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NKHOTA KOTA DISTRICT

Vision for Nkhota Kota: Blue Economy & Fertile Highlands

“Nkhota Kota Rising: From Lake Shore to Prosperity.”
“UTM will unlock Nkhota Kota’s blue economy, agro potential, and cultural heritage for a new era of inclusive prosperity.”

— Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, UTM Presidential Candidate 2025

Vision for Nkhota Kota: Blue Economy & Fertile Highlands

Nkhota Kota Challenges
Nkhota Kota—home to Malawi’s longest lake shoreline, fertile valleys, and rich cultural history—has the potential to be a model of inclusive development. Yet the district suffers from poor infrastructure, underutilized fisheries, and limited value addition. Despite hosting part of a major game reserve and historical landmarks, tourism remains undeveloped. Youth unemployment and post-harvest losses are high. Nkhota Kota’s known phosphate reserves and fertile soils offer untapped pathways for agro-industrialization.
 
UTM Vision


UTM envisions a district that thrives through lake-based aquaculture, mineral-linked agro-processing, reforestation, and youth-led enterprise. The district’s identity—tied to its shoreline, game reserve, and historical Boma—will be revitalized with smart housing, digital hubs, and inclusive growth.
Core Vision Commitments:

  • Develop 10,000 hectares of irrigated mega farms (rice, Industrial Hemp, soya, sugarcane, vegetables)
  • Roll out a Lake Malawi Aquaculture and Eco-Tourism Corridor
  • Explore and process phosphate deposits to support domestic fertilizer manufacturing
  • Build processing zones for rice, oilseeds, sugarcane, fish, and minerals
  • Leverage hot springs and game reserve to promote green tourism
  • Upgrade Nkhota Kota Boma into a Smart City, and Chia into a Smart Village
  • Deploy MK500 Billion via the Nkhota Kota District Development Fund to drive inclusive prosperity

Mega Farms & Agro-Processing

Challenges:

Nkhota Kota’s fertile valleys remain rain-fed and under-mechanized. Post-harvest losses are high, and there are few local processing hubs despite year-round farming potential and export routes.
UTM Pledges


Locations: Chia, Dwambazi, Mwansambo

  • Develop 10,000 hectares of modern irrigated farms
  • Rice paddies, soya, sugarcane, vegetable production
  • Gravity and solar irrigation from Dwambazi River and Lake Malawi
  • Anchor farms linked with co-ops and smallholders
  • Rice mills, oil presses, cane juice plants, vegetable packaging

 

Investment: MWK 130 Billion
Jobs Created: 8,000
Output: 300,000 MT/year
Impact: Food hub, exports, reduced losses, stable incomes

Aquaculture & Blue Economy

Challenges:
Nkhota Kota has over 80km of Lake Malawi shoreline yet limited cage farming, inland ponds, or fish processing. Wild fish stocks are declining.
UTM Pledges
Locations: Nkhota Kota Bay to Dwambazi Estuary

  • 20 cage farms for tilapia and catfish
  • 10 inland hatcheries and grow-out ponds
  • Fish processing plant: filleting, packaging, export cert.
  • Mobile cold chain for remote fishers
  • Training for fisher co-ops and women-led processors


Investment: MWK 45 Billion
Jobs Created: 6,000
Output: 25,000 MT/year
Impact: Year-round fish, preserved stocks, women/youth income

Livestock & Animal Husbandry

Challenges:

Despite suitable highlands, livestock productivity is low due to poor veterinary services, lack of co-ops, and value chain gaps.


UTM Pledges
Locations: Chikho, Malengachanzi, Dwambazi Highlands

  • Anchor ranches and co-ops with 25,000 livestock
  • Mobile vet labs and artificial insemination
  • Dairy hub in Chia (milk, yogurt, cheese)
  • Meat and hide processing with clean abattoirs
  • Free veterinary and feed support for 2 years


Investment: MWK 40 Billion
Jobs Created: 4,500
Output: Milk, beef, hides
Impact: Higher incomes, improved nutrition, sustainable grazing

Tourism & Cultural Heritage

Challenges:
Nkhota Kota has elephants, hot springs, Lake Malawi, and colonial history—but lacks proper lodges, interpretation centres, and tour packaging.


UTM Pledges:
Anchors: Nkhota Kota Game Reserve, Lake Shore, Livingstonia Mission, Hot Springs

  • Eco-lodges and safari-beach combo camps
  • Elephant safaris, conservation education, photography trails
  • Slave trade museum at Boma, Livingstonia heritage walk
  • Lake cruises, birding, kayaking, artisan markets, dance festivals


Investment: MWK 30 Billion
Jobs Created: 3,500
Visitors: 50,000/year
Revenue: MWK 15 Billion/year
Impact: Jobs, pride in culture, conservation-based tourism

Infrastructure & Smart Connectivity

Challenges:
Roads are unpaved or seasonally inaccessible. Digital gaps isolate rural areas. Energy supply is unreliable.


