Japan grants Malawi K17bn rehabilitate Kamuzu International Airport
Japan on Wednesday gave Malawi a K17 billion (3.7 billion yen) grant to finance a project to expand and rehabilitate Kamuzu International Airport (KIA).
Japanese Ambassador Shuichiro Nishioka exchanged grant notes with Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe during a ceremony held in Lilongwe.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Nishioka observed that the buildings at KIA need major rehabilitation and maintenance to revitalise and expand the terminal building. He said there is also need to install new equipment such as aircraft surveillance system.
Said the Ambassador: “The operational space is usually congested as it cannot accommodate the current demand and certainly not the future.
“Concerned with these challenges and also in an effort to be more efficient and effective to improve the services at KIA, the government of Malawi made a request to the government of Japan to rehabilitate and expand the terminal building.”
He also said the bilateral relationship between Malawi and Japan complements an earlier grant signed in March this year for Tedzani Hydro Power Plant.
In his remarks, Gondwe said the bilateral relationship Malawi has with Japan has helped the country reap huge benefits.
Commenting on the same, Minister of Transport and Public Works Francis Kasaila said the project will help KIA accommodate more aircraft capacity when it is completed.
“Malawi should be a safe landing place where people will have confidence getting on and off their flights without congestions that we are facing at the moment, “he said.
He also said by the end of the project, KIA will be able to scan luggage and other things before getting on the plane, thereby reducing any risk of carrying dangerous items.
The project of extending and maintaining KIA is expected to start in 2016 and completed in 2018.
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Developing Malawi is very simple because of its small size.The Japanese are the ones that funded the construction of Kia but the then government didn’t negotiate for a bigger airport of international standards with at least three terminals and two runways,an airport that would serve a future big Lilongwe city.If the Japanese settled for a small sum of offer to construct the airport, the MCP government had an obligation to plan to save some money to top up the Japanese amount in order to fulfil an ambitious project which would be the pride of the nation.It is safe to conclude… Read more »
BRITAIN CAN NOT EVEN CONSTRUCT A DUAL CARRIAGE ROAD IN LILONGWE TO BE NAMED AFTER THE QUEEN. THESE PEOPLE ARE STINGY I TELL YOU! SHAME ON YOU!!!
I AM WAITING TO HEAR WHAT BRITAIN WILL OFFER INFTRASTRUCTURALLY. KKKKKK!
haha 17 bn for airport rehab. a facility that serves the needs of about only 300 rich people comprising ofgovernment official. .businesses NGOs, afew tourist, diaspora. ..let the ones who benefit foot the bill. i.e bus passenger levy be put on bus fares to renovate bus deposits.mwaiwona
Malawi needs good aviation infrastructure … A second runway and a brand new terminal building west of the VIP building, complete with spacious new car parking lot. Sounds fancy but I bet very strategic for this country’s future needs. The current KIA terminal building should all be for flights to domestic destinations and short haul routes like Lusaka, Kafue, Dar es Salaam, and Tete. Mzuzu desperately needs an airport and schedules flights. So does Mangochi. An international Airport of high quality standards at Cape Maclear is not just wishful thinking. Imagine an airport that is ready to process passengers who… Read more »
how many passengers turn left at the m1 junction from the kamuzu international airport. air malawi financial report was reporting an avarage of 4.7 passengers per flight to mzuzu
The best thing with Japan and China is that they don’t bring money, they bring in the project finance it and hand the keys – if you want to steal the key. For those opposition and their supporters, the airport will start and finish within a year and before the campaign – so when talking please we must count our words – people want development, jobs through these building of colleges, subsidised houses/malate, roads and schools – jobs which will bring food in the households. We must measure time and divide it into 3; 1. Campaign – when lost keep… Read more »
Thats good development….but coming not in good time. thats not what the malawians want, in other ways that thing is not a priority.
Kodi airport ya Ku dedza ija ilipobe?
KIA was financed and built by the apartheid regime of South Africa in the 80s, after three decades we have failed to expand and maintain it coz we are so greedy with money so short sighted that we want to steal money for the next election. imagine if that cashgate money was used for such a project? We had to wait for another handout for this project? This is embarrassing, guys! I think it’s true to say: Munthu wakuda ndi wakuda basi!!! Anada zonse…