Chikhwawa-Chapananga road project takes off

The 47 kilometre Chikhwawa-Chapananga Road project which links the Lower Shire Valley, the hub of the Malawi’s sugar production, and Mwanza, the border district between Malawi and Mozambique, has started.

Minister of Transport and Public Infrastructure Mohammad Sidik Mia inspected the project on Saturday in the company of the Roads Authority (RA) officials and he said he was impressed with progress of the work.

Mia, who described the K8 billion (about $20m) corridor road project as important, said when completed by June next year, it would ease transport challenges and one of the companies to benefit is Illovo Sugar (Malawi) Limited which exports its products through Beira Port in Mozambique.

“Illovo takes sugar to Beira for the international market through Blantyre. When the Joyce Banda administration completes this road, this will be the shortest route. The road will also help the local people in Chikhwawa, Nsanje and those in Mwanza to do businesses,” Mia said.

At the site, the contactor, Plem Construction Limited and Bua Consulting Engineers, complained of delayed advance payment, but Mia assured them that government, which is fully funding the project, was working out the payment.

The road, according to Mia, is in two phases. The first phase is Chikhwawa-Kakoma section, which covers rehabilitation of 23.5 kilometres of the road from Chikhwawa to Kakoma Trading Centre. The last phase will follow, connecting to Mwanza.

RA, in a project brief statement, said after the project is completed, people of Chikhwawa and Mwanza districts will experience better travel and be able to take their agriculture produce to Blantyre and other towns and in turn bring in goods from other areas, thereby improving their lives.

RA observed that there was also a delay to submit compensation reports to them for payment, explaining the reports have just been submitted and forwarded to the Road Fund Administration for payment.

The minister also inspected the government-funded Ngabu-Bangula road project and he said there was a good progress, with

42 percent of work done, earthworks 90 percent, drainage 80 percent and is expected to be completed by November next year.

Mia also inspected the construction of a bridge, popularly known as Mtayamoyo near Bangula, which will connect the people of Nsanje and Thyolo and Chiromo and Makhanga areas.

The bridge was washed away some 15 years ago, and the minister said many lives have been lost of this bridge of people trying to cross the river. He said the project is expected to be completed by this January.