Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jacob Hara, has said road construction works by government will resume when the rains the country is experiencing subside.

Hara said all the resources are available and that roads like the M1 and M5, the six-lane Kenyatta Drive and the dual-carriage way from Crossroads to Kanengo in Lilongwe will all be constructed as soon as the rains are over.

He added that in a drive to have forex available at all times, government was deliberately empowering local contractors so that they successfully compete with other bidders. Hara also said government will be buying construction equipment so that Malawian contractors can be hiring rather than opting for foreign contractors.

"Some contractors had issues to work on but I'm glad to report that almost all the contractors are now ready. What we are waiting for now are the rains to subside. When that happens, we will go full throttle with the works," explained Hara.

Commenting on railway transportation, the minister said government is committed to ensure that people have access to affordable means of transport. He added that railway transport was very cheap as it carries huge loads at once. He also disclosed that government was training engineers to work in the railway transport sector so that works can be expedited.

"It is in line with our transportation master plan to reduce transportation and flight costs. One way to achieve this is to introduce a multi-modal transportation system," remarked Hara.