Kasunda Courts Chinese Investment to Tackle Malawi’s Housing and Infrastructure Challenges
NANNING, CHINA — Leader of The People’s Revolution and 2030 presidential aspirant Jani Grey Kasunda has engaged China’s Hualan Group Co., Ltd. in discussions aimed at attracting investment into Malawi’s housing, urban planning and infrastructure sectors.
Kasunda and his delegation met Hualan Group Deputy General Manager Chen Yu in Nanning City, Guangxi Province, on July 18, where the two sides explored opportunities for cooperation in urban development, municipal engineering, industrial parks and smart city technologies.
During the meeting, Chen said Hualan Group has extensive experience in urban and rural development and has implemented planning, design and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects across Southeast Asia and Africa.
He said the company is ready to provide comprehensive infrastructure development services should it expand its operations into Malawi.
Kasunda outlined Malawi’s growing infrastructure needs, saying rapid urbanisation, a widening housing deficit and increasing demand for modern urban services require strategic partnerships with experienced international investors.
He noted that Malawi needs an estimated 21,000 new housing units annually over the next decade to meet rising demand, while many urban residents continue to live in informal settlements with inadequate infrastructure.
Kasunda also highlighted the country’s student accommodation crisis, explaining that universities are struggling to provide enough on-campus housing for the growing student population, forcing thousands to seek expensive and often unsafe private accommodation.
He told Hualan Group that Malawi is seeking partnerships that combine investment capital, advanced technology and technical expertise to support the country’s urban transformation agenda.
Among the areas proposed for collaboration are affordable housing developments, smart city planning using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and City Information Modelling (CIM), digital land management systems, climate-resilient infrastructure and technical skills transfer for Malawian professionals.
Kasunda further proposed several pilot projects, including a purpose-built student housing complex, affordable housing developments in secondary cities, smart city demonstration projects and expanded digital land administration systems.
He said such initiatives would complement the Malawi 2063 development agenda, which prioritises urbanisation, public-private partnerships and improved access to housing and infrastructure.
Kasunda described Malawi as an untapped investment destination with significant opportunities in housing, commercial property and industrial development, adding that early investors stand to benefit from the country’s expanding real estate market.
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing optimism about exploring future areas of cooperation.
Also present at the discussions were Hualan Group International Business Division General Manager Zhong Yuan, Dr. Li Feng, Dr. Wan Qian, Wei Shuting of Nanning Chuangyi Intellectual Property Service Co., Ltd., Huang Weijian, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Gonggong News Agency, and Yin Zheng, Director of the agency’s International Communication Center.
