By Wendy Mkandawire
Minister of Transport, Jappie Mhango, has expressed excitement over the National Bank of Malawi’s K100 billion support towards the construction of the Golomoti-Monkey Bay road.
Speaking during the official launch of the project on Wednesday, Mhango said the road to Mangochi is the shortest route, but its pavement is in poor condition and has been heavily damaged by the impacts of climate change.
He said the rehabilitation and reconstruction works on the Golomoti-Monkey Bay road demonstrate government’s commitment to rehabilitating and maintaining roads across Malawi in order to drive economic development.
The Minister said the new design includes the construction of a new bridge across the Bwanje River that will be more resilient to flooding and other effects of climate change.
Mhango added that his ministry will soon commence the reconstruction of the Chiweta-Karonga road, which is currently in a very poor state. He also said government will upgrade several rural roads across the country.
He noted that government is working hard to mobilize financial resources for road construction and maintenance. Beyond traditional sources, he said the ministry is now engaging private financial institutions.
“The lack of maintenance funds has hindered routine work, but the current administration has embarked on a program to bring the road network back to a serviceable state,” Mhango said.
The Minister also thanked the Roads Authority for the huge support it is rendering to government in road construction. He noted that under Professor Mutharika’s administration, government will ensure that all roads in the country are in good condition.
In his remarks, Chairperson of the Technical Advisory Committee at the Roads Authority, Newton Kambala, said the best way to improve transportation in Malawi is to have good roads,saying bad roads waste people’s time before they reach their destinations.
” Time is money. We sit on the roads for too long before we go and do our businesses. It is also difficult for ambulances to reach the hospital in good time,” he said.
Grant Kabango, Chairperson of the National Bank of Malawi Board, said the bank believes it will achieve a lot in supporting government’s agenda on infrastructure development because roads are key to economic growth.
He said by supporting the Golomoti-Monkey Bay road, the bank is also supporting government’s efforts to drive economic development, noting that Mangochi is a key district in the tourism sector.
The rehabilitation works are being funded with support from local banks and domestic resources.
