The Economic Association of Malawi defends the need to accelerate the project of railway connection with Mozambique, through the Sena line.
The materialization of this project will alleviate, according to businessmen in Malawi, the cost of road transport to the country, considered as the highest in the region. One ton is equivalent to ten dollars, against the seven dollars recommended.
Speaking at the meeting that the economic association held with the Minister of Finance, Felix Mlusu, in the city of Lilongwe, Elias Ngalande one of the members of the association said that the time had come for the government to bet on rail transport.
In response, Malawi’s finance minister said that the government is mobilizing funding for the rehabilitation of the country’s railways, and pointed to the Blantyre – Nsanje link project to Vila Nova de Fronteira, in Mutarara, Mozambique, as a priority.
In 2017, Malawi adopted a master plan for the transport sector to be implemented over a 20-year period. The document indicates that to realize the plan, the country needs more than $9.15 billion.
It is known that on the Mozambican side rehabilitation works are already underway on 45 kilometers linking Nhamayabue to Vila Nova de Fronteira, in the district of Mutarara, which will give access to Nsanje, in Malawi, whose first stone was laid by the Mozambican statesman, Filipe Nyusi.
The line is extremely important for Malawi, which plans to export sugar to Europe through the port of Beira.
In the second phase, Malawi promises to establish Beira-Lilongwe rail communication, and is currently mobilizing funds from its traditional international cooperation partners.
Malawi imports basic foodstuffs, fertilizers, fuel, construction materials, and other necessities via the Ports of Nacala and Beira, using road transportation.