Mozambique: Nyusi in Madagascar for Rajoelina inauguration
Nyasa Times
Presidents of neighbouring countries to Malawi are scheduled to hold a one day private meeting with President Peter Mutharika on Monday, reports Malawi 24 today.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Zambian leader Edgar Lungu are expected to jet in the country on Monday morning through Kamuzu International Airport.
According to a statement from the Office of the Malawian President and Cabinet, Lungu is expected to arrive at 7:30 am while Nyusi will be in Malawi at 8:00 am.
The two are expected to meet Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe and fly back to their countries on the same day.
Meanwhile the agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed, reports Malawi 24.
However, an AIM report today, citing a press release by the Mozambican presidency, states that Filipe Nyusi, joins his counterparts from Malawi, Peter Mutharika, and Zambia, Edgar Lungu, to address “issues of common interest related to maximizing the use of transport infrastructure between the three countries and the exploitation of energy opportunities offered by the region. “
According to the AIM’s report, president Nyusi travels to the neighbouring country accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Oldemiro Baloi, minister of the Interior, Jaime Basilio Monteiro, and minister of Transport and Communications, Carlos Mesquita.
The statement adds that “the situation of the Mozambicans in Malawi” will have “special attention”.
The Shire-Zambezi water way
According to Nyasa Times, it is expected that the three presidents address will discuss issues related to the Shire-Zambeze waterway project, described as ‘a dream project’ of former Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika, brother to Peter, who has ‘received huge opposition from Mozambique’, reads the report. Malawi, stresses the same source, “a landlocked country, relies on Mozambique’s ports of Nacala and Beira for its imports as road transport is extremely expensive”.
In September 23 2015, in an article, from titled ‘ Mozambique Deals Blow to Malawi’s Shire-Zambezi Waterway’ the Nyasa Times reported that minister Carlos Mesquita had told the press in Lilongwe that “chances are very limited that Mozambique will adopt the report[feasibility study determining whether Shire river is navigable all the way to Chinde port in Zambezia, Mozambique, or not]” stressing that the country was “already committing resources to other ports such as Beira ,” he added.
The route was used by Malawi and Mozambique in the 1970s. Mawtam Limited operated a barge service transporting molasses from Chilomo in Malawi to Chinde on the coast of the Indian Ocean in Mozambique. Because of the civil war in Mozambique, this route was stopped.
According to the Government of Malawi, Glens Limited organised a survey by boat of the Lower Shire and Zambezi Rivers. The survey found the rivers still navigable all the way to the Indian Ocean port of Chinde .
In an AIM report from September 25 2015, Minister Mesquit is cited as having told Rádio Moçambique that ” the German study concluded that the rivers can only be used for commercial shipping if they are dredged, which would be extremely expensive. “It would be necessary to invest US$18 million in initial dredging”, said Mesquita, “followed by 30 million dollars a year to guarantee maintenance dredging, and a further 50 million dollars to clear vegetation from the banks of the two rivers, not to mention investments in port infrastructure”.
Even with this expenditure, the rivers would, according to the consultant, only be navigable for four or five months a year. For the Mozambican government, this destroys any idea that the Shire-Zambezi Waterway could be economically viable.
12,000 Mozambicans in Malawi
The government of Malawi is describing the visit by Malawi’s neighbouring presidents tomorrow as “private”.
The meeting comes at a time when Malawi is keeping thousands of Mozambicans who are fleeing from ‘skirmishes between ruling Frelimo and rebels Renamo’ violence in their country. The Malawian newspaper adds that “Maputo denies the over 12,000 refugees in Malawi are fleeing the civil war, describing the asylum seekers as normal migrating economic fortune seekers”.
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