Malawi’s Nsanje Port not on SADC agenda again
One of Malawi government’s infamous bequests from the late President Bingu wa Mutharika, the much touted multi million Kwacha Nsanje Inland Port is missing from the SADC agenda.
This is the fourth consecutive year that the ambitious colour dream of Bingu wa Mutharika is slowly revolving into another white elephant and tangible evidence of blatant abuse of taxpayers’ money.
Nyasa Times has seen and combed a draft comprehensive programme for the 35th Summit of Heads of States and Governments to be held in the Botswana’s Capital, Gaborone but there is no indication that the Nsanje Inland Port is yet to catch the region’s attention.
“We must admit that we have to tackle this issue separately because sometimes if we rush we may spoil things. Malawi cannot bring the issue of the port to SADC without Mozambique agreeing to the feasibility study,” Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. George Chaponda said .
Briefing the media at the Gaborone International Convention Centre, Botswana on Thursday, Chaponda also disclosed that the Nsanje Inland Port is at the heart of President Peter Mutharika implicitly implying that the DPP government will not abandon it.
Mutharika, since assuming power in May 2014, has travelled to revive his brother’s colour dream project by trying to sell it but to no avail.
In February 2015, on the side-lines of the AU summit in Ethiopia, Mutharika also courted Malawi’s eastern neighbour Zambia to support the project.
Ironically, the Nsanje world inland port does not feature anywhere in SADC’s US$500 billion harmonised infrastructure blue print called SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP).
The RIDMP among other things aims to deal with the region’s deficit in road, rail, ports, power, communication, water infrastructure and meteorology.
This may lead nsanje port into nothing than into eing a crocodiles haven
Good point @50. But one grammar thing; remember that the past tense of read is read of course it is pronounced as “red”
Zimachitika osadanda.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ki ki ki ki ki ki ki !!! This is how the SADC financial/projects committee laughs at this mediocre dream called Nsanje inland port. This project cannot be materialised and never will it in your wildest dreams Peter Mutharika and dear Malawians. SADC has prior knowledge of how rich countries such as USA and Britain have spend their precious dollars/pounds and years/time on short distant projects of Panama canal (81Km) and Suez canal (163km) respectively. Those who watch National Geographic & have red about these projects know the awesome amounts involved. The water… Read more »
I thought Mtwara Corridor was already agreed and put in as a SADC blue print infrastructure development for Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia about five years back. Why cant we engage SADC on that at this time while we are waiting for the green light for Nsanje Inland Port. Is it not the way we should go about with our development, first things first.
Why should one development be held ransom just because someone wants to have a political score?
Much as it is good to dream in colour, I don’t think , from the very onset, the Nsanje Inland port was, from a feasibility point of view, a perfect idea. Already Malawi has the railway line which can serve the same purpose. What Malawi should have done was to rehabilitate the railway line. The railway transport is even faster than water transport and again carry more cargo.
I am responding to Drogba comment no 34. Don’t expect us to every useless projec from DPP. The Nsanje is not and will never be viable because it is a multimodal transport project. DPP has no new vision to transform this coumtry.
We are outsiders in SADC (not in the original, front line states). I wonder if we as a country have true friends in the region. Things went wrong in the 70’s especially when Mozambique & Afrika du Sud were waging their liberation wars, followed by the Mozambiquean civil war, we were perceived to be on the opposite side & they have never forgiven us.
Hey am afraid!
Bingu adatsekulila port koma Barge osatulukila. Makani a Bingu ankachitira pa dziko laweni? zamanyazi. Amayesa Zambezi river ili muchigawo cha atumbuka kuti angowapanga bull doze. paja negotiating skill Zero
Paja munkati port sikutsegulidwa chifukwa cha Joyce Banda inu mukasankhidwa u president mudzatsegula port. Ife kuno ku lower shire tinakhulupirira zimenezi ndipo tinakuvoterani mwa unyinji. Vote yathu inali yosinthana ndi kutsegula port ndi chiyambi cha Nsanje city. Yetsetsani mbali yanu otherwise 2019 tiyesako ena otipatsa port