By Isaac Salima:
President Lazarus Chakwera has cited investment in water transport as key to accelerated national development.
He said that is why such a means of transport is incorporated in the country’s medium to long-term plans.
Chakwera said this in Germany Wednesday, when he held talks with executives of Germany’s inland water companies in Frankfurt.
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“In Malawi, the importance of transport infrastructure is even more pronounced due to our land-linked position and underdeveloped transport network. The current state of our infrastructure contributes to high transport costs, which, in turn, constrain both domestic economic activity and international trade.
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“For some communities along Lake Malawi, which stretches across eight districts in the Eastern, Central, and Northern regions, water transport is the only viable means of transportation,” Chakwera said.
He said to compound the situation, Malawi is vulnerable to climatic shocks, which he said had negatively affected transport infrastructure.
The President further said the World Bank estimated that Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which made landfall in Malawi on March 11 2023, culminated in over $506.7 million of loss attributed to damage caused by the phenomenon.
He said the natural phenomenon caused economic losses because transport infrastructure was hit hard.
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“Furthermore, the effects of climate change, such as prolonged droughts, have significantly impacted our water transport infrastructure, with low water levels rendering ports like Chilumba and Chipoka unusable for several years. This highlights the urgent need for capital dredging and other interventions to maintain the functionality of our ports. Given these challenges, our government recognises the critical need for investment in Lake Malawi’s water transport infrastructure.
“Our focus is on improving regional and domestic connectivity, particularly for key economic sectors such as agriculture, tourism and mining. For agriculture, access to inputs and markets is crucial for smallholder farmers’ productivity. In mining, good transport infrastructure is essential for project viability,” Chakwera said.
The Malawi leader is in Germany on his tour of some European countries.
He first visited Italy, where he met with Pope Francis, who is the leader of the Catholic Church.
