Chakwera congratulates Mozambique for Nacala Development Corridor

President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has congratulated President Felipe Nyusi and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique for the milestone and for the remarkable gesture of partnership and generosity towards Malawi.

President Chakwera said in the spirit of stronger cooperation and coordination, the three nations; Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi will have to use the revised agreements for improved transport and trade facilitation.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony for the expanded Nacala Port held in Nacala -Mozambique on Saturday, President Chakwera said it is so rare in Africa to see a nation treat the prosperity of another nation.

President Chakwera said as the three countries are celebrating and jubilating on the inauguration of the expanded- modern Port of Nacala, they need to strengthen their cooperation on trade and transport and maintain cooperation on energy supply and distribution in order to enhance productivity along their cherished Nacala Development Corridor.

Chakwera urged officials to work steadfastly on implementing energy projects between the three countries citing the Malawi-Mozambique Power Interconnector Project which was launched in April, 2022 observing that the implementation of that project has to be speeded-up.

He also urged officials of both sides Malawi and Zambia to speed up implementation of tapping power from Zambia through a line from Chipata to Mchinji saying all the processes for that project were completed since 2018.

“I also urge officials to speed up the on-going feasibility studies on the Malawi-Zambia Interconnector, this as very important because Malawi urgently need power for industrialization which is critical for the economic growth and development the three countries all long to see,” said Chakwera.

He said when all is said and done, the three countries Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi expect a boost in inclusive growth for various industries to their countries especially in the energy, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

President Chakwera said the three countries expect more employment and increased consumer demand calling upon the private sector to take full advantage of the opportunities availed by the Nacala Development Corridor which now been resourced by a well-equiped modernized Port.

He said regional economic integration cannot be done without regional cooperation and collaboration, building trust between nations to enhance bilateral relations saying without building trust , the work of facilitating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will simply be too difficult to achieve its intended objective of improving logistical effectiveness reducing logistical costs of conduct business between the three nations.