Transport
Malawi prepares to extend railway network to Northern Region
October 04, 2024 / Admin
By Thokozani Kachingwe
The Malawi Government says it is advancing with preparations to extend the country’s railway network to the Northern Region.
Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Transport and Public Works Watson Maingo told Mining & Trade Review that currently the Ministry is preparing to conduct feasibility studies and later proceed with actual implementation of the project.
Maingo said that the purpose of the project is to reduce transport costs which will culminate into reduced prices for goods on the market including Malawi’s export commodities in so doing making them competitive globally.
He said the project will also help to minimise pressure on the country’s roads which cater for transportation of a large percentage of goods in the country.
Maingo explained that the feasibility studies will, among other things, come up with the cost estimates for the project.
In a separate interview, Chairman of the Transport and Public Works Committee in Parliament Enock Phale said extending the railway to the Northern Region corridor will significantly help to reduce prices of commodities in the country as the rail, a relatively cheaper means of transport compared to roads, will also be used for the transportation of fuel.
Phale said: “Due to our overreliance on road transport, some types of the trucks that are driving on our roads are very heavy, thereby putting a lot of distress to our road network.”
“We need to diversify our modes of transport so that we have very heavy cargo hauled through rail.
He said Malawi needs not to lag behind in developing its rail network in order to establish a seamless rail transport network with other countries in the region which are also revamping their railway networks.
Phale also said developing the railway network is key to State President Lazarus Chikwera’s strategy of developing Agriculture, Tourism and Mining sectors to propel economic growth, which is dubbed the ATM strategy.
Though cut-off from the rail network, the northern region hosts a number of areas with potential for agriculture, mining and tourism activities.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs stated in the 2024 economic report that in this financial year, it will continue to work on the procurement of consultancy services for the study on establishing a railway line to the north.
The report reads: “The procurement for a Transaction Advisor to prepare a feasibility study for the extension of the railway line to Northern Malawi, was concluded and a service provider was identified by the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC).”
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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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