Thursday, May 18, 2017

Malawi, Tanzania Put Differences Aside 
BY ARCHANGEL NZANGAYA
MAY 17, 2017

Despite fighting over ownership of part of Lake Malawi, Tanzania and Malawi will meet for a joint Malawi-Tanzania Donors’ Conference on the development of the Songwe River Basin Development Programme.

According to a press statement signed by Secretary for the Ministry Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development Erica Maganga, the meeting will take place on 18th May at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC).

The conference which is being held under the theme: “Malawi and Tanzania Cooperating to Harness Songwe River Basin Water Resources for Socio-Economic Development”, will be opened by Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe.

“The Conference is being held to attract financiers and donors for the development of a 180 megawatt power plant on the Songwe River that will help ease energy problems in the two countries as well as development of 6,200 hectares of land for irrigation with 3,050 hectares on Malawi side and 3,150 hectares on the side of Tanzania,” says Maganga in the statement.

It is expected that after the meeting the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, will provide detailed outcomes of the conference to the public and all stakeholders.

The ministry has since called on government Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Civil Society, NGOs, the academia and other stakeholders to attend the opening session of the conference.

The development comes at a time when the two countries have not yet resolved their differences over the ownership of a part of Lake Malawi.

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