Malawi, Tanzania in $7 million water project

Malawi has partnered with its northern neighbour Tanzania to implement the Songwe River Basin Development Programme with a grant from the African Water Facility (AWF) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).

The project, signed by principal secretary in the Ministry of Water Development and Irrigation Sandram Maweru and his Tanzanian counterpart Christopher Sayi, will cost in excess of $7.09 million (about K1.8 billion). 

“The overall goal of the project is to contribute to economic growth, reduced poverty, improved health, better living conditions and enhanced food and energy security for the people in the Songwe Basin as well as economic development of the two countries,” Tanzania’s Business News quotes Sayi.

Sayi said the project’s objectives are to help the two countries create a long-term strategic framework, investment plans and enabling environment for basin-wide socio-economic development based on joint management of the shared waters.  

He said the basin project will also offer opportunities such as agricultural development, hydropower, fisheries, water supply and sanitation, and recreation. 

“The economy of the basin highly depends on water related sectors, whose issues and problems need to be addressed through integrated trans-boundary water resources management and development,” added Sayi.

The project, which has a lifespan of two years, is located at Kyela town, in the southern highland of Tanzania which borders Malawi and Zambia. 

It will also help to create a long term strategic framework, investment plans and to enable environment for basin wide social-economic development based on joint management of the shared water, according to Sayi.

The project has been divided into five components such as  development of a 10-year Songwe River Basin, detailed design and preparation for priority investment projects, the carrying out of an environmental and social impact assessment for the programme, support project management and resource mobilisation as well as capacity building at local and national level.