By Gift Chiponde

Lilongwe, June 30, Mana: Government emphasized on importance of sharing up-to-date technology and modern hydrographic surveying training to ensure that the country has current hydrographic data and charts.

Secretary for Lands, Devie Chilonga said this during the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Hydrographic Office of the United Kingdom at a ceremony which took place in Taunton town in the United Kingdom.

"The recommissioning of Timba, the ship used for Hydrographic Surveys, to sail on Lake Malawi for mapping purposes is a significant step forward," he said. 

Chilonga added that UK and Malawi have agreed to share archived admiralty data, conduct exchange visits, and provide training to produce digital charts for the country’s water bodies, to facilitate safe navigation of ships.

Head of the Hydrographic Office of the United Kingdom, Rear Admiral Angus Essenhigh expressed confidence in the partnership and stressed the importance of continued strong collaboration between the two entities to achieve their goals.

Among others, the MoU will facilitate collaboration, training, exchange visits and the retrieval of admiralty charts for Lake Malawi and other water bodies.