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MWANZA

UTM District Manifesto 2025 | MWANZA DISTRICT

“Mwanza Rising: Gateway to Prosperity – Trade, Transport, and Transformation.”
“UTM will elevate Mwanza from a border post to a thriving Special Economic Zone, anchored in logistics, agro-industry, and rural empowerment.”
— Dr. Dalitso Kabambe, UTM Presidential Candidate 2025

Vision for Mwanza

Mwanza is Malawi’s main land border to Mozambique and a key gateway into the Beira trade corridor. But despite its strategic location, the district remains economically underdeveloped—plagued by poor infrastructure, informal trade, youth unemployment, and underutilized agriculture.

UTM envisions a border town reimagined: a regional logistics hub, an agro-processing and industrial corridor, and a trade-powered rural economy. Mwanza will become Malawi’s first smart border economy.

Core Vision:

  • Establish Mwanza as Malawi’s most efficient and profitable trade gateway.
  • Operationalize a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and a modern One Stop Border Post (OSBP).
  • Commercialize agriculture and livestock sectors with market-ready logistics.
  • Equip youth with logistics, trade, and agri-business skills.
  • Channel MK500 Billion into local infrastructure, SMEs, and smart urbanization.

Trade, Transport & SEZ Development

Context & Challenges: Poor logistics facilities, slow customs clearance, and border inefficiencies hinder Mwanza’s trade potential.
Potential: Its location offers unmatched opportunity for regional transit, dry port infrastructure, and logistics innovation.

UTM Pledges:

  • Operationalize the Mwanza One Stop Border Post with 24/7 clearance and digital systems
  • Develop a 50-hectare SEZ with serviced plots for exporters, manufacturers, and logistics firms
  • Establish a Dry Port Terminal (warehousing, scanning, customs, cold chain)
  • Build a formal Cross-Border Trade Centre for SMEs, vendors, and digital kiosks
  • Dualize Mwanza–Blantyre road for heavy cargo and commuter traffic

Investment: MWK 150 Billion
Jobs: 10,000
Output: 2,000 businesses served annually
Impact: Formal trade, logistics jobs, and SME empowerment

Mega Farms & Agro-Processing

Context & Challenges: Erratic rainfall, low yields, lack of processing, and limited irrigation.
Potential: Mwanza has fertile plains ideal for citrus, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, and irrigated farming.

UTM Pledges:

  • Establish 5,000 hectares of mega farms in Thambani and Neno-Mwanza border belt
  • Install solar-powered pumps and dam-fed irrigation
  • Build processing plants for groundnut oil, citrus juice, and sweet potato flour
  • Empower farming co-ops with storage, inputs, and transport access

Investment: MWK 80 Billion
Jobs: 6,000
Output: 180,000 MT annually
Impact: Value addition, food security, and higher farmer earnings

Livestock Development

Context & Challenges: Scattered livestock with poor breeds, disease risks, and lack of markets.
Potential: Mwanza’s grazing land can support large-scale beef, goat, and piggery production.

UTM Pledges:

  • Establish 3 livestock ranches in Nguludi, Thambani, and Mwanza Highlands
  • Launch communal grazing schemes and pasture improvement zones
  • Build a mini meat processing unit and milk cooling centre
  • Offer mobile vet services and youth training in animal care

Investment: MWK 35 Billion
Jobs: 4,500
Output: Meat, milk, hides, and poultry
Impact: New rural income and food systems

Tourism & Cultural Enterprise

Context & Challenges: No structured tourism offering, low branding, and no hospitality capacity
Potential: Scenic hills, cross-border culture, and border town vibrancy offer niche eco-tourism potential.

UTM Pledges:

  • Develop the Mwanza Hills Eco-Circuit with trails, camping, and eco-lodges
  • Convert old government buildings into heritage guesthouses
  • Launch the Mwanza Border Culture Festival
  • Support youth in souvenirs, art, music, and tour guiding

Investment: MWK 30 Billion
Jobs: 3,000
Tourists Target: 60,000/year
Revenue: MWK 12 Billion/year
Impact: Border tourism and youth employment

Infrastructure & Smart Connectivity

Context & Challenges: Poor feeder roads and weak broadband access.
Potential: Road and digital upgrades will unlock trade, agro-delivery, and cross-border integration.

