President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has described the rehabilitation of the M1 Road as a historic milestone in the development of the country.
The Malawi State President was speaking on Tuesday at the ground-breaking ceremony of the M1 Road rehabilitation at Mtiti Bridge in Dowa.
“This day marks an historic milestone in the development of Malawi for the good of all Malawians, because the significance of the M1 Road cannot be overstated,” said President Chakwera.
President Chakwera said the M1 Road is not only important in terms of facilitating trade movement but because of its nature of linking different parts of the country.
He said: “The M1 Road is the backbone of Malawi’s entire road infrastructure and the economy. It connects us as Malawians. It connects us to the promise of our shared development, to the beauty of our environment, to the power of our shared culture, to the prosperity of our shared markets.”
President Chakwera warned that his administration will not tolerate the misuse of funds allocated for this project. The state President said government has put in place measures to catch people who will be tempted to steal money for the project.
“If anyone even tries to steal or abuse these funds, we have systems in place to catch them, and if you are caught, there will be zero mercy for you,” said Chakwera.
The 300-kilometer road project will stretch from Kamuzu International Airport turn off to Chiweta Rumphi up north. The project is being funded by the European Union through the European Development Bank to the tune of 117 million Euros (almost MK120 billion).