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DOWA

UTM DISTRICT MANIFESTO 2025 | DOWA DISTRICT

“Dowa Rising: Soybean Power & Smart Growth.”

“UTM’s vision will transform Dowa into Malawi’s model for sustainable agriculture, innovation, and rural enterprise.”

— Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, UTM Presidential Candidate 2025

VISION FOR DOWA

Context & Challenges:

Dowa is centrally located and agriculturally rich, yet remains under-leveraged. With major road corridors, fertile plains, and growing population centers like Mponela, Dowa Boma, and Mvera, it has the potential to become a national leader in agriculture, light industry, and civic innovation. However, the district suffers from limited processing industries, deforestation, rural poverty, and low levels of youth employment.

UTM envisions a transformed Dowa: a district of modern farms, green energy, vibrant markets, and empowered youth. With smart planning, value-chain industrialization, and the MK500 Billion District Development Fund, we will unlock Dowa’s full promise.

We will:

  • Turn Dowa Boma into a regional civic hub with smart infrastructure
  • Develop Smart Villages in Mponela and Mvera
  • Expand farming and food processing in Likuni Highlands, Kadewere, Kamphadira
  • Upgrade Dowa’s infrastructure and trade corridors for national market access

MEGA FARMS & AGRO-PROCESSING

Context & Challenges:

Dowa is one of Malawi’s top maize and legume-producing districts, yet suffers from low productivity, poor irrigation, and lack of processing plants. Farmers sell unprocessed crops at low prices.

Locations: Likuni Highlands, Kadewere, Kamphadira, Mvera

UTM Pledges:

  • 10,000 hectares of consolidated commercial farming (soybeans, maize, groundnuts, rice, horticulture)
  • Anchor farmers linked with 2,500 smallholder co-ops
  • Solar and gravity-fed irrigation systems from Bua and Lingadzi river streams
  • Agro-processing zones: soybean oil pressing, maize milling, rice milling, nut drying, cold storage
  • Certification and packaging centers targeting export standards

Investment: MK 150 Billion
Jobs: 12,000
Output: 400,000 MT
Impact: Stronger rural incomes, agro-exports, formal processing economy

LIVESTOCK & ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Context & Challenges:

Livestock potential in Dowa is underdeveloped. Veterinary coverage is thin, and milk/meat markets are informal. Youth are disconnected from this sector’s economic benefits.

Sites: Likuni Highlands, Kamphadira Plains, Kadewere, Mvera

UTM Pledges:

  • 30,000 goats, cattle, and sheep via anchor farms and co-ops
  • Communal ranches, dairy cooperatives, and veterinary centres
  • Dairy and meat processing plant in Dowa Boma
  • Inputs & equipment (irrigation, feed, vet kits)
  • Social housing for farmers with 20+ ha

Investment: MK 60 Billion
Jobs: 5,000
Impact: Nutrition, rural incomes, formal livestock industry

FORESTRY & ENVIRONMENT

Context & Challenges:

Deforestation has worsened water stress and soil erosion in zones like Mvera, Kamphadira Hills, and the upper Bua catchment. Firewood and charcoal dependency remains high due to lack of alternatives.

Zones: Mvera Highlands, Kamphadira Hills, Lingadzi Buffer, Upper Bua Catchment

UTM Pledges:

  • 15,000 hectares reforested with indigenous and fast-growing species
  • Agroforestry training and tree planting around farms, schools, and trading centers
  • Briquette cooperatives to replace charcoal dependency
  • Eco-energy innovations (induction cooking, solar dryers)

Investment: MK 25 Billion
Jobs: 1,500
Impact: Better water flows, reduced erosion, cleaner rural energy

MODERN MARKETS & URBAN ECONOMY

Context & Challenges:

Markets in Dowa Boma, Mponela, and other centers lack clean facilities, power, cold storage, and digital systems. This limits tax revenue, food safety, and business growth.

Locations: Dowa Boma, Mponela, Kamphadira, Kadewere

UTM Pledges:

  • Smart markets with solar power, cold rooms, e-payment booths
  • Support 3,500 vendors to formalize and join banking and cooperatives
  • Training in bookkeeping, digital skills, and e-commerce

Investment: MK 40 Billion
Jobs: 4,000
Impact: Modern commerce, revenue expansion, digital inclusion

INFRASTRUCTURE & SMART CONNECTIVITY

Context & Challenges:

Dowa’s feeder roads and energy coverage are poor. Many health posts, markets, and farms lack all-weather access or power.

Corridors: Dowa–Lilongwe (M1), Likuni–Kamphadira, Kadewere–Mvera

UTM Pledges:

  • Upgrade M1 Dowa–Lilongwe highway for cargo and passenger movement
  • Build 120 km of feeder and farm-access roads
  • Rural broadband (80 centers) and solar mini-grids for clinics and processors

Investment: MK 150 Billion
Jobs: 6,000
Impact: Trade access, clean energy, connected rural economy

SMART HOUSING & CIVIC UPGRADE

Context & Challenges:

Dowa’s housing stock is outdated. Teachers, nurses, and SME owners struggle to find modern, affordable, serviced homes.

Locations: Dowa Boma, Mvera, Mponela, Kamphadira

UTM Pledges:

  • 3,000 climate-smart homes (solar, sanitation, SME-ready)
  • Smart Village features: e-services, digital street lighting, community Wi-Fi
  • Civic centres with service kiosks, business licensing, tax registration

Investment: MK 70 Billion
Jobs: 5,000
Impact: Inclusive housing, formal enterprise hubs, civic innovation

HEALTH, EDUCATION & VOCATIONAL SKILLS

Context & Challenges:

Access to advanced health care and skills training is limited, especially for girls and rural youth.

