Salima-Lilongwe water project: Malawi seeks K350bn to meet 2027 target

Malawi’s government has set a target of June 2027 for the completion of the long-delayed Salima–Lilongwe Water Supply Project, as officials scramble to secure the remaining fina

ncing needed to bring the scheme to fruition.

Roza Mbilizi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, told parliament that the government still needs to source $200mn (K350bn) to complete construction and move the project into its commissioning phase.

She was responding to questions from Enock Phale, MP for Salima Central West, who pressed the minister for a definitive timeline after years of delays.

The project, being built by Khato Civil Engineering, is intended to supply clean water to communities across Salima, Dowa and Lilongwe districts — a region where access to reliable water infrastructure has long lagged behind demand.

Phale told parliament that the hold-ups had left residents without the clean water supply the scheme was designed to deliver, raising concerns over the human cost of the delays.

Mbilizi, however, sought to reassure lawmakers that the project remained a priority for the current administration, and that efforts were under way to mobilise the outstanding funding required.

The project forms part of a broader push by Malawi to expand water infrastructure in the central region, where population growth and urban expansion around Lilongwe, the capital, have placed increasing strain on existing supply systems.

Large-scale infrastructure projects in Malawi have frequently faced financing bottlenecks, with government dependent on a mix of domestic resources, external loans and development partner support to close funding gaps — a dynamic likely to shape the pace at which the Salima-Lilongwe scheme now proceeds toward its 2027 target.