It is the time from Malawi to rectify its relations with Mozambique for the country to realise its full development potential, this is the message that President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera seems to be sending when he embarks on his first ever State Visit to Mozambique tomorrow.
This is the first State Visit by a Malawian sitting President in more than ten years. Malawi and Mozambique had a dip in its relationship following an embarrassing stand-off during the time of President Bingu Wa Mutharika when Malawi was trying to find a direct route to the Indian Ocean through the Shire-Zambezi Waterway Project.
The project failed to take off after Malawi threw away all diplomatic protocols sidelining the critical partner, Mozambique in the implementation.
During the visit President Chakwera is expected to preside over the launch of the Mozambique-Malawi Power Interconnector in Tete. The Interconnector project intends to connect Malawi to the Cahorabassa Electricity grid with the potential of reducing Malawi’s power problems tremendously.
The President will also visit the Nacala Port before meeting President Fillipe Jacinto Nyusi for bilateral talks.
The Nacala Port through the Nacala Development Corridor is critical for Malawi’s social and economic development. The port facilitates cheaper transportation of imports such as fuel and fertiliser. Full utilisation of the port facilities, including a railway network to Liwonde, would translate into cheaper market prices of essential commodities including fuel and fertiliser.
Currently, Malawi is spending huge sums of money on transportation of essential imports such as fuel and fertilizer which comes through the more costly and long route of Tanzania thereby pushing high the prices of these essential commodities on the market rendering them unaffordable to ordinary Malawians.
With such visits and strengthening of ties Malawi also stand to benefit through various programmes linked to Mozambique such as the Internet Data Corridor; the Malawi-Mozambique One Boarder Post; upscaling of mining activities including petroleum resources; and private sector investment opportunities which are currently being championed by the Malawi Investment Trade Centre (MITC).