Sites: Dowa District Hospital, Mponela, Mvera Training Centre

UTM Pledges:

  • Expand hospital (maternity, trauma, diagnostics, telemedicine)
  • Vocational courses in agro-processing, digital trades, renewable energy
  • Girls’ boarding centre with service cluster
  • Upgrade Mvera to Smart Vocational Village

Investment: MK 35 Billion
Jobs: 2,500
Output: 4,000 skilled graduates/year; healthier population

MINERAL DEVELOPMENT & QUARRY MINING

Unlocking Dowa’s Hidden Resources for Youth and Local Enterprises

Context & Challenges

Dowa has a wealth of minerals—marble, gypsum, construction stone, sand, and emerging deposits of gold and gemstones . Gypsum deposits have been confirmed around Mponela and Mdika (Dowa West), while marble and dimension stone are found in hillside zones

Gold and semi-precious stones have also been identified within parts of Dowa District and nearby regions. Yet extraction is informal, unregulated, and environmentally harmful—fueled by poverty, with no youth-friendly, value-add pathways.

Base metals (e.g. iron sulphides) and lead ores (galena) have been recorded near Dowa, with multiple pending mining license applications in the region .

 

Meanwhile, large-scale industrial projects like the Kasiya Rutile‑Graphite Project (within Dowa’s border areas) signal central Malawi’s growing mineral value—but often exclude local benefits.

 

UTM Pledges

UTM will formalize and empower local mining to create sustainable livelihoods and local industries:

  • Formalize quarrying operations for sand, stones, marble, and gypsum in Kamphadira, Dzoole, and Mponela
  • Provide cooperative licenses, equipment packages, and training to youth-led mining groups
  • Conduct geochemical mapping for gold, marble, gypsum, and dimension stone reserves
  • Integrate value-add processing and safety training for artisanal miners (e.g., stone cutting, brick-making, gypsum board production)
  • Promote alignment with national standards and environmental safeguards

 

Investment, Jobs & Impact

Investment: MK 20 Billion
Jobs Created: 2,500

Key Impact Areas:

  • Structured, safer extractive sector with local oversight
  • New value-added rural industries (stone fabrication, building blocks, gypsum products)
  • Youth empowerment through SME ownership and job creation
  • Better resource revenue and reduced illegal micro-mining

TOURISM & CULTURAL HERITAGE

Context & Challenges:

Despite rich Chewa culture, Dowa lacks tourism facilities or structured experiences to attract visitors or preserve heritage.

Anchors: Mvera Highlands, Kamphadira Hills, Dowa Heritage Market

UTM Pledges:

  • Eco-lodges on Mvera Highlands with hiking trails & towers
  • Cultural village celebrating Gule Wamkulu, Chewa crafts & cuisine
  • Heritage Market and Chewa cooking workshops

Investment: MK 25 Billion
Jobs: 3,000
Visitors: 30,000/year
Revenue: MK 8 Billion/year

DOWA DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT FUND (2025–2030)

Context & Challenges

Development in Dowa has been piecemeal and top-down. Communities have had little say in project design or oversight.

UTM Pledges

Administered by: Dowa District Development Agency (DDDA)

  • Annual MK 100 Billion over 5 years (MK 500 Billion total)
  • Community scorecards and audits
  • 60% procurement for local SMEs
  • 30% youth and women employment guarantee
  • 80+ flagship projects per year across all sectors

Investment: MK 500 Billion • 45,000 + jobs
Impact: Transparent, bottom-up development with local ownership

DOWA DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT FUND (2025–2030)

Sector Investment (MWK) Jobs Created Impact / Output
Mega Farms & Agro-Processing MK 150 Billion 12,000 400,000 MT; agro-exports; rural industrialization
Livestock & Animal Husbandry MK 60 Billion 5,000 Dairy/meat/sheep products; nutrition; livestock sector formalization
Forestry & Environment MK 25 Billion 1,500 Water security; briquettes; agroforestry; eco-energy
Modern Markets & Urban Economy MK 40 Billion 4,000 Vendor formalization; VAT inclusion; small-business growth
Infrastructure & Smart Connectivity MK 150 Billion 6,000 Trade access; digital inclusion; improved transport
Smart Housing & Civic Upgrade MK 70 Billion 5,000 3,000 smart homes; stable neighborhoods; civic digitization
Health, Education & Vocational Skills MK 35 Billion 2,500 Hospital expansion; 4,000 skilled youth annually
Mineral Development & Quarry Mining MK 20 Billion 2,500 Regulated quarrying; value-add; youth mining skills
Tourism & Cultural Heritage MK 25 Billion 3,000 30,000 visitors/year; MK 8B revenue; cultural preservation
District Dev’t Fund (2025–2030) MK 500 Billion 45,000 80+ projects/year; 60% SME procurement; 30% youth jobs
🟩 TOTAL MK 1.075 Trillion 86,500 Jobs. Markets. Services. Delivered.

“Dowa Rising: Soybean Power & Smart Growth.”
Vote UTM. Vote Dr. Dalitso Kabambe.
“Smart Farms. Smart Cities. Smart Futures.”
SKC Legacy Lives On

Tsogolo Lathu Lowala Lafika!

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