The European Union has agreed to avail €120-million for the rehabilitation of stretches of the M1 road, in Malawi, the longest in the country, which runs from the northern border to the southern border.

The funds comprise an €80-million loan and a €40-million grant, which the European Investment Bank will make available for the rehabilitation of two stretches of the road, namely the Lilongwe–Mzimba and Kacheche– Chiweta stretches, the combined length of which is 350 km.

Malawi Roads Authority CEO Emmanuel Matapa says the project designs have been finalised, with the authority now preparing to procure contractors and supervisors.

“In due course, we will advertise for both contractors and consulting engineers because we want the processes to move in parallel to cut on time,” says Matapa.

In 2016, the Malawi government engaged local consulting firm Wataya Consulting Engineers to conduct a feasibility study on the project.

The M1 road is being rehabilitated and upgraded to align it with existing Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa standards for the North–South Corridor, which runs from Dar es Slaam, in Tanzania, to Durban, in South Africa. The standards stipulate that lanes be widened from 3 m to 3.5 m.

Malawi, which mostly depends on its road network for the transport of goods, is implementing several road rehabilitation projects, including the rehabilitation of a 75 Km stretch from Kamuzu Barrage, in Liwonde, to Bakili Muluzi Bridge, in the east of the country.

The project is being implemented under Phase 4 of the African Development Bank- (AfDB-) financed Nacala Road Corridor Development and the contractor is Portuguese multinational Mota-Engil. Once completed, the project is expected to lead to an increase in international trade through the port of Nacala, in Mozambique.

The AfDB is also financing the rehabilitation of the 46 km Mzuzu–Nkhata Bay road, in the north of the country, which is in the final stages of implementation by German contractor Strabag International.

Another ongoing project is the upgrading of the 102 km Zomba–Jali–Phalombe–Chitakale road, in the south, which is being cofinanced by the Malawi government and its cooperating partners, including the Kuwait Fund, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.