Malawi students’ accommodation project commences using PPPs

Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje has launched an accommodation project for public universities which she said will end accommodation woes the university faces due to government’s policy to increase intake in recent years without supporting infrastructure.

Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje has launched an accommodation project for public universities that is projected to benefit 4 700 students in the initial phase.

Speaking during the launch of the first construction phase at the University of Malawi’s  College of Medicine Lilongwe campus on Wednesday, NyaLonje  said with more students enrolled into the public universities, the country is assured of increased human capital and improved social-economic development.

She said students should expect  “high-quality accommodation of international standards that will gradually extend to all public universities.”

The investors—Old Mutual Investment Group  (Omig) and other investors—have atleast two and six years, respectively to complete construction of the hostels, which has been framed on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement for 35 years.

Old Mutual plc group chief executive officer Edith Jiya said they will construct hostels for College of Medicine Lilongwe and Blantyre campuses as well as for the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar).

She said the first phase at College of Medicine Lilongwe campus will be completed by December 2021 while the Blantyre campus project will begin towards the end of the year. The Luanar project is scheduled to start early next year.

Old Mutual is expected to invest $25 million (K18.3 billion) for the hostels with a bed capacity of 4 700.

The other investor was M&M Developments and Infrastructure, which had  plans to invest $425 million (K311.5 billion) for the construction of 20 280-bed capacity hostels at The Polytechnic, Luanar-Natural Resources College (NRC) Campus, Unima’s Chancellor College in Zomba, Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) in Thyolo and Mzuzu University (Mzuni).

The public universities accommodation project is being implemented under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

PPP Commission acting chief executive officer Audrey Mwala said Old Mutual plc have started implementing the projects while M & M Consortium failed to fulfill some conditions.

“We advertised for new applications for the project to fill the space that was left,” said Mwala.

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Chimwene wa Anabanda ku Joni
Chimwene wa Anabanda ku Joni
3 years ago

I want to agree with Poison. Anyone who took over leadership from Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda should be ashamed of the state of infrastructure they left. Dr Banda built good schools which were well run until we were swarmed by thugs who left office without building one single public toilet but ended up enriching themselves. MCP/UTM do not leave that legacy of thieves stealing left right and center. Leave a legacy of good governance and excellence. It is possible.

Charles Mzumara
Charles Mzumara
3 years ago

Bravo DPP. Another DPP Initiative project going into implementation. Imagine how many jobs will be created. DPP ndimizwanya pa chitukuko.

Ndede
Ndede
3 years ago

These projects started 4 months ago and now you had to beg so as to launch it. The PPP arrangement was signed way back last year and every process was finalized a long time ago and pano 4 months the projects have been in course. Mwachita kupempha kuti mukatsekulire mwina muonekeko…Ma minister athu kumvetsa chisoni. Zomwe anzanu adapha kale make sure zikupitirira….let me cite here Technical Community colleges and 3 Teachers training colleges in Rumphi, Mchinji and Msanje… Let me also mention here the Phalombe District Hospital. We need more from you Osamangokatsekula zinthu zomwe anzanu adagwira kale ntchito for… Read more »

nafundo zalo
nafundo zalo
3 years ago
Reply to  Ndede

dpp siinkapitiliza zitukuko. akangolimbana ndi kudzala miyala nde citukuko cao and kuocha ma buildings ngati ofesi ya Chaponda kunamizila electric fault akubisa documents za cimanga.
Eskom kuochedwa koma Mathanga anali.
agalu acabe cabe inu mahule.

Wawo
Wawo
3 years ago
Reply to  Ndede

A long time ago, why didn’t they start for all the time Dpp was in power, 4 months ago because of elections afterthat they could have stalled.THINK.

Poison v Venom
3 years ago

Bwaila Secondary School where I was had hostels as well and was one of the schools that sent a lot of students to universities. Unfortunately the brainless governments of Bakili Muluzi and APM destroyed whatever Kamuzu and his MCP had done. The idiots or thugs who took over in 1994 destroyed almost everything just like locusts when the invade the fields. The old schools build in 1965 -1970 like Magawa, Rumphi, Chilumba, Ntchisi, old Salima, Chikwawa, etc still look the same. There are still no new hostels and in some schools like Ntchisi a classroom was converted into a girls… Read more »

Prosper
Prosper
3 years ago

This seems to be a screwed business move by the Ministry leadership. Imagine an extra 24.980 beds in Tertiary Education within 6years without the government paying a cent! In 35 years time, all these hostels will be government property. This is the kind of strategic long term planning that is necessary to take Malawi to the next level.

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