On 23 April 2024, His Excellency Joseph John Mpinganjira, Ambassador of the south-east African Republic of Malawi, visited the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences together with a delegation. They were received by Dr Ludwig Stroink, Head of the Projects & International Affairs Department, and Christine Bismuth, Consultant, as well as the scientists PD Dr Simona Regenspurg (Geoenergy Section) and Dr Franziska Wilke (Inorganic and Isotope Geochemistry Section).

Last year, the GFZ carried out investigations of geothermal fluids in Malawi as part of the EU project “CRM-geothermal” under the leadership of Simona Regenspurg and with Franziska Wilke. The project name CRM stands for “Critical Raw Materials”. The project is investigating the combined extraction of geothermal energy and mineral raw materials contained in geothermal fluids. Parts of Malawi are particularly promising from a geological perspective due to their location in the East African Rift Valley.

In addition to common interests in the field of geothermal energy and critical raw materials, further opportunities for cooperation were discussed, particularly in the area of climate change and risk prevention in the event of natural hazards: Malawi is affected by floods, droughts and landslides in addition to the potential threat of earthquakes.