Malawi Exhibition & Trade Event
The TradeConnections event, managed by Imani Development, took place as planned on the 3rd November 2010 - the 5th anniversary of the signing of the Scotland-Malawi Cooperation Agreement. It served to showcase the best of Malawian products introduced and available in the Scottish market, reflecting the diversity and opportunity in trade with Malawi.
The day was officially opened by Scotland’s Minister for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop; the Malawian High Commissioner, Professor Francis Moto; and Lord Jack McConnell, who had signed the agreement 5 years earlier as Scotland’s First Minister.
The day was a great success with a steady stream of visitors throughout including schools, invited guests and interested members of the public. Thirteen stands were placed around the venue with staff on-hand to answer questions and provide further information about Malawian products, services, food and holidays. Malawian producers had the opportunity to display their goods, with many people enjoying samples and making purchases. The Glasgow-based CamFLava restaurant kept everyone well-fed throughout the day with delicious samples of food made with both Malawian and Scottish ingredients.
The evening reception also proved a great success with speeches from Fiona Hyslop, Professor Moto and the chairman of the Scotland-Malawi Partnership Ken Ross. The stands remained in place for the evening event and it provided an opportunity for those interested in Malawi to find out more about trade between the nations and to network with other attendees.
Overall the TradeConnections event achieved its objectives of raising awareness of the unique relationship that exists between Scotland and Malawi, highlighting the excellent quality produce coming from Malawi and also promoting further trade and sales of these products. A number of deals were agreed for products as a result of the event and it is hoped that the outcomes will contribute positively to the long-term relationship that exists between the countries.