By Pemphero Malimba:
Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Yoichi Oya has expressed optimism that power substations that he has helped upgrade in Lilongwe valued at $21 million will contribute towards national development.
Oya said this yesterday when handing over the power stations to the government.
The project was implemented between 2022 and 2024 with a $19 million grant from the Japanese government through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica) and a $2 million contribution from the Malawi government.
Part of the project entailed installation of state of art equipment which has seen the capacity of the Old Town and Kanengo Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) substations increased from 37.5 MVA to 50 MVA and 83 MVA to 158 MVA, respectively.
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“I sincerely hope this project will improve the lives of people in Lilongwe by providing a stable supply of electricity and encouraging future business and investment,” Oya said.
He said the Japanese government is committed to supporting Malawi’s economic development.
“The government of Japan committed about K23 billion for the project which will contribute to Malawi’s efforts to improve electricity supply to Lilongwe city. It truly reflects the commitment of the Government of Japan in supporting Malawi’s efforts for socio-economic development,” he said.
Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola commended the Japanese government for the support.
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“Lilongwe city will not have any disturbances of power. We hope that various sectors including the industries will benefit a lot from this improvement project,” Matola said.
He said the improvements will also benefit various sectors in the country.
Improvement of substations in Lilongwe city Project Manager Benard Nkhulawe said the project will increase power connectivity in the city.
The improvements will among other things see Escom making at least 79,000 new electricity connections in Lilongwe and the surrounding areas.
