On Friday, 10th February 2017, Her Excellency Kae Yanagisawa, Ambassador of Japan to Malawi, participated in the ground breaking ceremony for the Project for Expansion of the Terminal Building at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA). The ceremony was graced by His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi. Also in attendance was Her Excellency Dr. Gertrude Mutharika, First Lady of the Republic of Malawi, Rt. Hon. Dr. Saulos Chilima, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi and Hon. Jappie Mhango, M.P., Minister of Transport and Public Works and other officials.
The bilateral cooperation for KIA began in the late 1970’s when the government of Japan supported the construction of the airport terminal building and installation of air navigation facilities. Since then, Japan has continuously strengthened the capacity of KIA with various grants including the installation of solar power system and the replacement of air navigation system and technical cooperation assistance to support capacity development of the staff in the Department of Civil Aviation.
With time, the airport buildings require major rehabilitation, expansion and modernization. The operational space is usually congested as it cannot accommodate the demand. In addition to this the navigation equipment is not in line with the safety standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). In furtherance of this bilateral relation, the government of Japan and the government of Malawi signed E/N on 4th November 2015 a grant amounting to 3.7 billion Japanese Yen (about 30.4 million USD at current rate). The grant will fund the expansion of the terminal buildings and installation of equipment including aircraft surveillance system, x-ray scanners and metal detectors.
Speaking during the ceremony, Her Excellency Kae Yanagisawa said upon completion, the project will improve the operations of the airport for instance congestion and the average waiting time at the check-in and immigration counters at peak time will reduce. It will attract more international flights and enhance safety of flights and passengers. Further to this, the project will promote trade, tourism, industry and eventually boost economic activities of the country. The project is expected to be completed in 2019. Japan committed to accelerate infrastructure development to bolster the foundation of growth through development of key infrastructure, especially in transport, energy and water sectors.
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