Transport
EU CALLS FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORT SECTOR.
November 14, 2019 / Bester Kayaye
The European Union (EU) says Malawi needs to invest more in the transport sector if the country is to realise advancements in economic transformation.
Head of EU Delegation to Malawi, Sandra Passen, said poor road conditions pose a serious threat to international trade, local business development and Malawi’s overall economic growth.
The Ambassador was speaking at a signing ceremony of a K34 billion Loan Agreement between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Malawi Government for the M1 Road Rehabilitation Project.
The road project, starting from Kamuzu International Airport junction in Lilongwe to Mzimba Turn Off targets rehabilitation of 301km of priority sections of the road identified as having the highest impact in facilitating trade, eliminating bottlenecks, and reducing road fatalities.
It will serve to enhance Malawi’s connectivity, boost regional trade and ease the movement of goods and people along the North-South Corridor.
Passen said ” EU is contributing K 34 billion from our African Investment Platform (AIP), which will be managed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) through a so called blending operation whereby EU grant funds are blended with loans from financial institutions. The project is also complemented by the rehabilitation work under the World Bank loan.”
She, however, said there is need for Malawi to embrace “a robust financial and operational policy to build long-term sustainability with efficiently managed revenues and timely preventative maintenance in the quest to achieve transport linkages.”
“Private sector investment in the sector is important and we need to broaden economic participation in transport services and improve competition,” she said.
The M1 road is an important transport link for the agriculture sector and its rehabilitation will support the market for agricultural produce.
The M1 Road Rehabilitation Project is one of three projects under the European Union’s flagship initiative for Africa, the External Investment Plan (EIP), as other projects are the Mozambique-Malawi 400 kV Interconnector being implemented by German Development Bank (KfW) and the planned rehabilitation of the Nsipe-Liwonde Road, which is part of the East-West Corridor, to be implemented by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Currently, Malawi will have the first ever interchange- that will replace the area 18 roundabout in Lilongwe as government is constructing a dual carriage way stretching from Parliament roundabout to Bingu National Stadium round about.
Statistics indicates that Malawi has a road network of about 15,451 km, according to the Malawi Roads Authority 2016 coverage, of which only 30 percent are paved and the rest are unpaved and mostly in earth standard.
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Rehabilitation:
The establishment of a stable and self-sustaining ecosystem, but not necessarily the one that existed before mining began. In many cases, complete restoration may be impossible, but successful remediation, reclamation, and rehabilitation can result in the timely establishment of a functional ecosystem.
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Remediation:
The cleanup of the contaminated area to safe levels by removing or isolating contaminants. At mine sites, remediation often consists of isolating contaminated material in pre-existing tailings storage facilities, capping tailings and waste rock stockpiles with clean topsoil, and collecting and treating any contaminated mine water if necessary.
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