Govt abandon US$10m irrigation scheme in Mangochi
Government has abandoned a US$10 million Nkopola Irrigation Scheme in Mangochi, plunging it into debts.
Vice president Saulos Chilima toured the scheme on Tuesday and was told how it has accumulated debt arrears and excessive electricity bills.
The project which commenced in 2003 got a BADEA financial injection at 79 percent, but the government of Malawi has been struggling to honor its 21 percentage portion.
An engineer on site told Chilima that “government owes contractor, Sawa Group, K1.6 billion in arrears”
Phillip Mkwela, president for Nkopola Irrigation Scheme, also disclosed to Chilima that “the scheme in its idle state, has accumulated about K19 million in electricity bills.
Chilima has expressed worry over government continued tendency of initiating project without funds to complement the implementation.
He however government said will not abandon the project: “We can not write off a 10 million dollar project,” said Chilima.
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