UTM Pledges:

  • Upgrade Mwanza–Zalewa–Blantyre road and Mwanza–Neno corridor
  • Rehabilitate 80 km of feeder roads
  • Extend fibre broadband to 20 rural zones
  • Install solar mini-grids in public facilities

Investment: MWK 70 Billion
Jobs: 3,500
Impact: Digital trade access and rural connectivity

Smart Housing & Urban Planning

Context & Challenges: Urban sprawl and unregulated housing hinder development.
Potential: Mwanza Boma can become a well-planned, cross-border smart town.

UTM Pledges:

  • Construct 2,000 eco-homes with solar and sanitation
  • Create Smart Mwanza Boma: civic halls, lighting, green markets, SME hostels
  • Rezone border land for structured commercial growth

Investment: MWK 40 Billion
Jobs: 2,500
Impact: Planned growth and improved services

Health & Skills Development

Context & Challenges: Inadequate health infrastructure and limited vocational skills.
Potential: Youth training and hospital upgrades can position Mwanza as a logistics talent hub.

UTM Pledges:

  • Expand Mwanza District Hospital (maternity, trauma, diagnostics)
  • Establish Mwanza Trade & Skills Institute (customs, ICT, agro-processing)
  • Deploy mobile clinics in rural and border zones

Investment: MWK 30 Billion
Jobs: 1,800
Impact: Skilled youth pipeline, better health access

Environment & Communal Forests

Context & Challenges: Charcoal dependency and deforestation threaten sustainability.
Potential: Co-owned forests and green energy can power a climate-smart future.

UTM Pledges:

  • Reforest 8,000 hectares and establish 5,000 hectares of youth communal forests
  • Train co-ops in carbon credits and briquette production
  • Install 1,000 solar cookers and expand irrigation on 1,000 hectares

Investment: MWK 15 Billion
Jobs: 1,200
Impact: Resilience, energy shift, youth forestry economy

MWK 500 Billion Mwanza District Development Fund (2025–2030)

Administered by: Mwanza District Development Agency (MDDA)
Annual Allocation: MWK 100 Billion

Strategic Priorities:

  • Border trade & SEZ
  • Agro-industrial farming and livestock
  • Digital roads, smart housing
  • Skills training & health infrastructure
  • Green economy & youth forestry

Local Empowerment Targets:

  • 60% contracts to Mwanza-based SMEs
  • 30% youth employment clause

Projected Results by 2030:

  • 45,000 jobs created
  • 4,000 SMEs supported
  • District GDP tripled
  • Border smuggling replaced with formal trade and jobs

Summary Table – Mwanza District

Sector Investment (MWK) Jobs Created Key Outputs / Benefits
Trade, Transport & SEZ Development 150 Billion 10,000 Formal trade, 2,000+ businesses served annually
Agriculture & Agro-Processing 80 Billion 6,000 180,000 MT/year, food security, co-op profit
Livestock Development 35 Billion 4,500 Meat, dairy, hides, youth-led animal care
Tourism & Cultural Enterprise 30 Billion 3,000 60,000 tourists/year, youth arts employment
Infrastructure & Smart Connectivity 70 Billion 3,500 80 km roads, 20 fibre zones, solar mini-grids
Smart Housing & Urban Planning 40 Billion 2,500 2,000 homes, civic zones, market centres
Health & Skills Development 30 Billion 1,800 Upgraded hospital, new vocational institute
Environment & Communal Forests 15 Billion 1,200 13,000 ha re/afforested, green youth economy
District Development Fund 500 Billion 11,000 Smart planning, youth & SME procurement
TOTAL 950 Billion 43,500 Mwanza transformed into Malawi’s first smart border economy

Mwanza Rising: Gateway to Prosperity – Trade, Transport, and Transformation.
Vote UTM. Vote Dr. Dalitso Kabambe.
Jobs. Trade. Local Wealth.
SKC Legacy Lives On.

Tsogolo Lathu Lowala Lafika!

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