It was all smiles today at the Ministry of Transport and Public Works as we celebrated the completion of our mission to revive the railway transport sub-sector.
This milestone was marked by the arrival of the first train hauling fuel from Nacala to Lilongwe after 21 years.
Under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and the guidance of the Minister, Hon. Jacob Hara MP, the Ministry is committed to ensuring that the country has the best transport system in the region.
The arrival of the fuel train on Tuesday 24 July 2024 signifies those issues of fuel scarcity due to logistics are now a thing of the past.
The country is now able to receive fuel both by road and railway in both cities of Lilongwe and Blantyre.
The restoration of railway connectivity to Lilongwe and the neighbouring Zambia in the near future is expected to have a positive impact on the country's economy by reducing the costs of imports and exports.
Speaking when she led senior government officials from the concerned Ministries to welcome 16 train tanker wagons loaded with 42,000 litres each , Board Chairperson of National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) Ms Colleen Zamba who is also the Secretary to President and Cabinet said the development is a mile stone for Malawi as government set to revive railway connectivity.
“This forms an era in our history. Centuries to come we will tell our successors as a big day one with momentous interests for Malawi,” said Zamba
Zamba also explained that government has a vision to link the railway from the Southern Region, where works are progressing, from Marka all the way to the North to connecting with Tanzania.
On his part Minister of Energy Ho Ibrahim Matola said that the resumption of fuel deliveries to Lilongwe via Railway will help to improve efficiency in delivery of the commodity and help reduce cases of logistical challenges as the railway is now the second option complementing the road.
Malawi imports about 20 percent of its fuel through the Port of Nacala and Beira in Mozambique.