Railway construction project takes shape in Nsanje

* The project is expected to open up a lot of business opportunities in the district once completed—District Commissioner

* Chief Ndenguma appeals to communities to take ownership of the project and refrain from theft of construction materials

MANA

Nsanje District Commissioner Dominic Mwandira has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Bangula-Marka railway construction project, describing it as good development as people in the district were expecting to have project completed on time.

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“The project is expected to open up a lot of business opportunities in the district once completed and people are happy to see that the project is taking shape,” Mwandira said, while appealing to the communities to continue providing support to the contractor so the project should be implemented smoothly.

Senior Chief Chimombo also echoed Mwandira’s sentiments, saying the economic status of his subjects has improved as some people have secured casual work at the project site.

“Those that have been employed by the contractor are able to support themselves and their families,” he said. “We know that once this project is completed there will be a lot of activities taking place that will empower communities at large.

“There will be cargo from Mozambican port of Beira coming here to Malawi. This project will benefit all Malawians, not only the people from Lower Shire.”

Chimombo added that the construction of the railway line has driven many to engage in various economic activities in the district as people are investing in construction of lodges and other businesses.

“People of Nsanje would like to thank President Lazarus Chakwera for making this project a reality. I’m very delighted that the project is making good progress and this will help to revive the lost economic glory of our beloved district,” Chimombo added.

Group Village Head Ndenguma concurred with Chimombo, adding that the damage of the railway line fueled poverty in the district: “In those days at least four trains were coming to Nsanje and four trains were leaving Nsanje before the civil war in Mozambique broke out.

“I recall that I used to go to railway station to see the train. There were a lot of business activities taking place at the station. Some people were selling clothes from Mozambique and others were selling chickens and goats. Infact, it was a market day when a passenger train was coming to the district.”

Ndenguma, therefore, appealed to communities to take ownership of the project and refrain from theft of construction materials.

Government is constructing a 72-kilometre railway line in the district, which is connecting to Mozambique, a project that is designed to end within 18 months.

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Meanwhile, when the mega farm concept of the Shire Valley Transformation Programme (STVP) is completed, it is expected that the railway shall play a huge role in transportation of the agricultural produce from the Lower Shire for value addition as cost cutting measures.

This was said by SVTP Project Coordinator Dr. Stanley Khaila mid this month when he was appraising the Parliamentary Committee on Budget & Finance on the progress of the mega irrigation canal.

He told the Committee — led by its chairperson, MP for Nsanje Lalanje, Gladys Ganda — that SVTP was engaging management of rail transport to expedite with construction of the rail from Nsanje to Limbe that as by September this year, Chikwawa District farmers — that are closer to the  SVTP intake are set to be provided with water for irrigation.

The Members of Parliament were first taken on a tour of the site at Kapichira Dam where construction a redesigned water intake will take place, whose initial investment all got washed away due to flooding of the Shire River from the effects of Cyclone Ana in 2022.


Thus it was redesigned to be resilient to climate change and other forces as was the case two years ago and at the site, Khaila appraised the Parliamentary Committee that Phase 1 is at 63% complete and sets a deadline of May 2025.

But before that, the beneficiary communities that are close to the canal’s first phase from the intake will have water flowing into their fields once the secondary pipelines are completed while contractor, Synohydro continues with its 52km stretch of canal construction.

There are two contractors on site, Condril for the construction of the intake and 6km stretch of the canal passing through Majete Game Reserve and Synohydro for the 50km distance to Lengwe National Park.

The mega canal, touted as the biggest irrigation project in sub-Saharan Africa, is 118km long up to Bangula in Nsanje District and once completed, it will provide water for irrigation to over 22,280 hectares.

The mega canal being constructed

Khaila, alongside contractor Condril, assured the Budget & Finance Committee that the first part of the intake and 6km is at 95% complete with the full focus on the intake, whose designs are being concluded in consultation with stakeholder, Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO), whom the STVP share the Kapichira Dam.

Khaila thus assured the Committee, which scrutinizes project budgets for approval in the august House, that 13 pieces of land (1,500 hectares) closer to the Phase 1 have already been surveyed and adjudicated and that all agricultural cooperatives have been registered as commercial entities.

The farmers were trained in formulating business plans while the programme itself is identifying investor off-takers for produce processing as value addition.

Thus Khaila’s emphasis on the Programe’s engagement with management of rail transport from Nsanje to Limbe to transport agricultural produce from the Lower Shire for value addition as cost cutting measures.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express

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