The proposed Project Objective is to improve rural accessibility and increase economic and social connectivity in selected districts, and to strengthen capacity for sustainable rural road management. The project has four components:

1. Rural Road Upgrading and Rehabilitation (US$ 40 million). The component will prioritize roads based on
   social criticality – a composite indicator based on (i) lack of network redundancy; (ii) proximity to agricultural production centers; (iii) proximity to markets; (iv) proximity to health and education facilities; and (v) poverty and social /ethnic diversity presence. The subcomponent activities would therefore target select district transport networks with the highest potential for improving socio-economic impacts through the upgrading and rehabilitation of secondary, tertiary and district road networks and/or small-scale water transport infrastructure (e.g. landing stages). This component would comprise four sub-components.
   1. Rural Roads Maintenance and Rehabilitation (US$ 22.5 million). This sub-component would consider Secondary, Tertiary and District Roads that play a major role in linking district agricultural and economic areas to the primary road network.
   2. Subcomponent 1b. District Roads Maintenance and Rehabilitation (US$ 10 million). This sub-component will support gravel rehabilitation of District Roads linking local markets and agricultural areas to all-season roads. Interventions will target the same districts as the ones for upgrading works to complete the ‘last mile’ of the road network. Laborbased, intensive techniques will be considered wherever possible.
   3. Bridge Construction and Rehabilitation (US$ 7 million). This sub-component will specifically target critical bridges on rural roads in the target districts and across Malawi. The aim is to open inaccessible areas due to lack of water crossing structures in the rural areas. Results will be measured according to number of opened-up areas.
   4. Safe Systems Approach to Road Infrastructure (US$ 2.5 million). This subcomponent will aim to address issues of road safety in Malawi. Sub-activities could include a continuation of the most critical road accident blackspots especially along the M1 highway corridor.
2. Social and Economic Infrastructure (US$ 5 million). The component could support the development or rehabilitation of market centers by constructing market
   infrastructure and storage facilities for farmers. Working together with Agriculture and Trade, the component can catalyze microenterprises through farmer cooperatives (especially those formed under the Agriculture Commercialization Project) that would utilize these facilities to enhance accessibility to markets. The activities will also consider construction of designated women only market stalls and storage facilities, as well as women only toilets within the markets.
3. Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Development (US$ 3 million). The component will provide targeted technical assistance activities that can support relevant national and district agencies address sustainable management of rural transport. The need to improve the condition and state of repair of the rural road network was raised as a priority in all district consultations for the NTMP Critical will be support in the development of a Rural Road Maintenance Strategy or Master Plan, given the current lack of a comprehensive rural transport strategy.
4. Project Management (US$ 2 million). The component will finance activities to support the Implementing Entities with coordination and oversight of investment and consultant activities. Funding will be used for bolstering in-house capacity for project monitoring, meeting fiduciary responsibilities, ensuring social and environmental safeguards compliance, and supporting communication and reporting, and facilitating steering committee meetings. Roles will be identified based on any gaps identified in the implementing agency assessment prior to appraisal.

World Bank:
Christopher J. De Serio
Senior Transport Specialist

Borrower:
Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Management
Betty Ngoma
Director of Debt and Aid
bettyngoma@gmail.com

Implementing Agency:
Malawi Roads Authority
Isaac Kunkeyani
Chief Construction Engineer
IKunkeyani@ra.org.mw 

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