The completion of phase V of the Nacala Corridor project in the country will be implemented, courtesy of the African Development Bank, which has granted $37 million for the project. The development will see the renovation of a 55-kilometre stretch of road between Nsipe in Ntcheu and Liwonde in Machinga.

According to a statement from AfDB, the board of directors approved the funds last week, for the project as a sub-regional integration project in Southern Africa. The statement says more than two million people regularly use this corridor for private trips and also for economic activities, hence the development is very beneficial even for surrounding countries. “Import-export companies from Malawi, Zambia, northern Mozambique, as well as tourists use this road to access various desired sites in the three border countries”. says the statement.

Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development spokesperson Davies Sado described the AfDB grant as a welcome development, saying the sector of the road needed uplift through comprehensive rehabilitation.

The Nacala Corridor stretches from Chipata, Zambia passing through Liwonde in Malawi to the Indian Ocean port of Nacala.

The corridor is designed to provide easy access to the sea to land locked countries such as Malawi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo through which they could export and import their goods and services. For Malawi, the Nacala Corridor provides short access to the sea as it presents only 789.6 km stretch from Liwonde to Nacala.