Malawi President, Lazarus Chakwera, says a better railway network has the potential to transform the transportation sector through the reduction of costs of transporting goods and services.
Chakwera made the remarks during a meeting with executive management of All American Rail Group (AARG) on Monday on the sidelines of the US-Africa Summit in Dallas, Texas, a consortium involved in advancing rail, infrastructure, and agriculture projects in the United States and Africa.
The Malawi leader said that a better rail network will help to reduce transport costs, lower commodity prices, and increase profits for the producers terminating from transport cost cuts.
“Today’s discussion marks the beginning of a long-term transformative partnership between the Malawi Government and AARG, which has the potential to revolutionize Malawi’s economy,” he said.
According to Chakwera, revamping Malawi’s railway network has been a top priority for his administration since he took over the presidency in 2020 and it was pleasing that AARG executives have shown interest in investing in this sector.
“My administration is urging commercial farmers to bring idle land back into production through the mega farm initiatives. We need local and international markets for these crops and a functional railway system is necessary,” he added.
He went on to say that Malawi’s Transport Master Plan has mapped out corridors to extend and rehabilitate the rail to facilitate the flow of agricultural products to urban, regional, and export markets.
The AARG Consortium was established in November 2022 and comprises of recognized firms specializing in railway design, engineering, construction, and management.
With a substantial turnover exceeding $19.7 billion over the past five years and a proven track record of managing significant projects across continents, AARG brings invaluable expertise to Malawi’s rail development ambitions.
