Two decades of Scottish aid have brought hope and progress to communities worldwide, writes the First Minister John Swinney.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s overseas development programme. Working hand-in-hand with our partner countries over the past two decades, we have strived to understand and tackle global challenges, helping to transform lives.

Last week, I visited Zambia and Malawi to see some of the projects that have benefitted from Scottish Government support over the years. From visiting hospitals and centres working to prevent gender-based violence, to seeing how communities are tackling the climate emergency, I saw how our partnership projects are improving lives.

It was a privilege to visit the village of Chimbalanga in Zomba, Malawi, where our support is helping a community at the front line of dealing with the impacts of the climate crisis, helping young people gain skills, supporting a solar irrigation scheme and establishing clean water points.

While there is still a long way to go in........

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