General Jaffu sealing the deal with Lilongwe City Council CEO, Clement Stambuli
* Focusing on repair and maintenance works — reflecting a shared vision of collaboration, resilience and service to the nation
* Civil-military cooperation is not limited to emergencies — it is about building enduring partnerships that strengthen resilience, enhance service delivery
* And foster trust between the armed forces and the people we serve—MDF Chief, General George Alexander Jaffu Jnr.
Maravi Express
The Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Lilongwe City Council (LCC) have signed a landmark two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lilongwe City Council to transform the Capital’s roads focusing on repair and maintenance works — which reflects a shared vision of collaboration, resilience and service to the nation.
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The MDF’s official Facebook account reports that the landmark step is to strengthen civil-military cooperation through infrastructure development, a partnership which Chief of Defence Force, General George Alexander Jaffu Jnr. emphasises that it “embodies the principle that defence institutions can and must contribute meaningfully to the well-being of citizens beyond the battlefield”.
“Civil-military cooperation is not limited to emergencies — it is about building enduring partnerships that strengthen resilience, enhance service delivery, and foster trust between the armed forces and the people we serve,” General Jaffu is quoted as saying.
He assured the Lilongwe City Council that the MDF’s Engineering Construction Company Limited (ECCL) will approach the task with professionalism, discipline and commitment — pledging to deliver high quality work that meets national standards within stipulated timelines.
ECCL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Matthews Aidini, echoed this assurance, affirming the company’s readiness to dispatch its best teams to deliver timely and reliable results.
Lilongwe City Council CEO, Clement Stambuli, indicated that the MoU will enable the MDF to construct the Area 47 Lingadzi Bridge and rehabilitate the road to Area 49, in order to ease traffic congestion in the Capital.
He further highlighted plans to expand the road from the City Centre roundabout to Kamuzu Palace within the two years, underscoring the Council’s confidence in the expertise of the MDF ECCL.
Lilongwe City Council’s Director of Engineering Services, Julius Tsogolani emphasised that the MoU will streamline processes and leverage the efficiency and discipline of the MDF’s engineering expertise.
Also present were representatives from the Roads Fund Administration, who hailed the agreement as a strategic move to accelerate infrastructural development..
According to the MoU, K15.5 billion has been allocated for the project, with construction works scheduled to commence within two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Mpatamanga Bailey Bridge in Neno District, which was washed away by Cyclone Idai-induced floods in 2019 and its reconstruction was contracted to the MDF-Engineering-Battalion-in-March-as-the-primary-route-to-site-of-the-Mpatamanga-hydropower-construction-project, has been completed well ahead of its schedule.
Minister of Transport & Public Works, Jappie Mhango officially opened the bridge today, April 27, which is expected to ease mobility for communities of Mwanza and Neno Districts to Blantyre City via Chileka.
When it was washed away, the bridge across the Shire River disrupted transportation and access between the two areas for the past six years, forcing people in the area to use the M6 road, which was costly.
Constructed at an estimated cost of K3 billion, Director of Maintenance at Roads Authority, Eng. Flora Hauya, said the bridge meets required standards and that access roads have also been rehabilitated from the Neno side to the M6 road junction.
Minister Mhango told the media that the infrastructure development is critical to national energy generation efforts and urged communities to take responsibility in safeguarding the infrastructure to ensure its longevity.
Member of Parliament for Neno South Constituency, Mutani Tambala, welcomed the development, saying it will improve access to markets and reduce transportation costs for local communities.—Reporting by Sergeant Joseph Phiri, MDF Media & Pempho Nkhoma, Malawi News Agency (MANA); edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
The MDF Engineering Battalion