Speaking at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in South Africa on Thursday, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe hailed the project which he noted will have a huge impact on Malawi’s economy looking at the electricity demand the country has.

Gondwe described the project as the largest Malawi will be party to which will have a huge impact on the country’s economy as it will double electricity supply in Malawi.

He pointed out that the project is a priority requirement for Malawi’s economic growth.

“Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. Government wants to reverse this. The Project which is a vast contribution for government will hence help in getting Malawi out of poverty” Said Gondwe.

He said he is happy with the trust and confidence China has in Malawi and expressed hope that they will be an improvement in transmission lines and electricity supply through this project.

Gondwe also commended the Chinese for their speed in executing projects which government of Malawi has benefitted from and hoped that the project will be ready by 2019.

President of the China Gezhouba Group Company Limited Lu Zexiang hoped the project would help in meeting Malawi’s electricity generation gaps.

Lu expressed satisfaction with the progress made as designs have finished and they are waiting for down payments and a loan from the Exim Bank of China.

He reiterated his organization’s commitment on the use of local manpower in their projects and looked forward to more cooperation with Malawi.

Lu also pledged to ensure that the project is executed in the shortest time possible looking at the demand for electricity in Malawi.

With the country’s electricity access currently standing at 8%, expectations are high that through the Project this will be improved to meet the demand.