Chakwera signs $6.8billion grant

President Lazarus Chakwera has today signed a US6.8 billion grant with Bridgin Foundation to finance projects that are believed to have the capacity to help Malawi achieve Vision 2063.

The projects when completed are expected to help adress challenges in the agriculture sector, health sector and energy sector, among others.

The projects include the development of power generation facilities with total capacity of one gigawatt and related infrastructure.

Construction of Inkosi ya Makosi M’mbelwa University with Hi-Tech Livestock Industrial Center and construction and equipping of a Hi-Tech bioscience and fertilizer manufacturing industrial part at Luanar.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of the grant, Chakwera said that this is a giant step in achieving some of the things whiich his government promised.

He said, “When I promised these things some people mocked that these were empty promises but Bridgin Foundation heard that vision and today we are signing an agreement with resources that will make that a reality.”

President of Bridgin Foundation, Tanko Mouhamadou, said that the funds have been contributed by the Jews whose belief is to end poverty and avail to benefiting countries useful technologies from the developed world which shall be instrumental in ending key challenges in such countries.

Said Mouhamadou, “Our goal is that we are interested in the resolution of poverty and our second goal is to have an economic point of view where we have western companies. We primarily work with local contractors however, we bring technologies, knowledge from United States, Israel, EU and ofcourse the United Kingdom. Because we believe that the west is making a lot of research that africa never gets to benefit from.”

The other projects include; construction, equipping, and full operationalization of a Hi-Tech Kamuzu University Teaching Hospital in Blantyre with satellites in Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Mangochi and the construction of Twin Towers at Capital Hill that will house government offices.

The construction and equipping of Mzuzu University Teaching, learning and Research facilities for geo-mining and establishment of business park and also the construction and equipping of Malawi University for Svience and Technology (MUST) hi-tech technology and engineering hub.