Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe, December 14, MANA: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo has reiterated Malawi’s commitment as an active member of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5, to  help improve sports in the country.

Tembo made the remarks on Thursday in Lilongwe when she presided over the opening ceremony of the Ministers meetings which runs until Friday 15 December.  

“As Government we are determined to harness the demographic dividend through investment in sports and providing recreation for our citizens. We would like to find sustainable solutions to our problems therefore sports plays a crucial role in the transformation of our economy,” she said.

She further expressed gratitude to AUSC for enabling Malawi to  host the 2022 Region 5 youth games in Lilongwe, with lasting sports experience and friendships gained.  

Chief Executive Officer for AUSC, Stanley Mutoya said the meeting will unpack how they intend to ensure inclusivity in the next games while also highlighting that Malawi’s Minister of Sports remains part of the Council since they were the previous hosts.

“This is a constitutional meeting that defines the strategic direction of the Region, it covers policy shifts and receives constitutional recommendations. With our theme “Scaling up Inclusion” we intend to include Special Olympics and refugees in the games so that no one is left behind “he said.

The outgoing Chairman of the games who is also Malawi Minister of Sports, Uchizi Mkandawire highlighted that the meeting will establish which country will host the games next since the intended 2024 hosts in alphabetical order, Mozambique asked to be excused.

“Mozambique cited matters such as the recent disasters and ongoing unrest in the country as reasons for their exemption and therefore requested Namibia to host and so far Namibia seems ready to host the games in 2025 but that the final decision will come after this meeting,” Mkandawire said.

He also urged the Ministers present to continue supporting the games by ensuring, among other things, that athletes actively participate in the different disciplines.

Mkandawire further hailed the Malawi Women’s football team for winning the 2023 COSAFA cup and outlined that 6 of the girls participated in the 2022 region 5 youth games which is a testament of the potential of the AUSC.

The Minister’s meeting takes place after every two years and the members countries attending the ongoing session are from Angola, Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatin, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.