Malawi - 2.3 Malawi Road Network
Distance Matrix
Malawi’s designated public road network consists of 15,451 kilometres of roads. Of these, only 26% (4,038 Km) is paved. The rest – 11,413 Km representing 74% of the network – is either earth or gravel. The public road network is classified into five main categories: Main, Secondary, Tertiary, Urban and District. The Main, Secondary and Tertiary roads, totalling 10,603 Km, form the country’s trunk or primary road network.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List
|
|
Lilongwe |
Balaka |
Bangula |
Blantyre |
Chikwawa |
Chitipa |
Dedza |
Dowa |
Karonga |
Kasungu |
Machinga |
Mangochi |
Mchinji |
Monkey Bay |
Mulanje |
Mwanza |
Mzimba |
Mzuzu |
Nhkata-Bay |
Nkhota-kota |
Nsanje |
Ntcheu |
Ntchisi |
Rumphi |
Salima |
Thyolo |
Zomba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Balaka |
201 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bangula |
439 |
255 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Blantyre |
311 |
127 |
134 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Chikwawa |
359 |
175 |
86 |
54 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Chitipa |
691 |
889 |
1127 |
1000 |
1047 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Dedza |
84 |
118 |
356 |
229 |
276 |
772 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Dowa |
53 |
254 |
492 |
365 |
412 |
669 |
137 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Karonga |
590 |
788 |
1026 |
899 |
946 |
101 |
671 |
568 |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Kasungu |
127 |
328 |
566 |
439 |
486 |
564 |
211 |
107 |
463 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Machinga |
250 |
49 |
234 |
100 |
154 |
938 |
167 |
303 |
837 |
377 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Mangochi |
245 |
97 |
325 |
191 |
254 |
843 |
159 |
237 |
742 |
344 |
91 |
||||||||||||||||
|
Mchinji |
109 |
310 |
548 |
421 |
468 |
699 |
193 |
158 |
598 |
138 |
359 |
408 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Monkey Bay |
206 |
160 |
387 |
253 |
307 |
804 |
120 |
198 |
703 |
305 |
153 |
63 |
312 |
||||||||||||||
|
Mulanje |
378 |
194 |
200 |
66 |
120 |
1066 |
295 |
431 |
105 |
505 |
161 |
251 |
487 |
314 |
|||||||||||||
|
Mwanza |
300 |
116 |
231 |
104 |
151 |
989 |
218 |
354 |
828 |
428 |
165 |
214 |
410 |
276 |
170 |
||||||||||||
|
Mzimba |
278 |
476 |
714 |
587 |
634 |
425 |
359 |
256 |
324 |
151 |
525 |
574 |
286 |
455 |
653 |
576 |
|||||||||||
|
Mzuzu |
367 |
565 |
803 |
676 |
723 |
327 |
448 |
345 |
226 |
240 |
614 |
516 |
375 |
477 |
742 |
665 |
117 |
||||||||||
|
Nhkata-Bay |
413 |
465 |
703 |
576 |
623 |
374 |
494 |
391 |
273 |
286 |
514 |
479 |
421 |
440 |
642 |
565 |
154 |
47 |
|||||||||
|
Nkhota-kota |
200 |
267 |
505 |
378 |
425 |
562 |
235 |
142 |
461 |
127 |
316 |
281 |
304 |
242 |
444 |
367 |
353 |
235 |
198 |
||||||||
|
Nsanje |
488 |
304 |
49 |
100 |
135 |
1176 |
405 |
541 |
1015 |
615 |
282 |
373 |
597 |
436 |
249 |
279 |
763 |
852 |
752 |
554 |
|||||||
|
Ntcheu |
158 |
43 |
281 |
156 |
201 |
847 |
75 |
211 |
746 |
284 |
92 |
141 |
267 |
155 |
220 |
143 |
434 |
523 |
470 |
272 |
330 |
||||||
|
Ntchisi |
90 |
291 |
529 |
402 |
449 |
648 |
174 |
53 |
547 |
65 |
340 |
290 |
194 |
251 |
468 |
391 |
535 |
324 |
370 |
89 |
578 |
248 |
|||||
|
Rumphi |
432 |
630 |
686 |
741 |
788 |
276 |
513 |
410 |
176 |
305 |
728 |
584 |
440 |
545 |
807 |
730 |
170 |
68 |
115 |
303 |
917 |
588 |
389 |
||||
|
Salima |
103 |
158 |
396 |
269 |
316 |
673 |
126 |
67 |
572 |
173 |
207 |
172 |
207 |
133 |
335 |
258 |
464 |
346 |
309 |
111 |
445 |
163 |
120 |
414 |
|||
|
Thyolo |
358 |
176 |
97 |
47 |
101 |
1046 |
275 |
