Update: In ongoing developments regarding the national budget, Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha announced that Malawi is seeking a new support programme from the International Monetary Fund to help stabilise the economy. According to CNBC Africa, Mwanamvekha noted that public debt has reached unsustainable levels above 90 percent of the country's gross domestic product. The government is now looking to restructure its domestic and external debt to create necessary fiscal space, Club of Mozambique reports.
Vice-President Jane Ansah travelled to Zambia to attend the annual N'cwala Ceremony in the Eastern Province, Pan African Visions reports. Invited by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, her attendance served as a diplomatic gesture to strengthen cultural connections and bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
In other international developments, Malawi and Scotland have signed a K2.3 billion health partnership designed to improve local health service delivery, according to Africa-Press. The outlet also reports that Peter Mutharika has been appointed as an honorary patron for the conservation organisation Peace Parks Foundation and as a co-honorary patron for the Scotland-Malawi Partnership.