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Mutharika, Lungu discuss floods, waterway

President Peter Mutharika has appealed to newly elected President of Zambia Edgar Lungu to support Malawi in dealing with the aftermenth of the devastating floods.

Mutharika made the appeal to Lungu when the two leaders met Thursday on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which the two leaders attended for the first time after their respective ascendancy to the presidency.

Congratulatory handshake: Mutharika (L) shakes Lungu’s hand
Congratulatory handshake: Mutharika (L) shakes Lungu’s hand

The Malawi leaders also congratulated Lungu’s victory in last month election.

Lungu expressed regret for the Malawi tragedy and pledged that his government would support the relief efforts currently underway.

During their discussions, which touched on trade and deepening bilateral relations between the two countries, Mutharika also asked his Zambian counterpart to assist in the realisation of the Shire-Zambezi Waterway project that seeks to boast the economy of the sub-region through curtailed transport costs.

“The role of Zambia in the implementation of the Shire Zambezi Waterway cannot be overemphasised,” Mutharika said. “We will need to do this in a coordinated manner.”

The Shire-Zambezi Waterway project aims at  constructing a world inland free port that will provide a direct waterway transport system between Nsanje in southern Malawi and the port of Chinde at the mouth of Zambezi river in Mozambique, about 238 km away. n

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