Parliament has today approved Bill No. 31 of 2024, authorising the government to borrow EUR 90 million from the European Investment Bank to finance the Water-Energy Framework Project.
This loan will be allocated among four water boards to improve access to water in low-income areas, enhance operational efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase resilience to drought and water supply challenges.
Speaking in parliament Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, emphasized the project’s objectives, which include planting energy-efficient water pumps, expanding water storage capacity, and improving operational efficiency.
According to Chitchyola, the loan will be repaid over five years, with the European Investment Bank providing the necessary funding.
“The EUR 90 million loan will be distributed among the four water boards as follows: Lilongwe Water Board will receive EUR 20 million, Northern Region Water Board will receive EUR 47 million, Central Region Water Board will receive EUR 33 million, and Southern Region Water Board will also receive EUR 20 million. This development comes as part of the European Union’s efforts to support sustainable development and climate action in Malawi,” said Chitchyola.
Speaking on behalf of the UDF party, Lilian Patel, a member of Mangochi South, said that UDF supports the bill because it will benefit the people of this country.
” As a party, we fully support this bill because it is very important for the country, but I want to ask the Minister of Water; there is a lot of waste that goes on when a pipe bursts for them to fix it. It takes months and months. So it’s my plea can you fix this problem. I also want to make a request to the Minister of Water, to include villages when doing the project of supplying piped water, ” she said.
