Malawi as a nation has its own means of transport.
Normally in Malawi, we have four transport systems, namely, road transport, air transport, rail transport and water transport.
But at this moment in time, we are going to focus much on water transport.

Currently, the hub for all water transport routs is the lake Malawi, which is followed by small lakes such as lake Chilwa, lake Malombe, lake Chiuta and even the Shire River itself.
But lake Malawi is the major transport route for all that has been mentioned.
It is the fifth biggest lake by volume, and that has fresh water in the world.
It also the ninth largest lake by area and in others, it is said to be the third largest and the second deepest lake in Africa.

People move from one area into another through lake Malawi by ship, engine boats and caved boats (Bwato).
There are less than four ships in total in lake Malawi but is the only Ilala that is working.

Ilala is the largest ship in Malawi, a 620 ton that can carry up to 360 passengers and 100 tons of freight.
The Ilala transfers passengers on lake Malawi once a week from North part of Malawi to the South and vice versa.
It makes 9 stops in different ports upon its journey from one part of Malawi to another.

It is the only water transport that many people preferred most to others like boats.
Since it is convenient, cheaper, it reserves time since it can carry a lot of people and goods at one time and it’s a bit harder for it to be drawn as compared to other vessels.
In other case it has also some weaknesses, which some of them are, it moves slowly than other vessels, it cost a lot to buy or even maintain when get damaged.

Engine boats are also used to transport people on the lake Malawi up and down from the north to the southern part of Malawi.

Engine boat is too faster than the ship.
For example, it can move from Chiphore (Mangochi Makanjila) to Senga Bay (Salima) for 3 hours,

Hence people like it. It is also affordable since people manage to buy their own.
And its maintenance it’s a bit cheaper than the ship.
On the other side, it is vulnerable to accident, mainly drawning when a strong wind occurred suddenly, it has sour price when one wants to board it from one area to the other.

Carved boats (Bwato) are the man-made vessel which is operated by people in the boat.
It is different from engine boat since engine boat requires fuel while this kind of boat only requires manpower for it to move from one place to another.
Another different is that it is a short distance kind of transport, while the engine boat can move a long distance from one port to the other.

Mostly, this kind this kind of boats are used by fishermen on their duty.
This type of boat is a bit cheaper for one to get it, even when we talk of maintenance usually have low price just because its materials are available here in Malawi.
So, this helps the small-scale fishermen to have a chance of moving from one location and to the other in the process of fishing.

Not only lake Malawi as the water transport route, but also, we have Shire River which play a low on the water transport.
The Shire River is the outlet of lake Malawi.
People use Shire River as the route to different location, e.g., people of Nsanje district use the same Shire River to transport different goods to and from Mozambique.

All in all, water transport is so vital like any other transport system in Malawi.
But this system of transport meets with various challenges that makes it inefficient.
The problem is Malawi government doesn’t put much effort on this type of transport in comparison with the other transport systems like road and rail transport.
We can see that there is a lot of good roads across Malawi, and the government keep on maintaining it almost each and every year.
Even when we talk of railway system, government is still working on it and make sure that everything is in condition.
Unlike the other transport system, it seems that government does not consider much on this transport system.

For this transport system to be efficient, Malawi as a government should always consider the system in such a way they do with the other systems, in so doing we can have good water transport as in other countries like South Africa, Tanzania etc.
This can happen by constructing modern ports that can allow international cargo liners to reach easily in Malawi.
This may improve marketing here in Malawi since it may become very easy to export and import goods to and from Malawi hence increasing the rate of foreign currency.

In exception of foreign currency, I hope many goods from outside Malawi could be cheaper just because this is short way than the road transport.
For example, people used to buy cars in Tanzania all the way to Malawi spending a lot of money just because we don’t have good ports that can allow ship to move directly to Malawi.
Another example, imports from India could become easily accessed through the Nsanje port that could encourage low price on different goods.
Apart from that, it could be easier for people to travel from Malawi to other countries in Europe and other continents likewise Europeans could also come to Malawi easily because of such a shorter route, which is totally difficult to use road transport.
So, I think it would be better to balance up on the improvement of all the transport systems knowing that each and every transport system has got a part to play in our economy.

So, Malawi as government need to eliminate the negatives mindset on water transport knowing that it can play it’s low on boosting our economic status.

