NEARLY three in four Scots are in favour of links with Malawi and nearly half know someone who is involved in the connections between the nations, a new survey has found.

The research highlighting the strong relationship between the countries has been published as development organisations urged the Smith Commission on devolution to look at formally establishing Scotland's international development programme.

A joint letter, published by the Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) which carried out the survey and the Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland (NIDOS), says the last 10 years of the Scottish Government's international development programme has provided evidence of the difference that can be made. It states there is an opportunity to use existing and any further devolved powers to help build a "fairer and more just global society".

The letter adds: "We will therefore be recommending to the Smith Commission that the Scottish Parliament and Government's authority to pursue an international development programme, and commit a budget to it, should be formalised."

The survey by the SMP found 95,000 Scots are actively involved in links with Malawi, an increase of 10.5% in four years. And nearly 200,000 Malawians are actively involved in links with Scotland, a rise of 33.7% in the same period.

Last year, an aid package of more than £3 million over the period 2013-16 was unveiled by the Scottish Government for projects in Malawi.

The money is for initiatives to improve education and health as well as others designed to promote sustainable economic development.

Earlier in 2013, First Minister Alex Salmond pledged almost £5m for projects run by Scottish-based organisations and their partners in Malawi. But as funding details emerged the Tories were critical of aid being given "at a time when money is so tight". The Scottish Government has an international development fund of £9m each year with one-third committed to Malawi.

A partnership spokesman said: "We feel that over the past decade the Scottish Government has done something genuinely distinctive, innovative and effective with regards international development, especially through its partnership with Malawi.

"In a new devolution settlement we believe the role of the Scottish Government in international development should be given serious consideration and we would see great advantage in a measure of the Department for International Development's work being devolved to Scotland so that what has been done very effectively on a very limited scale could be scaled up.

"We hope whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the Scottish Government's existing small international development programme finds a permanent and unambiguous constitutional footing, such that this work may be assured of continuity."

The survey revealed that members contributed more than £40m in finance and "in-kind inputs" to the Malawi links, a rise of 33.3% on 2010.

"We are delighted but unsurprised with the findings of this latest study," said Rev Prof Kenneth Ross, chairman of the partnership. "The fact that 46% of Scots know someone involved in a people to people link with Malawi only reinforces the University of Edinburgh's study, released in July, which found that an estimated 94,000 Scots are actively engaged in a Malawi connection.

"This is a unique national effort: led by the people of Scotland and underpinned by a spirit of dignified two-way partnership."

The study, which featured a survey of 516 randomly selected Scots, showed that 48% knew that Scotland has a strong longstanding relationship with Malawi.