411 |
885 |
485 |
141 |
231 |
467 |
294 |
47 |
150 |
633 |
722 |
622 |
424 |
146 |
200 |
448 |
787 |
315 |
||
|
Zomba |
286 |
85 |
198 |
64 |
118 |
974 |
203 |
339 |
815 |
413 |
36 |
127 |
395 |
189 |
125 |
168 |
561 |
650 |
550 |
352 |
247 |
128 |
376 |
715 |
243 |
105 |
Road Security
Spontaneous civil disturbances and/or demonstrations can occur on occasion. This is usually the case in the major cities of Malawi. Transport wise, insecure areas go hand in hand with bad road conditions. The following areas are frequently associated with road trucking insecurity because of bad roads (B), steep roads (S) and/ or generally insecure and risky areas (R):
|
Origin |
Destination |
District |
Distance |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NtchisiBoma |
Malomo |
Ntchisi |
89km |
B |
|
Misuku Hills |
Chitipa |
ChitipaBoma |
75km |
S / B / R |
|
Embangweni |
Edingeni |
Embangweni |
85km |
S / B / R |
|
Livingstonia Mission |
Rumphi Boma |
Ekwendeni |
62km |
S/ B |
|
Mkanda |
Waliranji |
MchinjiBoma |
80km |
B |
|
Malirana |
Thete |
Dedzaboma |
45km |
B / R |
|
Chilinga |
Phalombe |
Phalombe Boma |
120km |
B |
|
Kunene Kude |
Neno |
Mwanza |
88km |
B / R |
|
Golomoti |
Khwekwelere |
Dedza |
80km |
B |
|
Wimbe |
Chamama |
Kasungu |
58km |
B |
|
Enfeni |
Maulawo |
Mzimba |
62km |
R |
|
Chikangawa |
Mzimba Junction |
Mzimba |
|
R |
|
Border Zambia |
Mzimba |
Mzimba |
|
R |
|
Chitipa (Misuku) |
Livingstonia |
Rumphi |
40km |
S |
|
Nyika |
Ntalile |
Chitipa |
150km |
B/S |
|
Phwezi |
Mchenga coal mine |
Rumphi |
35km |
S |
Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits
The Malawi Road Traffic Directorate (RTD) is currently operating 5 fixed weighbridges at Balaka, Songwe, Mchinji, Mulanje and Mwanza. The RTD also operates 2 mobile weighbridges. With respect to the Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), the maximum permissible weight is 55,000 kg. The vehicle axle configuration has to be taken into account when determining the GVM which may vary from vehicle to vehicle, thus for tractor unit plus trailer of 6-axle combination will have a maximum GVM of 50 mtn. In other words the load carried by the vehicle should not weigh more than 30 mt.
|
Axle load limits |
Malawi |
Mozambique |
Zambia |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Single Drive Axle |
10,000 kgs |
30,000 kgs1 |
35,000 kgs2 |
|
Steering Axle |
8,000 kgs |
30,000 kgs1 |
35,000 kgs2 |
|
Tandem (2) Drive Axles |
18,000 kgs |
30,000 kgs1 |
35,000 kgs2 |
|
Triple (3) Drive Axles |
28,000 kgs |
30,000 kgs1 |
35,000 kgs2 |
1: In Mozambique the maximum allowable load limit is 30 mt irrespective of how many axles
2: In Zambia the maximum allowable load limit is 35 mt irrespective of how many axles
Road Class and Surface Conditions
Road reclassification studies done in 2006 identified about 9,478km of undesignated road network that serve the rural communities. The main, secondary and tertiary roads effectively make up the country’s core network with remaining roads acting as feeder system. Road handles more than 70% on internal freight and 99% of passenger traffic. It handles more than 90% of international freight and passenger traffic. It is due to this volume of internal freight and passenger traffic that Malawi Government has given priority to maintenance and construction of roads in Malawi. It is actually estimated that 55% of the costs of production are taken up by transportation costs in Malawi compared to 17% of other developing countries. The present road conditions is 21% good, 7% fair and 42% poor. The targeted road network condition by the year 2011 was 71% good, 18% fair and 1% poor.
