Malaysia a country with most African representatives in Southeast Asia

Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement today said diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the African countries were formally established after Malaysia''s independence in 1957, while bilateral trade between the two regions stood at USD6.24 billion in 2016.

"Malaysia has been actively engaging with the African countries under the flagship of the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP), and is prepared to engage in ways that are relevant to the African regions economic and demographic.

"As of 2016, Malaysia has thus far trained 8,416 officials from African countries under MTCP and as of December last year, Malaysia has seen more than 30,000 African students here pursuing higher education," it said.

In conjunction with the 54th Anniversary of Africa Day which falls on May 25, Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman is expected to attend the anniversary celebration at a hotel here tomorrow.