Jack McConnell's Malawi tour resulted in an action plan

Jack McConnell has just got back from a visit to the African country, vowing that Scotland would do everything it could to promote Malawi to the world.

But some charities have warned that an aid campaign backed by the Scottish Executive could affect other appeals.

Mr McConnell's backers, however, said they are "happy" with the move.

Bobby Anderson, head of the Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland, is advising Mr McConnell and wants Holyrood to have more power over international aid.

He said: "The reaction against a co-ordinated appeal is premature.

"A number of newspapers were planning individual appeals and Jack McConnell felt, and I agreed, that a whole string of individual newspaper-based appeals would be a mistake.

It's up to the voluntary sector to determine what it's priorities are Stephen Maxwell Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

"It would be far better to have a co-ordinated appeal and, so far as I understand it, that's as far as it has got. Personally, I would welcome it.

Mr Anderson said organisations would have to wait to see the detail of the announcement, which is expected on Wednesday.

He said: "I think it's possible to do a good job in one country, rather than the scatter-gun approach of working in every different part of the world.

"I hope it won't stay in Malawi and that in five years' time it might roll out into other countries in Africa, but at this stage the chance of learning in-depth in one country is a very real one and one that we should seize.

However, Stephen Maxwell, of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: "What worries some people in the voluntary sector is the suggestion that Jack McConnell would lead a public appeal, that the executive would be seen as making that public appeal.

"That would undermine the independence which the charitable sector as a whole is very keen to defend and which is certainly an important condition of the voluntary sector.

"It enables it to make its fullest contribution to all its activities, including overseas aid.

Mr McConnell said Scotland will want to help the Malawian people

"The way in which we can maximise Scotland's contribution to overseas development is if we recognise the different roles of government and the voluntary sector."

Mr Maxwell said he would support an extension of the Scottish Parliament's powers.

He said: "If we in Scotland consider it important that Scotland makes a really effective contribution to international development, we should support an extension of the parliament's powers to cover overseas development.

"There's a lot of evidence that the voluntary service can make its best contribution if the public understands that its effort is independent of government.

'Generosity and support'

"If that public understanding of the voluntary sector's role in the whole of the range of its activities - including overseas aid - is undermined, that will undermine public trust in the voluntary sector's contribution."

Mr Maxwell said: "It's up to Jack McConnell to determine which country he wants to concentrate on, what he can contribute to overseas development and it's up to the voluntary sector to determine what its priorities are.

"It's because of that sort of difference of perspective that the idea of keeping a clear public understanding of the difference between government effort and the voluntary sector's effort is so important."

Speaking at the end of his five-day tour last week, Mr McConnell said he was confident Scotland's people would respond "with generosity and support" to initiatives to help the people of Malawi.

Senior officials from the two countries will spend the next six months drawing up an action plan for Malawi, where average life expectancy is just 37.