closely with here on the ground and that they are working together to encourage crop diversification in the country and are also trying to develop the use of organic fertilizers. Irish Aid are also activley involved in nutrition and gender issues here. Thanks to the Ambassador and everyone at the Embassy!

Tomorrow we're getting a tour of NASFAM's laboratory and warehouse so check back with us once again this time tomorrow to find out how we got on. Think we have finally got over the jet-lag!