On 9th May 2025, the Minister of Transport and Public Works, Honorable Jacob Hara, led a delegation from the Ministry to Mangochi District for a series of engagement meetings with key stakeholder groups.
The primary objective of these meetings was to provide an update on the status of the 96-kilometre Makanjira Road Project and to reaffirm the Government’s commitment under the leadership of His Excellency President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera to ensuring the successful and timely implementation of this transformative infrastructure initiative.
The engagements also focused on clarifying the financing structure of the project, particularly in light of public concerns and misinformation suggesting that project funds had already been disbursed and expended.
The Minister explained that the project has four co-financers by financing agencies; Saudi Fund for Development (USD 20 Million), the OPEC Fund for International Development (USD 20 million), the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (USD 9.6 Million) and Malawi Government (USD 10.5)
The Minister further elaborated that the funding modality does not allow for the transfer of the financial resources into the beneficiaries account (GoM), but rather all payments are send directly to the accounts of all affected contractors upon verification and approval of Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs).
Hon. Hara further clarified that the disbursement of the Saudi Fund’s contribution was conditional upon the Government of Malawi concluding financing agreements with the other Arab League funding partners.
According to Hara, this condition was successfully met in April 2025 following the passage of two key bills by Parliament authorizing funding agreements with the OPEC Fund and the Kuwait Fund.
Further, stakeholders were informed that the Government is currently in advanced negotiations with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development to secure additional financial support for the project.
In anticipation of the main construction phase, the Government has engaged a contractor (Mota-Engil) to commence preparatory works within two weeks.
These initial works will involve grubbing, grading, and the temporary construction of bridges to facilitate improved access and reduce travel time along the Mangochi–Makanjira corridor.
The early interventions are expected to ease transport challenges and enhance road usability for surrounding communities.
The Minister expressed deep appreciation to the people of Mangochi Makanjira for their patience, resilience, and active participation throughout the planning and mobilisation phases. The Ministry remains committed to working closely with local communities to ensure the successful delivery of this project.
During the engagements, community representatives conveyed their gratitude to President Chakwera for his leadership in mobilising funding for the road. Mr. Abdulazizi Abdul, Chairperson of the Mangochi Concerned Citizens, underscored the critical role of the Mangochi–Makanjira Road in driving socio-economic development in the district and called for the timely commencement and completion of the project.