Malawian President Prof. Peter Mutharika has appointed US pop diva Madonna as Malawi Goodwill Ambassador for child welfare, Nyasa Times learnt on Friday.
It was confirmed by government chief secretary George Mkondiwa who said the appointment by President Mutharika to the ‘Material Girl’ singer was “with immediate effect.”
President Mutharika met Madonna with her Malawi-born children Mercy and David on Friday at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe which was symbolic who had a public falling-out with former president Joyce Banda.
“Thank you for welcoming me here. I was a big fan of your brother. He was very kind to us,” Madonna said of Mutharika’s older brother Bingu wa Mutharika., who was president until he died in 2012.
The Malawi Head of State thanked the pop star for bringing back David and Mercy to their birth country.
“My government has always been grateful for the passion Madonna has for this country,” said the President.
Mutharika said the singer’s passion was directed “especially towards addressing poverty and hardships endured by Malawi’s orphans and vulnerable children through her charity Raising Malawi”.
He thanked Madonna for agreeing to fund the construction of a new state of the art Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care Unit in the country
“I ask you to continue your work in improving education in this country,” said Mutharika.
“You must also encourage David and Mercy to work hard in their education,” he added.
Mutharika said during their discussion, Madonna displayed “much commitment in helping to build more classrooms in schools across Malawi.”
The Malawi leader described himself as “a fan of her music”.
Madonna is currently visiting Malawi, where she has been working since 2006 with her nonprofit organisation, Raising Malawi.
Madonna has since called “Malawi is a country”.
It was Madonna’s first visit in more than a year after she was stripped of her VIP status by former president Joyce Banda amid controversy over the cancellation of her plans for an academy for girls.
The academy was mired in allegations of mismanagement and the project was replaced by plans to build schools in order to reach more children.
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