Fuel Crisis Stalls Malawi’s Road Infrastructure Projects, Says Transport Minister

The Ministry of Transport and Public Infrastructure has acknowledged that Malawi’s ongoing fuel crisis has severely disrupted road infrastructure development.

Transport Minister Jacob Hara made the remarks in Parliament while delivering a ministerial statement on the state of the country’s road projects.

Hara explained that the crisis has forced contractors to downsize their workforce, with some projects coming to a complete halt.

“Road construction work demands a huge volume of fuel, especially diesel, daily, hence the negative impact,” Hara stated.

Despite these setbacks, the minister expressed optimism that construction activities will resume fully once the fuel supply stabilizes. He assured the nation that most road projects will be completed before the end of the year.

“I know some road projects have taken time to be completed since they started, while some are yet to start, but you have to understand that there are different dynamics to construction which come into play. Hence, there is a need for patience as we work on fixing the bottlenecks,” Hara added.

Hara also highlighted that the government is exploring various strategies to ensure the timely completion of ongoing projects and the initiation of those in the pipeline.

Apart from Malawi’s government, road construction efforts are being supported by international partners such as the Chinese government, the African Development Bank, the Arab Fund for Development, and the World Bank.