NOCMA inaugurates block train after 21 years in Lilongwe hauling 640,000 litres of fuel from Nacala

* The service has been revamped in liaison with operators of Malawi rail system, Central East African Railways (CEAR) and Nacala Logistics

* The inauguration of the block train service is a dream come true for the country after 21 years

By Leonard Masauli, MANA

After exactly 21 years since the country was using rail for both liquid and dry cargo, National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) has finally hauled 640,000 litres of fuel from Nacala Port in Mozambique to Lilongwe.

This rail cargo haulage service came to a halt in 2003 and on its inauguration, it attracted scores of people living around NOCMA premises — joining government officials among other stakeholders gathered to witness the arrival of the first block train carrying the fuel.

The service has been revamped in liaison with operators of Malawi rail system, Central East African Railways (CEAR) and Nacala Logistics and Secretary to President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba — who is also NOCMA Board chairperson — said the inauguration of the block train service is a dream come true for the country after 21 years.

“We are very excited as government and as the Board to witness the first block train carrying 16 tanks docking at the reserves in Lilongwe,” she said.

“This reduces costs and coincides well with the President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s transformation agenda. This calls for Malawians to take good care of the infrastructure, as it is for the good of the country.”

Present was Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola, who said the development would improve availability of fuel and reduce on costs: “These are the fruits from President Chakwera’s visits to Mozambique, which he undertook after taking over the government.”

Also present was Minister of Trade & Industry, Sosten Gwengwe, who added credence that the development would improve on transportation access and boost industries in the country.

“Chakwera is a silent performer,” he said. “He promised to revamp the rail transportation and today we are here to inaugurate. This is a big vision for the national needs, aside the ATM strategy which talks of agriculture, tourism and mining.”

NOCMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Clement Kanyama said the restoration of the rail services would bring about efficiency in fuel transportation and ensure speedy delivery of goods in the country.

General Manager for Nacala Logistics, Chandra Mohan Singh said in three months the train would bring 1 million to 4 million litres of fuel, saying: “We are happy to contribute to the growth of Malawi. We are planning electrify the rail as well as extending the rail services and connect with Zambia.”

The cargo train service to Lilongwe has come about after CEAR had completed the rehabilitation of the rail from Nkaya to Kanengo while the Limbe to Marka in Nsanje railway, that connects with Mozambique is still under construction.

At Nkaya, the rail branches off to Nayuchi for the Entre-Lagos border post of Mozambique and there is also a rail system from Moatize in Mozambique that passes through Mwanza-Neno-Nkaya-Liwonde up to Entre-Lagos that transports coal for Mozambique’s export.

Meanwhile, China Railway Signal & Communication Corp. International will build a robust electrified railway network project in Malawi and it is not a loan from the Chinese government but a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract — where an investor builds the railway and operates it to recover what the investor spent, as well as make a profit.

This is according to a report by ChinAfrica.cn, saying the monumental K2.43 trillion (US$2.18 billion) agreement, signed by Minister of Transport & Public Works, Jacob Hara at the Road & Belt Forum for International Cooperation that took place in Beijing in October 2023, will be co-financed by the Chinese company and a sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates.

The report quotes Hara as saying the two entities will form the BOT, which they will run for 30 years and thereafter or even earlier, the Ministry of Transport & Public Works will take over.

The agreement has a clause that after 30 years, China will write off all existing debts to the project and Hara indicated that the Malawi government will not pay anything, and therefore there is no need to pass the deal through Parliament. 

In additional to revamping the existing railway system, the ambitious five-year project will extend the network from Lilongwe to Mbeya in Tanzania as the Northern Region corridor.

The report further says project will also include the construction of modern train stations, inland ports, the supply of cutting-edge trains and the enhancement of Malawi’s rail signalling, passenger communication, and ticketing systems.

“This endeavor aims to rejuvenate and modernize Malawi’s long-neglected rail infrastructure, positioning the country as a crucial transit hub for Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Minister Hara is quoted as saying.—Editing by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express