UTM Pledges
Routes: Nkhota Kota–Kasungu, Nkhota Kota–Salima, internal rural networks

  • Resurface trunk roads and 100km of feeder roads
  • Fibre internet for 80 schools, clinics, and trade centres
  • Solar mini-grids at markets, health posts, schools


Investment: MWK 120 Billion
Jobs Created: 5,000
Impact: Year-round access, digital inclusion, energy security

Smart City, Smart Housing & Civic Centres

Challenges:
Lack of modern housing and town services reduces retention of talent and discourages investment.


UTM Pledges
Locations: Nkhota Kota Boma, Mwansambo, Chia

  • 3,000 eco-homes with solar, water harvesting, sanitation
  • SME-integrated housing zones with shops and storage
  • Smart City Boma upgrades: lighting, CCTV, Wi-Fi, green civic zones
  • Smart Village at Chia with broadband, digital kiosks, solar lighting, and clean water


Investment: MWK 60 Billion
Jobs Created: 4,000
Impact: Better housing, business growth, smarter urbanization

Health & Vocational Skills

Challenges:
District hospital lacks ICU and modern emergency care. Skills mismatch affects youth employment.


UTM Pledges:
Sites: Nkhota Kota District Hospital, Technical College – Chia

  • ICU, maternity wing, trauma and telemedicine suite
  • TVET college with agro-processing, aquaculture, tourism, solar tech labs
  • Job-market aligned curriculum


Investment: MWK 30 Billion
Jobs Created: 2,000
Output: 3,000 skilled graduates/year
Impact: Safer health, skilled youth pipeline

Reforestation, Irrigation & Environment

Challenges:
Deforestation and erratic rainfall hurt farming, water supply, and forest cover.


UTM Pledges:
Areas: Lake Buffer Zones, Foothills, Agro-Hubs

  • Plant 20,000 ha with native and fast-growing trees
  • Briquette-making co-ops and eco-stove distribution
  • Solar-drip irrigation pilots in high-risk farming areas
  • Induction stoves to reduce firewood dependence


Investment: MWK 20 Billion
Jobs Created: 1,200
Impact: Greener Nkhota Kota, better yields, clean energy access

Mineral Development & Fertilizer Value Chain

Challenges:
Nkhota Kota holds phosphate reserves—critical for fertilizer manufacturing—but these remain largely unexplored and unlinked to agro-industrial development.


UTM Pledges:
Sites: Foothills near Malengachanzi, central highlands

  • Conduct detailed geological surveys on phosphate-bearing zones
  • Attract private sector partners to invest in fertilizer production plants
  • Link phosphate mining to agricultural mega farms for direct impact
  • Support SME mineral processors through training and co-financing

Investment: MWK 35 Billion
Jobs Created: 2,000 (miners, lab techs, plant operators)
Output: Locally processed phosphate for national fertilizer production
Impact: Reduces Malawi’s fertilizer import bill, increases food security, enables value-added mineral economy

MK500 Billion District Development Fund

Challenges:
Public investments are fragmented and lack transparency. Local talent is excluded from contracts.


UTM Pledges:
Administered by: Nkhota Kota District Development Agency (NKDDA)

  • MK100 Billion annually (2025–2030)
  • Online dashboards, monthly scorecards, open audits
  • 60% local procurement, 30% youth employment quotas
  • Oversight board with chiefs, youth, women, SMEs, civil society
    Strategic Areas:
  • Farming, fisheries, processing, mining, smart cities
  • Infrastructure, skills, SME formalization, digitization


Results (2025–2030):

  • 45,000+ jobs
  • 4,000+ SMEs
  • 300% revenue growth
  • Digitally integrated local economy

Summary Table – Nkhota Kota District (2025–2030)

Nkhota Kota District Manifesto Summary Table

Sector

Investment (MWK)

Jobs Created

Key Outputs / Benefits

Mega Farms & Agro-Processing

130 Billion

8,000

300,000 MT produce, food security, exports

Aquaculture & Blue Economy

45 Billion

6,000

25,000 MT fish, youth employment, export supply

Livestock & Dairy

40 Billion

4,500

Dairy, meat, hides, improved nutrition & incomes

Tourism, Arts & Culture

40 Billion

3,000

70,000 visitors/year, cultural pride, artisan branding

Infrastructure & Smart Connectivity

120 Billion

5,000

Roads, Wi-Fi, solar, digital rural access

Smart Housing & Civic Centres

60 Billion

4,000

3,000 smart homes, Smart Boma & Smart Village

Health & Vocational Skills

30 Billion

2,000

Expanded hospital, 3,000 youth trained annually

Reforestation & Irrigation

20 Billion

1,200

20,000 ha trees, clean energy, climate-smart farming

Phosphate Mining & Fertilizer

35 Billion

2,000

Fertilizer inputs, new mineral value chains

District Dev Fund (2025–30)

500 Billion

20,000

Integrated growth, SME ecosystem, oversight reforms

TOTAL

1.02 Trillion

55,700

Youth jobs, food security, agro-minerZals, prosperity



Closing Slogan

“Nkhota Kota Rising: From Lake Shore to Prosperity.”
Vote UTM. Vote Dr. Dalitso Kabambe.
Smart Jobs. Smart Farms. Smart Futures.
SKC Legacy Lives On.

Tsogolo Lathu Lowala Lafika!

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