Mtwara Development Corridor gets new push

Member countries of regional projects covered under the Mtwara Integrated Development Corridor (MIDC) have been asked to promptly meet all formalities legally required by donors, financial firms and legitimization processes.

The appeal to that end was made at a two-day joint workshop of stakeholders that ended in Dar es Salaam on Friday where participants concurred that a lot remained to be finalized for earmarked regional projects implementation.

Member countries of the MIDC include Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia which jointly signed an agreement on December 15th 2004 for co-ordination and implementation of the Mtwara Corridor Development projects.

The workshop participants also concurred that compliance to putting the house in order for meeting financial institutions requirements and convincing potential donors on the seriousness and project implementation timeliness had not only to be mentioned but also done lest natural and man-made sweeping changes invalidate the drive.

It was noted that even if one or two members had started implementing regional projects on their land, if the work was not based on legally signed documents to that effect by represeentatives of member countries, they not only lacked regional outlook but also may face stagnation.

Hence the need for strict compliance to meeting all legally validated modalities in the preparation and implementation of the regional projects.

The current MIDC Development strategy is based on the development of five projects which have cross-border impacts in order to anchor the envisaged business and other development and social activities in the region.

The projects include Mchuchuma and Liganga Coal and Iron, gas to industry platform at Mtwara, the Tanzania- Malawi power inter-connector, Integration of Shipping routes in Lake Nyasa, and the Ruvuma crossings.

Closing the workshop, the National Development Corporation`s Director of Project Development, Engineer A.C.Mwakibolwa, said significant progress had been made on the co-ordination and implementation of the Mtwara Development Corridor programme on aspects of preparations of projects, investment programmes and putting the institutional framework in place.

He said since an agreement was also signed on 15th December 2004 by Heads of State of Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia on the implementation of the corridor, two supplementary agreements have been entered on the implementation of the Unity Bridge between Tanzania and Mozambique and provision of the Heavy capacity Ferry between Mbamba Bay and Nkhata Bay.

These agreements have greatly facilitated securing funds for development of various projects in the MIDC. In anzania, a number of projects and investment programmes have been identified to anchor realization of the MIDC, he said.

Eng.Mwakibolwa mentioned a seven-fold task ahead as including preparation of concept papers for discussion with key stakeholders within the country and the MIDC member countries and creation of enabling environment for each project, specifically to put in place the administrative and accounting arrangement for proper coordination and implementation of the project.

Others include the preparation of project information memorandum, the terms of reference to define the scope of work and collaborating regional projects with other MIDC member states in the formation of joint implementation teams for each project and agreement on the champion institution that will implement the project on behalf of others.

He mentioned the last two as ensuring registration and endorsement by the appropriate authorities of projects in national and regional NEPAD projects as well as submitting the applications to African Partnership Unit ( APU ).