CopyOf Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) Turn -Off to Mzimba Turn Off section of the M1 in Malawi

The project road runs North from the turn-off to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) to the North of Lilongwe to the turn-off to the district centre of Mzimba in Northern Malawi for approximately 234 km. The road starts at KIA junction and travels North via Kasungu and Jenda where it ends at the turn-off to Mzimba Boma. The section between the KIA turn-off to Jenda was constructed in the early1980s and a portion of this section between Chatoloma and Jenda was resealed in 2005. The road is used by both motorist and non-motorized vehicles, in particular between Lilongwe and Kasungu where there are many trading centres and towns along the route.

The regional location map below shows the importance of this link with respect to the Main Corridors of in Tripartite region, such as the North South Corridor Network. This road section comprises the important link from Lilongwe to the turn-off to Mzimba Boma, approximately 250 km to the North. Lilongwe is a strategic junction city as it joins the North South Corridor to the Nacala Road Corridor. The M1 is the backbone of Malawi road network. It facilitates regional trade and tourism with Mozambique in the South, and further beyond to other SADC countries. The road links Malawi and Zambia to the important port of Dar es Salaam and as such forms a vital link for the importation and exportation of strategic goods.

The primary economic function of the road is the long-distance transportation of goods exported from Malawi and imports for Malawi. These goods are transported through the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Fuel is the main product handled but the road also provides for the import of goods to the mining activities along the road corridor and exports from mining and agriculture. The M1 through Malawi offers the shortest import/export route to Dar es Salaam for Zambia"™s agriculturally important Eastern Province. The road is also a major route from Lilongwe to the North and carries significant local traffic serving district administrative centres and trading centres along its route.