Shire Valley Transformation Project

The Shire Valley Transformation Programme (SVTP) is a phenomenal agricultural infrastructure in Malawi aimed at enhancing productivity, commercialization, and climate resilience for smallholder farmers in the Shire Valley, particularly in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts.

Launched in 2018, the program is structured into three overlapping phases and is scheduled to run until 2031. This means President Chakwera’s ten year rule will constitute over 90 percent of the project’s lifespan in terms of construction.

It is earmarked to become the largest irrigation scheme in Southern Africa.

It features a waterway that spans 63 kilometres in Chikwawa and Nsanje districts and will at full scale irrigate 44,000 hectares of land all year round.  

This will align with President Chakwera's agenda on food security and agriculture commercialisation in which he intends to end persistent hunger, increase crop yields and spur manufacturing.

Efforts are underway to formalize land rights for smallholder farmers, enabling them to participate effectively in commercial farming ventures.

The program is a collaborative effort between the Government of Malawi and several international partners.