Mkwezalamba hails Bisika’s legacy as envoy launches UK record

In an age when many diplomats leave their posts quietly, Malawi’s outgoing High Commissioner to the UK has chosen to put his record on the table, and in print.

Dr Thomas Bisika launched a magazine at Ufulu Gardens this week documenting his time at Malawi House, where he was also accredited to Ireland, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. “There has to be a record of what you are doing,” he said. “People should also know what we are getting.”

The first copy went for K500,000 at auction, bought by former Economic Planning Minister Dr Maxwell Mkwezalamba, who called Bisika “a distinguished public servant, diplomat and politician”. Veteran broadcaster Joan Frank Chakhaza questioned the envoy on stage about his achievements, challenges and lessons learned.

The timing matters. With traditional development assistance shrinking, Bisika described Britain as a strategic partner whose value now lies increasingly in trade, investment and economic cooperation. He pointed to two initiatives: the Malawi Diaspora Engagement Policy, which aims to keep Malawians abroad connected to home, and the Malawi Business Chamber of Commerce UK, chaired by Edgar Chibaka with Hannington Gondwe as chief executive. The chamber is working towards a formal launch in Malawi.

Among those paying tribute were retired generals Marko Chiziko Nundwe and John Msonthi, who welcomed the magazine as a useful record of Malawi’s diplomacy abroad.

.Policymakers increasingly see the diaspora as a source of capital, expertise and international networks. Whether that promise translates into investment is the test his successors will inherit