MALAWI ASSUMES CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN FOCAL GROUP (ASAFG) OF THE AFRICAN ROAD MAINTENANCE FUNDS ASSOCIATION (ARMFA)
Roads Fund Administration (RFA) Malawi took over the Chairmanship of the ARMFA Southern African Focal Group (ASAFG), at the focal group’s meeting that was held between 13th to 17th April 2025. The Chairmanship is for a period of two years. The meeting also elected Angola as the Vice Chair of ASAFG. Malawi will serve for a period of two years having taken over from Lesotho.
The ASAFG is a grouping of Road Funds in the SADC region whose current membership comprises of Angola, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The ASAFG is an arm of the Africa wide African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA) which has four focal groups covering: West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. AS Chair of the ASAFG, Malawi will also serve on the Board of Directors of ARMFA whose headquarters is in Nairobi, Kenya.
In his acceptance speech, Stewart Malata – the RFA Chief Executive Officer, thanked the ASAFG members for entrusting Malawi with the leadership role. He went on to state that Malawi will ensure continuity of the implementation of the ASAFG’s Strategic plan initiatives which include Road Funds’ revenue base diversification, use of appropriate technologies to enhance operations, encourage close collaboration with other Roads Funds within Africa with a view to sharing best practices, grow the ASAFG membership and promote ASAFG within SADC structures and development partners. Malawi will also facilitate the creation of a strong working relationship between ASAFG and the Association of Southern African National Road Agencies (ASANRA). As an ISO 9001 certified institution, the Roads Fund Administration-Malawi will also encourage regional Road Funds to strengthen their Quality Management Systems through ISO certification.
Each ARMFA focal group meets regularly to discuss strategic issues of mutual interest as well as sharing of best practices. Focal groups’ resolutions are then presented for discussion and adoption by the ARMFA General Assembly during the Association’s Annual General Conference.
