Government has singled out inadequate funding as one of the major constraints that is restraining the demarcation and the re-affirmation of Malawi’s international boundaries.

Presenting a ministerial statement on the demarcation of Malawi/Zambia and the re-affirmation of Malawi/Mozambique boundaries in Parliament, Minister of Lands Sam Kawale said only K95 million out of the budgeted K550 million has been allocated this year to cover both boundary projects.

Said Kawale: “Inadequate and untimely provision of resources on the Malawi side, for example, only K95 million out of a realistic budget of K550 million has been allocated this year to cover both boundary projects.”

Kawale said the allocated K95 million will only cover activities for only two months.

Kawale added that Malawi and her neighbouring countries will fail to finalise the boundary demarcation and re-affirmation exercises before the African Union deadline of this coming December.

The boundaries between Malawi and Zambia and between Malawi and Mozambique were both inherited from colonial administrators, the British and the Portuguese.

According to Kawale, the exercise is in line with the 1964 Cairo Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Heads of State and Government Resolution which directed that all Member States adopt international boundaries as inherited from the colonial administrators at the time of independence unless other agreements are made between Member States.

The re-affirmation of the boundary line started in 2009 in line with Anglo-Portuguese Agreements to make the boundary more visible to all boundary users.