U.S. Embassy in Malawi

HISTORY OF THE U.S. MISSION IN MALAWI The U.S. relationship with Malawi dates back to 1960, when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) came to Malawi and was located in the former Capital Zomba. The U.S. Embassy was first established in Blantyre in 1964 in Unit House on Victoria Avenue under Ambassador Marshall P. Jones. The Embassy then moved from Blantyre to Lilongwe when it became the capital. Construction of the chancery was completed in 1975. The Embassy occupies a building completed in April 1976, in the Capital City area, 5 miles from old town Lilongwe. PAS, USAID, and Peace Corps are in separate buildings, located a short distance from the Embassy. The U.S. Embassy became operational in its current location near City Centre in April 1976 under Ambassador Harold E. Horan. The first Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Malawi in 1963. The program was suspended for several years under the Banda regime, but was restored in 1978. In total, over 2,200 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in Malawi. USAID commemorated 44 years in Malawi in October, 2004. The agency has spent close to a billion dollars on various health, education, governance and infrastructure projects across the country since 1960. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) established offices in Blantyre and Lilongwe in 2001.