Exchange of Notes for General Project Grant Aid for the Republic of Malawi (The Project for Replacement of South Rukuru Bridge on the Main Road M001)

February 18, 2010
Japanese

The Government of Japan has decided to extend general project grant aid (the Project for Replacement of South Rukuru Bridge on the Main Road M001) totaling 883 million JPY to the Republic of Malawi. Notes to this effect were exchanged on February 17 (Wed) (local time: same day) in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, between Mr. Motoyoshi Noro, Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, and The Honourable Ken Kandodo, Minister of Finance.
In the landlocked country of Malawi, road transport plays a vital role in the transport of goods and materials, including international distribution. The bridge that is the subject of this grant aid is located on the Main Road M001, which is a major road that cuts through Malawi from north to south, continuing from the border with Tanzania to the border with Mozambique. The existing Rukuru Bridge is a one lane bridge that is deteriorating, with imposed speed and weight limits that make it a bottleneck for transportation and distribution.
This grant aid provides the necessary funds to replace the Rukuru Bridge with the South Rukuru Bridge, which will be a two lane bridge. It is expected that the implementation of this grant aid will make it possible for significantly heavier vehicles to pass over the bridge, make it possible for cars to pass over the bridge in two directions, and contribute to regional development and the promotion of distribution in the countries in Southeast Africa.
This grant aid is a part of Japan's commitment to Africa announced at the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) held in May 2008 to strengthen cooperation towards efforts in the field of regional transportation infrastructure within African countries.

(Reference)　The Republic of Malawi is located in southern Africa. It covers a land area of 118,000 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 14.28 million people (World Bank, 2008). Malawi’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is 290 USD (World Bank, 2008).

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