Government has pledged to allocate the required forex for the Lilongwe–Salima Water Project to meet its completion deadline and address water challenges in the districts of Dowa, Salima and Lilongwe City.

The project, pegged at $315 million (approximately K535 billion), has faced setbacks due to foreign exchange challenges facing the country in recent years, raising doubts about meeting its completion deadline.

Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Roza Mbilizi, made the pledge on Tuesday after inspecting the project, which aims to produce 100 million litres of potable water from Lake Malawi per day.

Mbilizi claimed that forex reserve mismanagement by the previous regime put the project off track, but said government is now working on meeting the timeline by ensuring the necessary processes to import essential raw materials for the project are met.

“We are all aware that lack of foreign currency prevents the payment of imports, and this has affected the construction works of this project, but we are doing everything possible to ensure that it does not miss its time frame,” she added.

Khato Civils Group finance director, Pride Phiri, acknowledged the forex challenge, saying it is affecting the importation of materials, leading to the slow progress of the project, which is meant to be finalized by March 2027.

“We rely on forex to procure materials from other countries, and with the delay in allocation by the government authorities, it is becoming difficult for us to expedite our works,” Phiri added.

The project involves constructing a 120km transmission pipeline, water treatment plants, pump stations and reservoirs to supply water from the lakeshore district of Salima to the capital, Lilongwe.