Malawi ngati dziko, lili ndi njila zomwe anthu amagwiritsa ntchito pa maulendo osiyanasiyana.
Tili ndi zinayi zokha za maulendo Mmalawi muno, izi ndi monga; ulendo wapamsewu, ulendo wamm’mwamba, ulendo wapanjanji ndinso ulendo wa pamadzi. Koma nkhaniyi ikamba zambiri zokhuza ulendo wa pamadzi.

Kwapanopa, msanamira ya maulendo onse a pamadzi ndi nyanja ya Malawi, yomwe yasatiridwa ndi nyanja zina zing’onozing’ono monga nyanja ya chilwa, nyanja ya malombe, nyanja ya chiuta ngakhalenso mtsinje wa Shire.
Koma nyanja ya Malawi ndi njila imodzi yomwe ndi yaikulu pa njira zonse zatchulidwazi.

Nyanja ya Malawi ndi ya chisanu panyanja zikuluzikulu zomwe zili ndimadzi abwino(oti anthu atha kugwiritsa ntchito zosiyanasiyana) padziko lonse lapansi.
Komanso nyanjayi ndiya chisanu ndi chinayi pa nyanja zikuluzikulu, komanso ndi ndiyachiwiri kwa nyanja zikuluzikulu zakuya kwambiri mu Africa.

Anthu amagwiritsa ntchito sitima ya pamadzi kuchoka Madera awo nkupita Madera ena kuzera panyanjayi, ena a amagwiritsa ntchito ma bwato a injeni(engine) ndi enanso ma bwato osema.
Pachiwerengero, kuli sitima za pamadzi zosachepera zinayi kumalawi kuno, koma yomwe imagwira ntchito ndi Illala yokha basi.

Ilala ndi sitima yaikulu yapamadzi muno Mmalawi. Ndiyolemera matani osachepera mazana asanu ndilimodzi kuza makumi awiri (620), ndipo imanyamula anthu osachepera mazana atatu kuza makumi asanu ndi limodzi (360), ndinso katundu olemera ma tani osachepera zana (100).
Ilala imanyamula anthu kamodzi pa sabata kuchoka ku chigawo cha kumpoto nkupita chigawo chakum’mwera, nkuzachoka kum’mwera nkupita kumpoto.
Imaima m’madoko osachepera asanu ndi anayi(9) mu ulendo wake ochoka chigawo China cha dziko nkupita chigawo China.

Ndi njira yokhayo ya ulendo wa pamadzi imene anthu amaikonda kwambiri kusiyana ndi njira zina monga mabwato, pokhala yodalirika, yotsika mtengo, ndiyachangu popeza imatha kunyamula anthu ngakhale katundu wambiri kwa nthawi imodzi, komanso nkovuta kuti imire ngati momwe zimakhala a mabwato.
Sitima ya pamadzi ili ndi zofooka zake zomwe ndi kuyenda mwa pang’onopang’ono, ndikovuta kugula ngakhale kukonzetsa ikaonongeka chifukwa zipangizo zake nzokwera mtengo.
Mabwato a injeni amagwiritsidwanso ntchito pa nyanja ya Malawi maka ponyamula anthu kuchoka dera lawo nkupita dera Lina la Malawi. Bwato la injeni ndilachangu kwambiri kuyerekeza ndi sitima. Mwachitsanzo, limatha kuyenda kuchokera kuchiphore (Mangochi, makanjila) kupita ku Senga Bay (Salima) kwa maola atatu okha.
Ndi njila yofikirika popeza anthu amakwanitsa kugula bwato lawolawo.
Ndipo likaonongeka anthu amakwanitsa kukonzetsa kusiyana ndi sitima.
Bwato nalo Lili ndimavuto ake monga kuchita ngozi pafupipafupi maka mukakhala namondwe wa pamadzi, ndiyokwera mtengo kusiyana ndi sitima maka anthu akafuna kuchoka dera lawo nkupita dera Lina.

Pambali pa zonsezi, kumalawi tilinso ndi mabwato osema, awa ndi mabwato omwe amagwiritsidwa ntchito ndi asozi kuchoka mbali ina ya nyanja nkupita mbali ina maka pokupha nsomba.
Bwatoli limadalira mphamvu za munthu kuti liyende kusiyana ndi la injeni lomwe limayendera mafuta.

