KCH Interchange by CCECC; the contract for the capacity improvement of Kenyatta Road and Sharrar Street in Lilongwe City
* We have successfully conducted and completed a lot of projects in various categories, such as water supply system, road construction and building construction which have greatly improved the living standard of Malawian people
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (Malawi) Limited (CCECC) and her head office in the People’s Republic of China — one of the ‘Fortune Global 500’ companies — has grown into one of the top-tier Chinese companies in the international project construction industry.
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It recently emerged as the best construction company in Malawi and was presented an award by the country’s President Lazarus Chakwera.
Our correspondent, Denis Mzembe, caught up with CCECC Malawi’s Managing Director, Bingquan Zhou, who explains that has been in Malawi for so many years now and has overseen a lot of projects in road construction, water supply and building construction — “which have earned praise from clients, authorities and the public.
He explains further in this Q&A interview of the company’s experience and rapid growth:
Question: May you kindly outline a brief profile of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation
Response: China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, formerly known as the Foreign Aid Bureau of the Ministry of Railways of China, is a leading international contractor under China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) — one of the ‘Fortune Global 500’ companies.
Managing Director, Bingquan Zhou
It was established with the approval of the State Council in 1979 and has grown into one of the top-tier Chinese companies in the international project contracting industry. Since the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, China’s largest foreign aid project in the 1960s, CCECC has experienced rapid growth.
It has been ranked among the top 100 companies on the ENR Top 250 International Contractors list for 20 years in a row. It has undertaken a series of flagship projects, such as Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway, the Ankara-Istanbul High-Speed Railway and the Africa Centre for Disease Control Headquarters.
Currently, CCECC has permanent offices, branch companies, or ongoing projects in over 110 countries and regions. It has whole-industrial-chain advantages and a strong resource integration capacity.
It boasts a broad business scope covering-project contracting, design consulting, railway operation, industrial park development, real estate development, mining import and export, tourist and hospitality and others.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (Malawi) Limited was incorporated several years. Through several years of hard work, the company has been awarded the highest level (unlimited category) construction general contract qualification by Malawi National Construction Industry Commission in the fields of civil & building construction. The existing business covers the fields of road construction, water supply and building construction.
What are your major construction projects in Malawi and where are they located?: Our current projects in Malawi mainly include, but not limit to, upgrading of Lirangwe-Chipini (S139); road & rehabilitation of Kaphatenga-Dwangwa Road in Nkhotakota, just to name a few.
When did the projects commence and when are they expected to be completed?: Rehabilitation of Kaphatenga-Dwangwa Road, funded by Africa Development Bank (AfDB), OPEC and Malawi Government, commenced at the beginning of June, 2025 with two years contract duration.
Upgrading of Lirangwe-Chipini (S139) Road, with government funding, commenced in April, 2025 with 18 months duration.
How is your corporation contributing to Malawi’s labour market?: We have 443 local Malawian employees at present, and 800 local employees during peak construction periods, most of who receive our companies’ systematic training — such as land surveying, work designing, contractual management, and OSH management, while unskilled laboring in steel fixing, civil works, concreting works and carpentry works.
What are your major successes and challenges?: We have successfully conducted and completed a lot of projects in various categories, such as water supply system, road construction and building construction — which have greatly improved the living standard of Malawian people.
The rehabilitation, upgrading and expansion works for Nkhata Bay Town water supply system was completed in July, 2023, which was commissioned by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and whose quality and progress have been praised by his Excellency.
The contract for the capacity improvement of Kenyatta Road and Sharrar Street in Lilongwe City was awarded the ‘Outstanding Civil Project Award’ during the inaugural Malawi National Construction Day on May 20, 2025.
Which construction companies do you partner with in Malawi?: EMMAC Construction Limited, Leonor Engineering Limited and Master Road Construction.
What have so far been your corporate social responsibility undertakings?: By undertaking projects, it creates job opportunities and cultivates technical talents for the local community, bringing real benefits to local people. Rehabilitation, upgrading, expansion works for Nkhata Bay Town water supply system, undertaken by CCECC, employed approximately more than 1,200 local employees and provided them systematic training, which not only solved the short-term employment problem, but also improved the long-term employment skills of local people.
Upon completion, the project provides clean water for nearly 100,000 residents, and has a positive impact on local hospital services, commerce, manufacturing and agricultural development.
The contract for the capacity improvement of Kenyatta Road and Sharrar Street in Lilongwe City, starting from Malawi M1 and ending at Parliament Building, will greatly improve the traffic flow in Lilongwe and enhance the image of the Capital of Malawi after its completion.
And this is the first pilot project in Malawi to use emulsified asphalt graded crushed stone as the road base and the first road project to use MSE reinforced retaining wall to reduce construction costs. It is of great significance to the development of civil engineering technology in Malawi.
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Where else in Africa do you undertake construction works?: We are in Zambia, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ethiopia, among other countries.
What is your last word?: Malawi enjoys political stability and maintains a relatively fast economic growth. We are fully confident in Malawi’s future development.
China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation has the ability and confidence to deliver low-carbon, environmentally friendly, green, safe and high-quality projects to the people of Malawi and will try our best to contribute to the country’s infrastructure construction.
