Malawi Road Asset Management Technical Assistance
ITT is thrilled to announce that, at the beginning of 2024, we were commissioned by the Millennium Challenge Account-Malawi II (MCA-Malawi II) through a Technical Assistance (TA) to assess Road Asset Management at the District Level in Malawi and make recommendations on how to improve the current road planning status quo. The TA is under Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact II (MCC Compact II), and the cornerstone of MCC Compact II is the “Accelerated Growth Corridors Project (AGC Project)”, which is encapsulated in an Investment Memorandum.
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The AGC Project aims to enhance the entire transport value chain, particularly from the farm gate to the main markets, by upgrading road infrastructure in seven District Councils (DCs) and improving access infrastructure around key agricultural points.
With the economy of Malawi being agro-based, innovations in the design and provision of low-volume sealed roads would allow the rural population to participate in meaningful agricultural activities and to have easier access to profitable markets than the current situation. However, the low levels of investments in the road sector are evident, resulting in limited generation of innovative solutions and, therefore, negatively affecting the provision of reliable and cost-effective road infrastructure. This in turn impacts the rate of socio-economic development of the country. Against this backdrop, actions were required to improve the current situation. This TA was considered timely to review the sub-sector through the lens of the Road Preservation Pyramid and provide a policy and strategic direction for the district road assets management.
The Technical Assistance (TA) is being undertaken by a team of international and local key experts covering thematic areas of rural road planning, road asset management systems, institutional strengthening, climate resilient infrastructures, socio-political and economic analysis, capacity building, and other cross-cutting issues.
During the kick-off meeting, the MCA-Malawi II CEO emphasized the need for cooperation and a holistic review of the district road asset management to improve the current situation. ITT’s Team Leader further highlighted that reliable access is essential for the rural communities in Malawi, with 82% of the population living in rural areas (as of 2022) and agriculture contributing around 30.0 percent to GDP. Providing reliable and cost-effective transport infrastructure is therefore critical to promote the country’s economic development.
At the end of the assignment, it is expected that ITT will deliver detailed recommendations on improving the current maintenance practices, assess the maintainable network for the 7 AGC Districts using the current scarce resources, develop high-resolution district maps, determine the type of equipment needed by the districts for their roadworks, design layouts for maintenance depots, recommend an alternative to the current Prioritization Road Maintenance System and draft the terms of references for a Technical Support Unit (TSU) that will capacitate the AGC districts to improve their road service delivery.
ITT has been working with multiple stakeholders in Malawi to achieve the TA objectives and is looking forward to drafting comprehensive recommendations for sustainable road assets management at the district level.
