Malawi: Mutharika Points to Road Rebuilding As Flagship of First Year Back in Power

What the report says

President Peter Mutharika has highlighted road reconstruction as a leading marker of his first year back in office in Malawi, according to an interview broadcast by state broadcaster MBC and carried by Nyasa Times. The report says he described the rebuilding of long-neglected roads as evidence that infrastructure damage left since about 2022 is now being addressed.

Mutharika cited work on the M1 highway and the Khwekwere road, and said the Liwonde-to-Matawale route had already been completed. He also pointed to projects he said were close to finishing, including links from Monkey Bay to Mangochi and Makanjira, plus a donor-supported road in the Lower Shire between Thyolo and Bangula. In towns and cities, he mentioned road work in Luchenza and Lilongwe, along with new market construction in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.

The president said he wants the national road network completed by 2028, after which the government would move on to building new roads. He also cited the Chiweta-to-Karonga road as an example of financing through commercial banks, which he presented as part of a broader role for private-sector participation in infrastructure. More generally, he framed the program as part of a call for cooperation among businesses, civil society, NGOs, faith groups, youth and women in rebuilding the country.