Tonse challenged on stalled projects
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says the Tonse Alliance administration has registered little progress on projects in the 2022/23 financial year.
This, it says is contrary to the 2022/23 progress reports on major projects in the country as presented by Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Sosten Gwengwe in his 2023/24 National Budget statement.
DPP spokesperson on Finance Ralph Jooma said this on Thursday in Parliament in his party’s response to the 2023/24 Budget Statement.
He said the magnification of the projects in the progress report, comparing the periods before April 2022 and at the end of the 2022/23 financial year, is a sign of a desperate administration that has done little in the whole financial year but wants to make false claims before its citizens.
Jooma said: “We took the burden to assess the alleged progress on a few selected projects.
“In our assessment, we were mindful that if one wants to measure performance of the 2022/23 National Budget, they need to know the progress percentage at the beginning of the financial year and compare it with progress percentage at the end of the financial year.”
Among others, he cited the Thyolo Makwasa-Muona-Bangula Road whose progress before April 2022 stood at 92.5 percent, but the ministerial progress report stated that progress was 91 percent, an indication he said points to a regressing rather than progressing project.
For Rumphi-Nyika-Chitipa Road, the progress report was at 20 percent, but only moved by two percentage points to 22 percent.
On the other hand, Lirangwe-Chingale–Machinga Road, Nkaya–Chipala Railway Line, Chipala-Mchinji Border Railway Line and Limbe to Sandama Railway Line progress percentage rates have remained at 53 percent, 85 percent, 15 percent and 80 percent, respectively, meaning there has been no work done.
Jooma said 9.1 megawatt Tedzani IV Hydro Power Project touted as one of the projects implemented in the 2022/23 financial year, was completed back in 2021.
When contacted, Gwengwe declined to comment, saying he will do so this Friday during the winding up of the budget debate in Parliament.
However, in the progress report as presented in the 2023/24 Budget Statement, he said the progress was in line with government’s commitment to promote economic development and the general social welfare of our people.
Gwengwe indicated that government has prioritised investment in the maintenance and upgrading of the road network to ensure that the road sub-sector, which continues to be the predominant mode of transport in the country, remains accessible and safe.
“Committing to the so many road and other infrastructure developments across the country, in very difficult economic situations that the country continues to sail through, is a hallmark of a resilient and able leader that His Excellency Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is,” he said.
Infrastructure development is one of the pillars of the Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development strategy. n
