Patrick Achitabwino articles

Behind the magnificent buildings that glitter our cities, the bridges that connect people from different sides, road networks that necessitate easy travel from one point to another, air terminals where planes land at, is the construction industry.

Behind the growth of infrastructural development that are improving the well-being of people through the provision of goods and services, silently hides the construction industry which can as well be termed as the backbone to national development. Infrastructure is indispensable to achieve the main development targets such as urbanization, industrialization, export promotion, equitable income distribution, and sustainable economic development. The construction industry, the main player in the infrastructure development, should as well be accredited with silently advancing national development agenda.

The construction industry has a remarkable impact on the GDP of a country, personal earnings and creation and sustaining of employees. The Associated General Contractors of America, projected that in 2009 in Maryland an additional of US$1 billion in nonresidential construction spending would add about US$2.2 billion to the state’s GDP, about US$660 million on personal earnings and create or sustain 17,000 jobs. The analysis on the jobs created was on the basis that 5,800 jobs would be direct construction jobs located within Maryland, 2,700 would be indirect jobs from supplying construction materials and services, and 8,500 jobs would be induced when workers and owners in construction and supplier businesses spend their incomes locally and nationwide.

It is obvious that construction industry is the pivotal element in infrastructure development. Byoungki Kim in the article ‘infrastructure development for the economic development in developing countries: lessons from Korea and Japan’ stresses that infrastructure development is one of the most integral parts of the public policies in developing countries. Good infrastructure such as road construction helps to lower productivity costs hence contributing to economic growth. The construction of relevant infrastructure like roads in rural areas has a considerable impact on national wealth distribution. In South Korea, extensive road networks in 1960s and 1970s led to rapid growth of vegetable production and other cash crops designed for the urban markets.

Numerous construction projects carried out in the country highlights the positive impact of the construction industry on socio-economic development. Roads that have been paved in rural areas linking them to cities have boosted trade in agricultural products as the cost of transportation of agricultural products has gone down.

The country is expected to benefit from probably one of Malawi’s mega-construction project: the Shire-Zambezi waterway. All benefits to be accrued out of the project will be as a result of construction activities carried out by the construction industry. The drenching of the waterway, the building of a port and an air strip are all expected to revolutionise business in Nsanje so too raise the socio-economic levels of the people surrounding the port in particular and nationwide in general.

In accordance with the project proposal for the Shire-Zambezi waterway, when the project is completed it will reduce costs of goods and services for landlocked countries like Malawi and Zambia by at least 60 percent of the current costs. This will certainly have a positive effect on the livelihoods of Malawians as the cost of living will likely go down. It is imperative however to note that underneath this wonderful dream has to be the construction industry.

Apparently as the government is geared to enhance rural development in its development agenda, the construction industry faces the daunting task to be part of the development philosophy. The construction industry has to ensure that it has the capacity to deliver development projects as per the needs of the government and in the time scale specified.

Many a development projects are in the pipeline, most notable, road projects, schools, police and teachers’ houses, boreholes, among many others. The construction industry would add value to the country’s development agenda through successfully undertaking the said projects. Certainly, the construction industry loses credibility, trust and reputation in the eyes of the publics if projects it undertakes do not live to the expectations of the people.

The government’s rural development project could further spur the growth of indigenous construction companies which will in the end trickle-down economic benefits to the country and the citizens. The mushrooming of indigenous construction firms with capacity to handle large scale jobs will save the country from losing forex as most projects will be handled locally, hence requiring no need for forex to pay international construction firm.

This could certainly write a new chapter in the history of the construction industry in the country. As the small construction firms will be developing they will certainly be competing for construction jobs in other countries within Africa and possibly beyond. This could make the construction industry a reliable partner in bringing into the country the required forex. The exposure of the construction industry abroad could as well play the ambassadorial role of marketing services that Malawi can offer in Africa and beyond. If one sector successfully storms the international market, other sectors stand an easy chance as they actually ride on the success of the pioneer service provider.

It is time that our construction industry becomes a force worthy reckoning on the international scale. We could learn from the Norwegian building and construction industry which has attracted international attention for its innovative design and exceptional products. Norwegian architects have won international acclaim for their modern approach to traditional materials such as wood, stone and metal. Norway has cutting-edge expertise in building large timber structures, tunnelling, and cavern excavation, as well as in road and bridge construction. Norwegian manufacturers export first-class timber and wood products like parquet flooring, prefabricated houses, and other building components worldwide. Glued, laminated timber (“glulam”) is a specially-developed, lightweight, and extremely strong product that has added a new dimension to the design of homes, large public and commercial buildings, and even bridges. The main terminal building at Oslo Gardermoen Airport is the largest laminated wood structure in the world. The Norwegian classic example is a precedent that our industry should set benchmarks on.
Meanwhile, as the economic development programme of the country has embraced Public private Partnerships, the construction industry could cement its backbone position in national development if it takes a crucial role in the provision of infrastructure that can support the initiative. As housing scarcity threatens our cities, the construction industry can, through Public Private Partnerships, construct houses. Not only that, the construction industry, by nature of its services, is well poised to take a leading role in some of the potential projects earmarked for Public Private Partnership agreements.
Apparently, the house construction boom provides investment opportunities in forestry and paper. As the online allafrica.com edition of 8 November 2008 reports Malawi's construction industry is experiencing a boom which has made investment in commercial forests a profitable venture. However, the report continues, current production levels don't meet demand in the local and foreign markets, hence the invitation to exploit commercial potential. It is noticeable therefore that the construction industry is giving rise to the growth of the timber industry hence providing a lucrative business and employment opportunity to many Malawians. This could further lead to a possibility of establishing private forests to satisfy the construction demand. Not only that, the construction industry has also been leading to tree seedling production becoming a vibrant economic activity practiced by both small and large scale entrepreneurs though at present the government is the largest buyer of seedlings.
In as much as we are proud that the construction and building industry has played a crucial part in the socio-economic development of the country, we can only hope that the industry will not be contented with its remarkable success but further polish some of its grey areas.

