President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has expressed his administration’s commitment and determination to reverse challenges Malawians have been facing relating to access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Chakwera made the sentiments in Lilongwe when he commissioned Kamuzu Dam 1, which has been rehabilitated and upgraded for expanded capacity.
Commenting on his predecessors’ lack of commitment to deliver on the population’s basic needs, the incumbent Malawi leader has remarked that as far he is concerned, “it is a shame for a country in the 21st Century to be preoccupied with luxuries that benefit the few when many do not even have basics like clean water.”
“It made no sense to me that before I became President, Government after government was passing budget after budget without adequate allocation of funds to the most basic things that the majority of Malawians lack on a daily basis”, he said.
The Kamuzu Dam 1 rehabilitation and expansion project has been completed with joint funding between the Malawi Government and the European Investment Bank (EIB) which rendered a significant financial support through the Lilongwe Water Board (LWB).
The President said his administration will intensify investments in the water sector to achieve universal access to clean water and sanitation as per the benchmarks set in Sustainable Development Goal Number 6 and the Malawi 2063 vision.
At this point, the President called for concerted efforts among all stakeholders for Malawi to achieve these benchmarks.
“My appeal to you as our friends and partners is to keep this partnership alive until we reach our desired goal” said the President contemplating that; “there is still a long way to go to reach our 2030 target of universal access to water and sanitation, and still many challenges in this sector we must confront together.”
The Malawi leader stated that the sole reason for Malawi to stay on course in this undertaking lies in the fact that the demand for water is increasing every day, not only for domestic and industrial use, but also for the proper functioning of sectors like agriculture, tourism, and mining that are central his administration’s strategy for boosting the productive capacity of our economy.
Chakwera further admitted that “there is still a long way to go to reach the 2030 goal of universal access to water and sanitation” and that there are still many challenges which the nation and its development partners must confront together.
Delivering his remarks earlier Rune Skinnebach, representing the EU delegation and European Investment Bank, commended the Government of Malawi for taking up the task to provide potable water to communities through the Lilongwe Water Board.
