STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. ARTHUR PETER MUTHARIKA,

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI AT THE THE GRAND OPENING

CEREMONY OF THE UMODZI PARK COMPLEX AT UMODZI PARK,

LILONGWE ON FRIDAY, 1ST MAY, 2015.

Your Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi, Madame Gertrude Mutharika;

The Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, Right Honourable Saulos Klaus Chilima and Mrs. Mary Chilima;

The Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, Honourable Kondwani Nankhumwa

M.P.;

All Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here;

The Chairperson of Umodzi Holdings Limited, Mr. Francis Mbilizi and all the Board

Members;

The Chief Executive Officer of Peermont Global Proprietary Limited; Mr. Anthony

Puttergill and your Management Team;

The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and all Members of the Diplomatic Corps;

The Chief Secretary to the Government, Mr. George Mkondiwa;

All Senior Government Officer Here present

The Mayor of the City of Lilongwe, Counsellor Willie Chapondera;

The Member of Parliament for Lilongwe City Center, Honourable David Bisnowaty,

M.P.;

The Chief Executive Officer for Lilongwe City;

The District Commissioner for Lilongwe;

Distinguished Invited Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is with a deep sense of pride and joy that I am presiding over the official Grand Opening of

this magnificent Umodzi Park Complex this morning. It is a joyous moment, indeed, because

this is one of my Government's priority projects that was envisioned with the aim of propelling

the growth of tourism for economic development of the country.

As we are all aware, this function should have been held way back in 2012 after the DPP-led

Government had approved the engagement of Peermont Global Limited to manage the facilities. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the Complex could not be

opened. I appreciate the challenges that the Board of Umodzi Holdings Limited has gone

through to reach this far where we can all breathe a sigh of relief and experience the reality of a

dream come true.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Todays celebration is a true testimony of a visionary leader and statesman, the late President of the Republic of Malawi, His Excellency Professor Bingu wa Mutharika (May His Soul Rest in

Peace) who believed and encouraged us all to dream in colour and change our mindset for

Malawi to develop and prosper. In particular, he believed that Tourism has potential to

significantly contribute positively to the economy of this country. It is, therefore, befitting that this Complex, whose grand opening we are witnessing today, is named after him as a reminder

to us all to always emulate his 'Dreaming in Colour' philosophy.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

My Government is committed to continue with the tourism agenda as one of the priority

sectors to spur economic growth. I am aware that the Ministry of Information Tourism and

Culture, working with stakeholders, has developed the soon-to-be-launched Malawi 2020

Tourism Development Plan which will provide the overarching framework for the development

of tourism in this country. I, therefore, wish to personally pledge my unwavering support in all

tourism initiatives that can quickly transform this country, and my willingness to endorse bold

measures and mobilize resources for the implementation of the Plan.

In this regard, I wish to urge all Government Ministries and the private sector to mainstream

tourism in all their policies and programmes as tourism thrives on other sectors such as the

transport and aviation sector; safety and security; land; Immigration; telecommunication;

energy; water and health, just to mention a few.

I further wish to encourage the private sector, such as, Banks, Insurance companies and other

Conglomerates like Press Corporation, to seriously consider investing in the tourism sector as

is done elsewhere in the region.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to highlight some of the significant steps that my Government is undertaking to grow

the tourism industry in this country. For instance, roads to various tourist attractions across

the country are being upgraded; the expansion and modernization of Kamuzu and Chileka

International Airports to improve access; the proposed designation of Likoma Airstrip as a

point of entry and exit; computerization of border posts; and reforms in Visa processes and the Aviation sector, among others. These will greatly improve and facilitate the movement of

tourists in and around the country thereby enhancing visitor experience.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Umodzi Park Complex represents a symbol of excellence that was made possible through our

Cooperating Partner and Friend, the Government of the Peoples Republic of China, who

provided financing for the construction of the facility. This is a demonstration of confidence in

our national development effort. This gesture will undoubtedly encourage other potential

partners to invest in our Tourism and Hospitality sector. For this we are exceedingly grateful.

At this juncture, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to congratulate the

management of Peermont Global Limited for accepting the offer to manage these properties on

our behalf. Your confidence in my Government and, indeed, the People of Malawi, is

appreciated. I personally believe that we made the right choice to contract you as our

Managers as you have demonstrated that you can deliver internationally recognized 5-Star

service, the first of its kind in Malawi. Your expertise in organizing and managing international

conferences will assist us in developing the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition

segment of the tourism market, which is one of the fastest growing lucrative markets for the

region.

Last but not least, I would like to express my sincerely appreciation to the Minister of

Information, Tourism and Culture and your Officials, the Chairman and the Board of Umodzi

Holdings Limited for working tirelessly to ensure that we have a Manager and that the facility is operational to the required standard. I wish to urge you to continue providing guidance and

support to Peermont Global Limited to ensure that the facility remains a beacon of excellence

in the hospitality industry.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is now my pleasure to declare the Umodzi Park Complex, comprising of the President

Walmont Hotel, Bingu International Convention Centre, and the Presidential Village officially

opened.

I thank you very much for your attention.

May God bless you all and bless Malawi.