Our partners in the Lake Malawi Water Supply Project, including NBS Bank and CDH Investment Bank, recently conducted a due-diligence tour in Johannesburg and Free State. This visit, led by our client Salima Lilongwe Water Supply Company, aimed to inspect the production of essential equipment and supplies for the water project. As the saying goes, “Follow the money.”
Among the manufacturers visited was ECEM, which has built the advanced Karoo 50 concrete batching plant. This high-tech plant will be the first of its kind in Malawi. The project will require significant amounts of concrete, and three mobile plants of this type will arrive in Malawi within weeks to enhance the project’s efficiency. Producing all the concrete on-site will minimize the risks and delays associated with transporting it by truck.
The delegation also toured Africa Pipe Industries, which manufactures the highly recommended carbon steel pipes for the 120km pipeline from Salima to Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. An order for these pipes has been confirmed, and production is underway as specified. Similar to the batching plant, the pipes will be transported to Malawi by road.
At this point, all necessary equipment for the project, including trucks, trailers, and cranes, has been mobilized and is ready for shipment to Malawi.
