At a time when Malawians are crying out for modern, forward-looking infrastructure—especially in the long-neglected Northern Region—it is both outrageous and shameful that the government is spending billions of kwacha renovating the outdated, crumbling shell that is Mzuzu Airport.
The so-called Mzuzu Airport being ‘rehabilitated’.
Let’s be clear: this so-called “rehabilitation” is not a step forward—it is a deliberate insult. A slap in the face to the people of the North. What is currently taking shape is not a modern airport. It is an architectural relic dressed in new paint. It is archaic, outdated, and wholly unbefitting of a country that claims to be serious about development.
How, in 2025, can we justify wasting public funds on patching up a structure that should have been demolished a decade ago? This is not development. It is stagnation wrapped in propaganda. While other regions see the construction of new terminals and runways, the North is expected to clap hands for patched walls and retrofitted roofs. Are we not Malawians too?
Worse still, the government is silent on the future of the Orton Chirwa International Airport—a project that has been talked about for years but has never seen meaningful political will. Why are billions being funneled into a clearly obsolete facility when Malawi could be positioning itself for future economic and tourism growth by investing in a real airport? Is the Orton Chirwa project dead? Was it ever alive beyond the campaign podium?
Mzuzu deserves better than recycled mediocrity. This project is not a renovation—it is a monument to government’s lack of vision for the North. If this is what billions deliver, then the message is clear: the North is an afterthought in Malawi’s development agenda.
The people of the North are watching. And they will not forget.
