By Deborah Madeya:
Construction of a northbound railway connecting Malawi to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) network remains on paper, almost 20 months after the plan was announced.
In February 2025, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works announced that construction works would begin later that year and that a feasibility study was under way.
Ministry spokesperson Chikondi Chimala said the project was still awaiting an appraisal mission from the African Development Bank (AfDB) before a feasibility study could begin.
In a written response, the spokesperson confirmed that no consultant had been procured, no route had been selected and no construction timeline had been set.
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Chimala said the ministry engaged AfDB in 2025 to support the procurement of a feasibility study consultant, adding that the process could not advance until the bank’s appraisal mission arrived.
He said the ministry was following all procedures required by the bank, as well as protocols of the countries that make up the Tazara network, to ensure the project is viable and acceptable across the region.
“The first, a Lakeshore Alignment, would run through Salima, Nkhata Bay, Mzuzu and Karonga before connecting to the Tazara network at Mbeya in Tanzania. The second, a Western Alignment, would traverse Lilongwe, Kasungu, Jenda and Chitipa before linking to Mbeya or Tunduma,” Chimala said.
When the ministry announced the project in 2025, it said the railway would save Malawi up to $50 million annually and help reduce fuel and goods prices.
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Economist Marvin Banda said the network, which connects to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, would help improve Malawi’s access to regional and international markets.
“The reason why our products are not competitive is because of the logistics cost from farms to processing areas. So, if we are able to diversify our transport network, then the country can benefit from savings on the fiscal side,” he said.
In the 2026-27 budget, the government said it would commence a feasibility study and design for rail expansion from the central to the northern region.
