President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda when she took office in April 2012 made rural electrification as her undying mission to development.
President Dr. Joyce Banda has always emphasized in most of her speeches that rural electrification is a key to economic development of the country.
This undying mission of rural electrification in Malawi made President and the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to officially switch on the Kambwiri Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) Phase 7 in Salima.
President Dr. Joyce Banda in the official switch on ceremony said more employment opportunities would be created through the rural electrification as factories and businesses will be established in the rural areas where the large population is located.
“The importance of rural electrification and the switch on ceremony of Kambwiri Trading Centre in particular, cannot be overemphasized. This electricity is going to attract industries that will provide jobs to the people,” she said.
She also mentioned projects such as Malawi Mango Project, Greenbelt Project and Tourism Project as some of the on-going projects that required electricity.
“Malawi has been facing challenges in the energy sector. This has hindered development, however, my Government has prioritized the energy sector to transform our rural areas whereby transforming the lives of our people as well,” Banda added.
The Malawi vibrant leader further said MAREP would help to empower the girl child to concentrate on education.
“This project will help alleviate some of the social ills. It will help the girl child to study any time of the day. In addition, the girl child will be eased from the burden of going around in the bushes collecting firewood,” Banda said.
She said that the recent survey had established that only nine percent of Malawi population has access to electricity and most people rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking.
In her speech, President Sirleaf over the official switch on ceremony when she visited Malawi said she came to honor a person whose honor was greatly deserved.
She said President Banda is one of the leaders that were working hard to make Africa a better place to live in.
“I will carry what President Banda has done to uplift her country and what she has done in women empowerment when I will be returning back to Liberia,” said Sirleaf.
She said Banda became a leader because she worked hard, saying it was not because of her beautiful looks, beautiful style of dressing or someone else’s favour’s.
Traditional Authority Kambwiri said he was grateful for the electricity in his area.
“This was the time first such a project was being launched in my area. This shows the love that President Dr. Joyce Banda has for us,” he said.
Kambwiri, who gave two goats to the two Presidents asked for the extension of the electricity project to cover the remaining villages in his area.
Meanwhile, MAREP phase seven will see electricity being switched on in 27 Trading Centre’s across Malawi.
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