Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia are this week set to sign a landmark declaration on the rehabilitation of Malawi’s existing railway line and construction of a new rail link to Chipata and Serenje in Zambia to deepen regional economic integration.
Malawi’s head of delegation to the Joint Technical Committee of the Nacala Development Corridor Management Committee (NDCMC) John Bosco Phiri said in a statement made available to The Nation on Monday that the declaration, to be signed by transport ministers from the three countries, marks a decisive step towards transforming the corridor into a major regional trade and transport route extending to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Speaking in Maputo, Mozambique during the opening of the 10th Joint Tripartite Meeting of the NDCMC, he described the declaration as a milestone to formalise cooperation among the three countries.
“This agreement will not only deepen regional integration, but also enhance trade facilitation, improve transport efficiency and create economic opportunities across our nations up to the DRC,” said Phiri
The Nacala Corridor links Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia to the deep-water port of Nacala in Mozambique and is considered critical to lowering
transport costs and boosting exports for landlocked countries.
Phiri , who is also Ministry of Transport and Public Works director of planning, said the meeting also signals a shift in corridor governance, with oversight now escalating from technical officials to the Council of Ministers.
“This time around, the meetings will galvanise the whole governance structure to include the Council of Ministers,” he said.
Head of the Mozambican delegation Fernando Sebastião Ouana said the corridor remains underutilised despite its potential to connect inland Southern African Development Community countries to global markets through the Indian Ocean.
He said progress has been made since the last meeting in March, attributing it to political stability, regional cooperation and support from development partners, particularly the World Bank.
Ouana, who is Ministry of Transport and Logistics national director of logistics and development of the private transport sector, said: “The Nacala Development Corridor is a strategic and vital route for trade and for the transport of people and goods, still to be explored in all its potential, capable of leveraging the economies of the three involved countries.”
He said Mozambique is committed to implementing the institutional agreement governing the corridor and promoting private sector participation in trade, transport and agricultural value chains.
On the other hand, Nacala Port director Neimo Induna is quoted as having told The Nation last year that the expanded Nacala Port has the capacity to handle more imports and exports from southern African countries, including Malawi as its utilisation capacity stands at 40 percent.
He said the port in southern Africa has the capacity to handle 10 million metric tonnes of cargo per year.
Breaking down the figures, Induna said the port can handle four million tonnes of container cargo, 2.4 million tonnes of general cargo and 3.6 million tonnes of liquid cargo at its three terminals.
The expanded port was inaugurated on October 7 2023.
Supported by the World Bank, the 10th Tripartite Meeting follows the 9th Joint Tripartite NDCMC meeting held in Lilongwe in March.
This week’s meeting is expected to review progress on multi-sectoral activities, with emphasis on rail infrastructure development in Malawi and Zambia and policy harmonisation involving both public and private sector players.
