Malawi: The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be providing funds for road construction in Mangochi. The organization, which has been an all weather friend of Malawi, has supported several infrastructural developments in the nation.
The organization is set to give Malawi a loan for US$20 million, funds from which would be used for the construction of Mangochi-Makanjira Road. The road project has been in the pipeline for the last several months, with community working hard to make sure that the
Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jacob Hara, spoke to the media and informed them about this project. The President Lazarus Chakwera had met with the Director General for Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Mohamed Saif Al Suwadi.
He said Chakwera’s meeting with the leadership of the fund was an opportunity for the President to discuss and settle some of the challenges that have been impeding Malawi Government from accessing the loan.
He spoke about the various challenges surrounded Extended Credit Facility and constitutionality of the loan but today the President engaged the fund’s leadership which has pledged to consider the issues and made an assurance to assist towards the cause.
He said some of the co-financiers of the project were reluctant for government to start the project as they wanted to be assured of the availability of entire funding towards the project.
Hara said following this commitment, construction of the road will commence soon.
“What remains for us is to start procurement process of consultants, which is already underway, and we move on to contractors so that we should start the project in May 2025 when the rains are over,” Hara said.
He said once completed the road will be a catalyst towards enhancement of tourism in Mangochi as it has the most beautiful beaches on Lake Malawi which has been left untapped and unharnessed due to accessibility challenges.
The project, according to the Minister, aligns completely with the President’s Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) strategy. He was proud to announce that the Mangochi district is home to some of the top tourist destinations.
The President also utilized the opportunity to unpack the ATM strategy and presented it to investors from UAE and how they can come in complementing other stakeholders’ efforts in attaining the strategy.
“The President presented an investment pack which comprise several sectors including agriculture. Malawi has about 1.3 million hectares of arable land that can be utilized for agricultural investment,” he said.