Mutharika delivers more news to revamp Malawi transport sector : ‘New railway from Lilongwe to Mbeya in Tanzania
President Peter Mutharika says government is rolling out arevolutionary infrastructure development with a National Transport Master Plan (NTMP) aimed at guiding the development of the transport sector in roads, ships and airports to be implemented up to the year 2037.
In his State of the Nation Address during the opening of the Third Meeting of the 47th Session of Parliament in Lilongwe on Friday, the President said government completed the rehabilitation of 99 kilometres section of the rail network from Nkaya to Nayuchi.
“We also completed the rehabilitation of the 96 kilometres Limbe-Nkaya section of the rail network as well as spot railway rehabilitation of the Balaka-Salima-Kanengo section of the rail network,” he said.
Mutharika said government has since started rehabilitating the 399 kilometres railway section from Nkaya to Mchinji.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have more news. We are reviving the railway from Limbe to Beira and designs are almost completed. We expect to start construction works by the end of this year,” he informed.
Mutharika said Malawi is negotiating for a new railway from Lilongwe to Mbeya in Tanzania.
“But we are also going to construct another railway from Mbeya to Chilumba to connect with water transport where we will add more vessels to sail as far as Monkey Bay. AMemorandum of Understanding has been signed and we expect the project to be on Build-Operate-and –Transfer Model,” he said.
Mutharika also said government intend to dualise the M1 Road from Blantyre to Karonga.
“Let us change Malawi once and for all,” he said.
Mutharika also said his administration is transforming air transport in the country.
“Let me report that the process of establishing a Civil Aviation Authority to discharge functions previously carried out by the Civil Aviation department is now under way,” he said.
The President said there is progress on rehabilitation and expansion works at Kamuzu and Chileka International Airports, saying construction works at Kamuzu International Airport are scheduled to be completed in April, 2019.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we are also negotiating with investors to construct a new international airport in Mangochi and we are making good progress. This airport will come with high standard hotels and transform tourism along Lake Malawi. Time has come to transform this country and that is what we are doing,” he said.
The masterplan which was developed with funding from the World Bank provides a framework for delivering sustainable interventions on multi-mode transport network across Malawi.
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The President needs to be given an ATLAS for Malawi and Tanzania so that he is able to know what is meaning when talking to his citizens.
Mbeya to Chilumba then another Mbeya to Lilongwe… is he aware of what he is talking about?
We have already wasted 5 years. Mukapume, those dreams can live on and on.
I like the plans go on mr president
Talk is cheap Mr president. Malawi needs major developments now in infrastructure space not these mediocre railway lines, stupid roads, one-stop shops in Mangochi. If you’re going to give us plans then they should be grand plans. 96 kms here and 98 kms there of railway lines won’t cut it for Malawi given that its landlocked. Malawi is over a 1,000kms away from the nearest port. we should be talking of 1000 kms highways and railway lines linking Malawi to Beira/Nacala or Dar ports. You should be talking of building modern airports in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Mangochi and not just revamping the current by repainting old walls. You have travelled, your excellency, and have seen and experienced the airports in RSA (ORTIA, CPT and Durban), Gaborone, Maputo, Kigali etc. Compare those airports with Chileka or Lilongwe International Airport. Its embarrassing bwana. Don’t tell Malawians about plans to contruct 98 kms roads or revamping airports…..dream big bwana.
Koma development ndiye ilipo pa Malawi mtsogolo muno abale inu!
Big development projects, everywhere, have come about only when leaders dream big, like this.
APM should have been President earlier basi.
Tribalism of Peter Hitler Mutharika is at its best. When you look at Malawi there are two International airports and one in the Southern region and the other in the Central region. The Northern region has been discriminated since the independence of Malawi. Mzuzu deserve International Airport but all the developments are sourced to the Southern region. The Northern region has never been connected with other provinces through the railways system—it has been negleted. Why do they refuse for the Northerners to be an independent country to develop their homeland as they wish. Why do they refuse for a federal system that will empower provinces to develop their own region. Why Peter Hitler Mutharika is sticking to a dictatorship Unitary government which has failed so many countries. It is time for the Northerners to lead the charge and advocate for a change that will benefit every Malawian, FEDERALISM IS THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THE MALAWIANS PROBLEMS. I lived in a Federalism country for many years and the system works pecfectly. Peter Hitler Mutharika his kids are living in the USA a country that practice Federalism. Why can’t he sent them to North Korea? He has turned Malawi into North Korea where opposing voices are being punished even assassinated. There are many pro FEDERALISM Malawians who have been exiled by Peter Hitler Mutharika and his brother. The hand picking of his fellow Southerner shows that Malawi is a country that doesn’t trust each other. Tribalism is spearheaded by the leaders and very soon we will emulates the Rwanda genocide. Nobody saw it coming. We are saying away with a Unitary system and forward with federalism system. We want a federalism with a rotational presidency among our three provinces. Peter Hitler Mutharika wants to divide the Southern region into many provinces to benefit his own region. I guess you would divide Carlifornia into many province if you were the president of the USA. I guess you would divide Western Cape and Northern Cape of South Africa into many provinces if your tribe was there. Your ideas are ancient you damn old buzzer. The Northern Region people recognize only three provinces in Malawi and not more than that or less than what it is now. Take your fucked up ideas into your grave and let Malawians go forward with FEDERALISM. The Northerners must reject Peter Hitler Mutharika’s idea. Should he persist peel off from this union. Period. He thinks is clever than everybody. YOU ARE WRONG BOOZOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! FUCK YOU!
Lilongwe to Mbeya and Mbeya to Chilumba doesn’t make sense but why just connecting TANZAR railway that is very close chitipa boarder
There was no need for me to read beyond the first sentence of this article, because the rail link described in the headline just a another plan.