By Lesnat Kenan

Lilongwe, May 23, Mana: Vice President Dr Michael Usi has highlighted the importance of Regional Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation (RDFST) Summit in Malawi saying it is a critical platform for addressing food security challenges across Eastern and Southern Africa.

Usi made the remarks when he presided over the official closing of the Regional Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation 2030 Summit at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on Friday.

He emphasized that the dialogue has a great impact in developing Malawi's economy.

"Hosting this Summit in Malawi underscores the international recognition of President Lazarus Chakwera's transformative efforts to advance agriculture with countries and development partners acknowledging Malawi nation's leadership in this vital sector,” he said.

He added that Malawi is committed to supporting food system transformation as delegates shared experiences and best practices to strengthen food and nutritional security.

Usi, therefore, appealed to all development partners, private sectors and all stakeholders to continue supporting Malawi in various sectors including agriculture.

Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, said the Summit is a call to collective action, demanding solutions that are evidence-based, regionally scalable, fiscally and environmentally sustainable and inclusive of smallholder farmers.

"The robust discussions and firm commitments that emerged ensured our food systems nourish our people while securing sustainability for future generations,” he said.

Kawale further said that climate shocks such as Cyclone Freddy's devastation in 2023, which impacted 2.5 million Malawians and subsequent droughts affecting 5.7 million, highlight the urgent need for systemic change.

He said Malawi is responding with bold reforms such as modernizing the sector through private sector partnerships and improved targeting of smallholder farmers, digital innovations, digital farmer registry and expanded soil testing to promote climate-smart agriculture.

The Summit, which was organized by the government of Malawi, the Wold Bank and Ireland, was held from May 21 to 23, 2025 under the theme: "Making food systems transformation a reality on the ground in Eastern and Southern Africa.