|
Type |
Paved |
Unpaved |
Total Network |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Km |
%Share |
Km |
%Share |
Km |
%Share |
|
|
Main (M) |
2,809 |
69 |
548 |
5 |
3,357 |
22 |
|
Secondary (S) |
442 |
11 |
2,683 |
24 |
3,125 |
20 |
|
Tertiary (T) |
44 |
1 |
1,077 |
36 |
4,121 |
27 |
|
District (D) |
8 |
0 |
3,498 |
31 |
3,500 |
23 |
|
Urban (U) |
770 |
19 |
578 |
5 |
1,348 |
9 |
|
Total Designated |
4,073 |
100 |
11,378 |
100 |
15,451 |
100 |
|
%Share |
26 |
|
74 |
|
100 |
|
|
Community Road Network |
|
9,478 |
|
9,478 |
38 |
|
|
Total Road Network |
4,073 |
|
20,856 |
|
24,929 |
|
The road quality in Malawi is good when analysing both paved and unpaved roads. Physical challenges for the road sector are mainly preservation related. According to Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) another 24 percent of the road maintenance budget is needed to sustain the national infrastructure. AICD’s summary on the road assessment states that
“The combination of relatively high road sector spending, apparent over paving and underfunding of maintenance suggest that there may be a case for shifting resources away from investment toward asset maintenance”
(Policy Research Working Paper 5133 Explaining high transport costs within Malawi, The World Bank Nov 2009)
Another road challenge is the assessment of unclassified feeder roads. The quality of feeder roads separating the rural areas from market towns are an important factor when it comes to influencing transport costs (AICD, March 2010, World Bank). For this matter international and national transport markets are segmented; the cost of the later rises significantly as empty backhauls and journeys covering small distances are being overcharged by the few transport companies operating in rural areas (PRWP, Nov 2009, World Bank). A proposed policy for lower transport costs in that market is to encourage a ‘domestic and small vehicle transport sector’. Hence, promoting intermediate means of transport (IMTs) would show to be a valuable outcome.
Malawi - 2.3.1 Songwe Land Border Crossing
Overview
The border post is a busy one and has a volume of 100 trucks per day. The road from Songwe is tarmac and is 45 Km to Karonga. Imports are second-hand vehicles, soap medicaments cement, fertilizer, and soap while exports are mainly agriculture produce.
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Malawi: Songwe Border Post |
|
Province or District |
Norther Region |
|
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Karonga |
|
Latitude |
-9.94161415077062 9°57'9.13"S |
|
Longitude |
33.924393732360926 33°55'29.36"E |
|
Managing Authority / Agency |
Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) |
|
Contact Person |
Victor Msesa Station Manager, + 26588885533 |
|
Travel Times |
|
|---|---|
|
Nearest International Airport |
Lilongwe International Airport (716 Km) Truck Travel Time: 18hrs Car Travel time: 9hrs 27min |
|
Nearest Port |
Dar es salaam (935 km) Truck Travel Time: 24Hrs Car Travel time: 12 Hrs |
|
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Karonga (45 Km) Truck Travel Time: 1 Hrs 40 Min Car Travel time: 50 min |
|
Other Information
|
The road from Songwe to Karonga is tarmac. Most truck cargo transits to Dar es salaam (935 Km) |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Every day regardless of holidays or seasons |
7:30 – 18:00 |
Daily Capacity
Songwe border post has a steady volume of traffic with over 100 trucks crossing per day
Customs Clearance
Delays occur when documentation is incomplete.
Import documents shall include:
- Bill of lading/cargo manifest for sea and land cargo
- Commercial/proforma invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin (optional)
- Certificate of analysis for food commodities (to accompany the cargo)
Export documentation:
- Bill of lading/cargo manifest for sea and land consignments
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin (optional)
- Certificate of analyses/phytosanitary for food commodities.
- Non-GMO certificate.
For more information on customs in Malawi, please see the following link:
Malawi Revenue Authority - Home (mra.mw)
Other Relevant Information
Agriculture/daily products are inspected by Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Malawi Bureau of Standards inspectors are present at the border.
The border mostly facilitates imports of second-hand vehicles from Japan, fertiliser, cement Medicament and soap while exports mainly are agriculture produce
Fees for the truck include temporary import permit USD 19 and toll fees varies depending on the nationality of truck registration and distance of destination.
