Southern African Trade and Connectivity Project (Malawi)
Government has encouraged media to be proactive in developing close working partnerships and networking platforms with Implementation Agencies for the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP) in order to provide accurate information.
Chief Civil Engineer in the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Edwin Matanga said this during the closing ceremony of a two-day Media Orientation and Tour for SATCP at Vintage Hotel in Mponela, Dowa on Tuesday, 25 June.
He said various Implementation Agencies have specific roles to play for the successful delivery of the project saying the media need to be proactive in following up each stage of the implementation process of SATCP.
“We have 14 Implementation Agencies within the project and the media is free to access them for more information through their Public Relations Officers (PROs). We are challenging the media to involve the PROs to get right information and use it to create more awareness for the benefit of Nacala Corridor stakeholders,” Matanga dared.
He called on Implementation Agencies to work with the media as partners saying free flow of information would help to reduce issues of speculations and misinformation.
The Chief Civil Engineer hoped that the interaction that has been created would continue throughout in order to attain the desired goals of the project.
“I am hoping this is not the last time we are interacting and we should create more occasions like these ones where questions and answers should be provided amicably,” Matanga said.
He thanked the media for their active participation during the sessions saying this has demonstrated their commitment to working with the project.
Project Coordinator for SATCP, Sharmey Banda said the project will continue engaging with the media in order to enhance issues of transparency and accountability.
He said the media should always provide checks and balances for the smooth implementation of the project.
The Project being funded by World Bank to the tune of K150 million is running from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2027.
The participating media houses included Malawi News Agency (MANA), Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Nation, Times Group, Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ), Mibawa Television, Chanco Radio, Capital Radio and Nyasatimes.
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