Bwatoli limagwiritsidwa ntchito poyenda mitunda ifupi ifupi kusiyana ndi la makina lomwe limayenda mtunda wautali.

Kawirikawiri mabwato asema amagwiritsidwa ntchito ndi asozi pantchito yawo.
Mabwatowa ndi ofikilika moti anthu ambiri amakhala nawo awoawo,komanso ndotsika mtengo maka Pokonzetsa akaonongeka popeza zipangizo zake nzopezekeratu kumalawi kwathu konkuno.
Choncho izi zimathandiza asozi ang’onoang’ono kukhala ndi mwai oyenda kuchoka mbali ina ya nyanja nkupita mbali ina poweza nsomba.

Sinyanja ya Malawi yokha yomwe imagwiritsidwa ntchito pa maulendo a pamadzi, nawo mtsinje wa Shire ndi imodzi mwa njila zapamadzi.
Anthu amagwiritsa ntchito mtsinje wa Shire kuchoka m’madera awo nkupita Madera ena.
Mwachitsanzo anthu a m’ boma la Nsanje amagwiritsa ntchito mtsinjewu ngati njira pokagula kapena kugulitsa katundu mdziko la Mozambique.

Zimangovuta,koma ulendo wapamadzi ndofunika kwambiri monga maulendo ena onse.
Koma ulendo wapamadzi umakumana ndimavuto osiyanasiyana zimene zimapangitsa kuti ikhale njira yosadalirika kwenikweni.
Vuto ndilakuti dziko la Malawi silimaikapo chidwi pa maulendo a pamadzi monga momwe limachitira pa maulendo ena monga apamsewu ndi apanjanji.
Titha kuona kuti kuli misewu yabwino yambiri Mmalawi muno, yomwe so imakhala ikukonzedwa nthawi ndi nthawi. Ngakhalenso njanji, boma lidakakonzabe njanji ndikuonetsetsa kuti chilichonse chili mchimake, kulekana ndi maulendo apamadzi omwe zimaoneka ngati boma silimaika chidwi kwenikweni pa maulendo amenewa.

Kuti ulendo wapamadzi ukhale odalirika, Malawi ngati boma likuyenera kumaika chidwi chake nthawi zonse pa ulendo wapamadzi monga momwe zimachitikira wapamsewu ndi panjanji.
Pakutero, ndiye kuti tingakhale ndi mayendedwe abwino apamadzi ngati momwe achitira maiko anzathu monga South Africa ndinso Tanzania.
Izi zingachitike pokonzanso madoko amakono omwe angamalore sitima zikuluzikulu zonyamula katundu kumafika mosavuta kumalawi kuno.
Izi zingatukule Malawi pankhani zamalonda popeza zingakhale zophweka kutumiza ngakhale kulandira katundu kuchokera maiko akunja, zomwe zingachulukitse mwayi wa kapezekedwe ka ndalama za kunja.

Kupatulanso ndalama zakunja, ndikhulupiriranso kuti katundu wambiri ochokera maiko akunja akanatha kutsika mtengo chifukwa iyi ikanakhala njira yaifupi yofikira mdziko lino kusiyana ndi yapamsewu.
Mwachitsanzo anthu amaononga ndalama zambiri pokagula galimoto mdziko la Tanzania chifukwa tilibe madoko abwino omwe angamalandire sitima zikuluzikulu Mmalawi muno.
Chitsanzo china nchakuti katundu ochokera mdziko la India akanazipezeka mosavuta mdziko muno kuzera ku doko la Nsanje, zomwe zikanapangitsa kuti katundu wochokera dziko limeneri atsike mtengo.
Kupatula kutsika mtengo Kwa katundu osiyanasiyana, kukanakhalanso kosavuta anthu kuyenda kuchoka kuno kumalawi kupita maiko aku Uraya, chimodzimodzinso anthu aku Uraya kubwera kumalawi kuno, zomwe nzovuta panopa kugwiritsa ntchito misewu.
Choncho ine ndikuganiza kuti kukanakhala koyenera kutukura njira zonse za maulendo podziwa kuti njira iliyonse ili ndikufunika kwake pa nkhani yotukula chuma mdziko muno.

Choncho Malawi ngati boma, likuyenera kuchotsa malingaliri oyang’anira pansi njira yapamadzi podziwa kuti nayonso ili ndikuthekera kotukura chuma Cha dziko lino.