Malawi government contact list - Malawi Government Ministries Contact List. | ReSAKSS
Malawi - 2.3.2 Mchinji Land Border Crossing
Overview
The border post is a busy one and has a volume of 120 trucks per day. The road from Mchinji one stop border post is tarmac and is 12 Km to Mchinji town. Imports are steel bars, steel coils, groceries, mahewu, and cement. while exports are mainly fertilizer, Sugar, soya pieces and plastic shoes
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Malawi: Mchinji one stop Border Post |
|
Province or District |
Central Region |
|
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Mchinji |
|
Latitude |
-13.795446453611513 |
|
Longitude |
32.8893325839602 |
|
Managing Authority / Agency |
Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) |
|
Contact Person |
Tapiwa Mzunga Station Manager +265 888 625 536 |
|
Travel Times |
|
|---|---|
|
Nearest International Airport |
Lilongwe International Airport (716 Km) Truck Travel Time: 5hrs Car Travel time: 2Hrs 23 Min |
|
Nearest Port |
Beira 1059 Km via Lilongwe Truck Travel Time: 30 Hrs Car Travel time: 15 Hrs 49 Min |
|
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Mchinji Town (12 Km) Truck Travel Time: 30 Min Car Travel time: 15 min |
|
Other Information
|
The road from Mchinj border post to Lilongwe is tarmac and the distance is 123Km |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Every day regardless of holidays or seasons |
6:00 – 18:00 |
Daily Capacity
Mchinji border post has a steady volume of traffic with over 120 trucks crossing per day
Customs Clearance
Delays occur when documentation is incomplete
Import documents shall include:
- Bill of lading/cargo manifest for sea and land cargo
- Commercial/proforma invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin (optional)
- Certificate of analysis for food commodities (to accompany the cargo)
Export documentation
- Bill of lading/cargo manifest for sea and land consignments
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin (optional)
- Certificate of analyses/phytosanitary for food commodities.
- Non-GMO certificate.
For more information on customs in Malawi, please see the following link:
Malawi Revenue Authority - Home (mra.mw)
Other Relevant Information
Agriculture/daily products are inspected by Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Malawi Bureau of Standards inspectors are present at the border.
The border mostly facilitates imports of steel bars, steel coils, groceries, mahewu, and cement while exports are mainly fertilizer, Sugar, soya pieces and plastic shoes
Fees for the truck include temporary import permit USD 19 and toll fees varies depending on the nationality of truck registration and distance of destination.
Malawi government contact list - Malawi Government Ministries Contact List. | ReSAKSS
Malawi - 2.3.3 Dedza Land Border Crossing
Overview
The border post is a busy one and has a volume of 60 trucks per day. The road from Dedza Border Post is tarmac and is 4 Km to Dedza Boma. Imports are of fertiliser, stell coil, cooking oil, fuel, and tobacco while exports are mainly soya beans, maize bran, maize, and ground nuts.
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Malawi: Dedza Border Post |
|
Province or District |
Central Region |
|
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Dedza Town |
|
Latitude |
-14.382057638832435 |
|
Longitude |
34.332661611663454 |
|
Managing Authority / Agency |
Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) |
|
Contact Person |
Moses Masina Station Manager, + 265 999 741 471 |
|
Travel Times |
|
|---|---|
|
Nearest International Airport |
Lilongwe International Airport (117 Km) Truck Travel Time: 4 Hrs Car Travel time: 2 Hrs 27min |
|
Nearest Port |
Beira (1014 km) Truck Travel Time: 28 Hrs Car Travel time: 14 Hrs 40 min |
|
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Dedza Town (4 Km) Truck Travel Time: 1 Hrs 20 Min Car Travel time: 50 min |
|
Other Information
|
The road from Dedza border Post to Dedza town is tarmac. Most truck cargo transits to Beira (1,014 Km) from Dedza border post |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Every day regardless of holidays or seasons |
6:00– 18:00 |
Daily Capacity
Dedza border post has a steady volume of traffic with over 60 trucks crossing per day
Customs Clearance
Delays occur when documentation is incomplete.
Import documents shall include:
- Bill of lading/cargo manifest for sea and land cargo
- Commercial/proforma invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin (optional)
- Certificate of analysis for food commodities (to accompany the cargo)
Export documentation
- Bill of lading/cargo manifest for sea and land consignments
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin (optional)
- Certificate of analyses/phytosanitary for food commodities.
- Non-GMO certificate.
For more information on customs in Malawi, please see the following link:
Malawi Revenue Authority - Home (mra.mw)
Other Relevant Information
Imports consist mainly of fertiliser, stell coil, cooking oil, fuel, and tobacco while exports are mainly soya beans, maize bran, maize, and ground nuts.
Agriculture/daily products are inspected by Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Malawi Bureau of Standards inspectors are present at the border.
The border mostly facilitates imports
Fees for the truck include temporary import permit USD 19 and toll fees varies depending on the nationality of truck registration and distance of destination.
Malawi government contact list - Malawi Government Ministries Contact List. | ReSAKSS