Good access roads key to development—minister

Minister of Transport and Public Works Jappie Mhango has expressed  government’s commitment towards connecting rural areas to urban centres through construction of new and modern roads.

The minister said a good road infrastructure is key to enhancing the country’s socio-economic development.

Speaking when he commissioned the newly-constructed Nasundu 1 Bridge in Blantyre, Mhango said a good road network remains vital for socio-economic growth of a country.

He said a good road network enables people to transport their agricultural produce, access social amenities and do a number of businesses, thereby improving people’s social status and contribute to national economic growth.

“What we would like as government is to make all hard-to-reach areas accessible and enable all Malawians access social services such as hospitals and schools,” he said.

Mhango said  government  plans to remove all timber-deck bridges and replace them with reinforced concrete deck bridges to avoid disruption of movement in the event that a particular bridge has been washed away.

He observed that the bridge would help to shore up businesses since people would have easy access to urban markets.

The K29.7 million bridge has been constructed with funds from Roads Authority through its fuel levy package.

Blantyre district commissioner Bennett Nkasala said completion of the bridge was a great relief to people of Chadzunda and the surrounding areas.

He said the bridge would provide farmers access to agricultural markets and improved connectivity.

Malawi is largely an agro-based economy with about 30 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) coming from agriculture.

Nkasala assured the communities that the council would guard against any acts of vandalism and warned that the council would deal with anyone found on the wrong side of the law.

Blantyre South West legislator Kennedy Kachingwe expressed gratitude to government for bailing out people of Chadzunda and surrounding villages from a life-time problem.

He said the bridge had brought permanent relief to the area and improved on the road network.

The construction of the bridge started last June. n