On February 14 this year, President Lazarus Chakwera stood in Parliament to deliver a State of the Nation Address (Sona).

In the Sona, Chakwera claimed that, having been in power for 1,684 days, his administration had managed to deliver many development projects across the country.

Unlike previous Sonas, where presidents highlighted development projects sector by sector, Chakwera opted to do things differently by presenting the projects district by district.

For Salima, Chakwera claimed that his administration had implemented a number of development projects in all five constituencies, represented by lawmakers Kaphamtengo Yona, Enock Phale, Gerald Kapiseni Phiri, Christopher Manja and Mwawa Mike Ngombe.

Among other things, the Malawi leader claimed that his administration had revamped Salima Sugar Company Limited, which is currently producing 21,000 metric tonnes of sugar and employs over 4,200 people.

A tour of the company in Salima revealed that people were busy working in both the fields and the factory.

Salima Sugar Executive Chairman Wester Kosamu told Times that the operations of the company had improved in recent years, creating job opportunities for Malawians.

According to Kosamu, initially there were between 100 and 120 people from India working at the company.

He said that when they took over the company, they ensured that Malawians took over these jobs.

Kosamu also said the company had created job opportunities for women.

“We have also developed good working relationships with cane growers to the point that, when they don’t have enough inputs such as fertiliser, we provide them on credit.

“We have also developed good working relationships with chiefs and communities in Salima, to the extent that incidents of burning cane fields are a thing of the past because they know it is their company,” he said.

Also in the Sona, Chakwera claimed that his administration had commenced the Salima–Lilongwe Water Supply Project, which is expected to benefit over 1.5 million people in Salima, Dowa, Ntchisi and Lilongwe.

Times visited the site at Lifuwu in Salima, where earth-moving equipment was clearing the site for the construction of tanks with a capacity of 100 million cubic metres.

Construction works were also noted at Katengeza, Mvera and Chezi in Dowa.

The Malawi leader also claimed in the Sona that his administration is constructing the 60-kilometre Kaphatenga–Benga M5 Road, having completed the Lifyozi Bridge.

A visit to the Kaphatenga–Benga stretch revealed that contractors were busy working on the road.

Another claim made by Chakwera in the Sona was that, since 2020, about 285,125 beneficiaries had redeemed their Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) subsidies.

However, figures obtained from the