Mutharika, Lungu hold bilateral talks: Malawi, Zambia leaders focus on trade, Shire-Zambezi Waterway
Malawi President Peter Mutharika and Zambia President Edgar Lungu on Tuesday held bilateral talks focusing on a range of key issues including boosting boosting trade and progress on the actualization of the Shire Zambezi World In-land Port project, regional integration and Agriculture.
The two leaders held the discussion at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the sidelines of the 28th AU Summit of Heads of State and government.
Spokersperson for the Malawi leader, Mgeme Kalilani told Nyasa Times the two leaders discussed “several matters of mutual interests”.
He said Mutharika and leader of Malawi’s strategic neighbour Zambia have resolved to work together and lobby their colleagues in the region to buy into the idea of the Shire Zambezi World Inland port so that it can be expidited.
“President Mutharika and Presidetn Lungu agreed that the Shire Zambezi World Inland Port has the potential to turn around the fortunes of severa countries in southern Africa including Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe among others,” said Kalilani.
Landlocked Malawi and Zambia heavily rely on the Nacala Port by rail and Beira Port by road which have proven too expensive, making exports and imports uncompetitive and stifling economic growth, especially for Malawi. Zambia also uses Dar es Salaam in Tanzania railway.
Malawi and Zambia have argued that the waterway would stimulate economic activities in the three countries, including Mozambique, by creating employment through trade and tourism development apart from providing permanent employment on the water, rail and road route.
The Shire-Zambezi Waterway is former president Bingu wa Mutharika’s pet project and he inaugurated the Nsanje Inland Port on 23 October 2010 but the place is now dormant.
The waterway is expected to link landlocked Malawi—which has for decades been reeling from the negative impact of high transport costs—to the Indian Ocean through the port of Chinde.
A 2011 study by Malawi Lake Basin Programme on cross-border trade indicated that Malawi could save $173 million (about K128 billion) of the total annual import bill once the port is fully operational.
The African Development Bank (AfDB)—through the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa)—approved $3.5 million (about K2.6 billion) towards conducting a comprehensive feasibility study on the Shire-Zambezi Waterway Project which started in 2012.
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Here are leaders of two countries that want the waterway done but the leader of the country in which the way passes in not part and parcel of the talks. should we take these guys seriously?
Zambia is significantly a beneficiary.
Chisiyeni chi Shire-Zambezi waterway! Madzi mu Shire mukunena kuti akuchepa (In fact, ku Nsanje Shire River anaumiratu) – so how will the vessels move without water! Even magetsi akuvuta chifukwa cha madzi mu Shire, ndiye madzi oti padzayende sitima mudzawatenga kuti?? Ngati mwakanika kuwonjezera water level mu Shire in order to generate electricity, mudzawonjezera oti padzayende sitima??
aTIMBA mukukhala ngati siinu MALAWI munangozolowera kulemba zopusa poganizira za chipani chanu. Muzilemba zinthu zomanga kuti anthu azakuvotereni ngati simuvomereza zoti muno muziko muli president wanuyo ngati atazapeze mwawi khaya anthu ache ndinu mukuononga ndapita.muphito
It is only in Malawi where inauguration of a project is done before feasibility study . A project of such magnitude needed first the blessing of all Malawians Maybe through Parliament or whatever fora that is acceptable. A thorough and complex feasibility study that should have involved the countries that are being mentioned today should have been instituted way before the inception of the project on the ground . The problem with out politicians in this country(Presidenta), they embark on projects they know will never work simply to make money for themselves through deals on contracts . As one of… Read more »
Peter mwana mulhomwe We love you sir.They may write bad things about you or ridicule our Tribe we shall never relent NGANGANGA ndi wathu mulomweyo simungatiuze za wina .We have eyes and ears , our intelligence will never be compromised coz of your propaganda or negative comments NO! You insult the Lhomwes and again you ask them to vote without looking at tribal line and remove this LHOMWE guy..Mwauponda Tinachenjela pano!!!! Wina ndi uyu wathuwathu Chaponda ana akummawa mulira simunati pano si uyu wakupezetsani ntchito mukanafa ndi maluzitu inu.ZIKOMO ANGWAZI kkk
but i cant see Chaponda on the pic. Where was he??? i understand he doesn’t want miss miss such gatherings
Another meeting that sidelined the Mozambicans?
A Timba, apatu you have just exposed your ignorance. Are you sure the port is dry. All the water in Shire river have disappeared before getting to Zambezi. Please tell us where you leave.
If you want another president with your ignorance be assured that that president is not Chakwera. He failed Assemblies of God church and he is now failing MCP. I admire Chatinkha Chidzanja. Give her space, she is capable of making MCP stronger again, not backsliden pastors.
A DPP inu mwchulukana mbava zokhazokha mu chipani ndi m’boma
odala mbewe, inunso2 mwaonetsa umbuli wanu, do your research before you comment on things you dont know of, chakwera never failed assemblies of God, it is because of him that today is very known and doing well. How can some1 be re-elected more than two times when he failed?
Sounds like a good idea.
Lungu yo simunafunseko kuti Kaloswe ali bwanji?