Chakwera condemns clandestine project deals
President Lazarus Chakwera on Thursday took a swipe at government officials who connive with contractors to delay projects with a view to escalate costs and accumulate more funds to share in the process.
Describing perpetrators of such acts as “thieves” during the commissioning of the Nkhata Bay Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project, he said such actions should stop for the betterment of the country.
The President made the remarks following revelations from the Northern Region Water Board (NRWB) that it has saved $2 million from the total cost of $30.5 million for the project for completing within time.
Said Chakwera: “Within time and budget, in fact, with so much money to spare.
“There are other officials somewhere and workers who connive with contractors, who say slow down do that we can lengthen projects to earn more money and share more money. This is not the story of Nkhata Bay.”
The President also said he was aware of the severity of water services from personal experience, but also through annual reports from various sources regarding Malawi’s water situation.
He said for long, the United Nations has lamented that Malawi is seriously off-track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number six which calls for water and sanitation for all by 2030 and sadly, little was being done to get Malawi on track.
Said Chakwera: “Clean water supply services improve hygiene in the home, improve health services in the hospital, create a conducive learning environment in our schools, impact businesses and manufacturing, and affect farming, just to name a few.”
African Development Bank (AfDB) country manager Macmillan Anyanwu, the main financier for the project, said they will continue working with Malawi towards achieving SDG 6, indicating, there are currently four million people without access to clean water in Malawi.
He said: “So far we have invested $200 million in water sector since we started our engagement in Malawi and we promise to do more so that we reach out to more people.”
Minister of Water and Sanitation Abida Mia said the Nkhata Bay project will go a long way in ensuring that it prevents the country from such outbreaks as cholera that are linked to poor water and sanitation services.
“The development speaks volumes about government’s commitment and vision to achieve the Malawi 2063 agenda,” she said.
NRWB chairperson Frank Mwenifumbo said the facilities commissioned respond to the Malawi 2063, as they will help improve sanitation and improve quality water supply, among others.
He said: “Nkhata Bay was a hotspot for cholera and that affected tourism attraction. With this project in place, the district will likely grow in this tourism drive. As we speak, 1 000 new water connections have been done.”
The project, to benefit 105 000 people, was funded by AfDB with a $15.1 million grant, Opec Fund for International Development provided a $12 million loan and Malawi Government $3.45 million.