Construction is an integral part in the development of a country as it forms the mother component behind all activities bordering on infrastructure development. However, a worst evil that can wreck havoc in this extremely important sector is corruption and fraud that can lead to the erosion of ethics in the entire sector.

Of course corruption can be said to have infiltrated many developmental sectors but it is extremely important to note that the ravaging impact of corruption in the construction sector can be severe as it can deeply eat resources that could help develop programmes of significant national importance.

Speaking at a workshop on Project Anti-Corruption Systems held in Dar es Salaam in May 2007, Catherine Stansbury from the Transparency International of United Kingdom said that the construction sector was generally perceived as the most corrupt industry in the world.

Corruption has an edge to penetrate into the construction industry system as it can occur at any phase such as project identification, financing, designing, tendering and execution. This trend of corruption could involve project owners, funding agencies, consultants, contractors, sub-contractors, joint-venture partners and agents.

The worst thing is that the toleration of corrupt practices in the construction industry leads into misuse or poor use of public funds and infrastructure that is inadequate, defective, dangerous, and the chocking of the industry itself as the corrupt and incompetent practitioners prosper.

Corruption does not aid the development of the construction industry. If anything, corruption leads to the tarnishing of the image of this reputable industry and induce questionable perceptions in the minds of the people regarding the sectors’ contribution to national development. In the very end, the more corruption sieges the sector, the more competent and uncorrupt construction firms diminish as they are outmarketed by the most corrupt. This poses a danger in the sense that the corrupt firms dominating the sector end up undertaking projects that are hurriedly completed regardless of expected standards and the impact on the services to be provided.

The world has on several occasions experienced tragic events associated with corruption in the construction sector. The South Asia Investor Review of February 11, 2009 reports that on September 1, 2007 the newly constructed Sher Shah Bridge in Karachi, Pakistan, collapsed killing 14 people and injuring many others. The bridge had just been inaugurated less than a month before by the former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf. Shoddy construction and corruption were suspected but an investigation was yet to produce results.

The Investor Review further adds that earthquakes that hit China and Pakistan in the last few years have caused massive destruction. The fact that the damage was significantly disproportionate to government schools and other government buildings raised questions about shoddy construction by government contractors supervised by corrupt officials.

As the Transparency International explains, corruption on construction projects is damaging. It damages developed and developing countries resulting in projects which are unnecessary, unreliable, dangerous, and over-priced. This can lead to loss of life, poverty, economic damage and underdevelopment. The yet to be concluded education scam is a vivid examples of how a country retrogresses when construction projects are mingled with corruption. Up to now, many school blocks keep on existing on paper. Money that was meant to enhance educational development did not serve the intended purpose.

The scope of the damages of corruption in the construction industry stretches as far as companies. This results in tendering uncertainity, wasted tender expenses, increased project cost, economic damage, reduced project opportunities, extortion and blackmail, criminal prosecutions, fines, black listings, and reputational risk.

Of course corruption in the construction industry is a complex issue and difficult to root out easily. A research that was conducted in 2002 by the Chartered Institute of Building on corruption in the UK construction industry reveled that it is generally assumed that corruption occurs but the form and scale of corruption is by its nature difficult to establish. The research shown that many researchers had had direct experience of corruption. For example 41 percent had ever been offered a bribe on at least one occasion.

To really root out the malpractice this malpractice it is imperative that the construction industry adheres to a clear policy on corruption, ethics and transparency that recommends and supports the development and implementation of industry-wide anti-corruption mechanisms.

Strict adherence to ethical guidelines in the construction industry is the best means in the fight against corruption in this industry. As the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) Code of Ethics for Contractors in the construction industry clarifies ‘Construction services have a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by Contractors require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. Contractors must perform under a standard of behaviour that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.’

But not only contractors should be expected to adhere to proper ethical codes. As the construction industry involves many players, it is also essential to ensure that consultants strictly adhere to a framework that standardizes their conduct. The NCIC Code of Ethics for consultants in the construction industry gives out fundamental principles that should govern consultants. The principles include: Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public; Perform services only in areas of their competence; Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner; Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees; Avoid deceptive acts; Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of their profession.

The country can successfully wage a must-win war against corruption in the construction industry if the enforcement and monitoring of the industry stakeholders compliance to the stated ethical codes takes centre stage at the aggressive level. The inability to police the conduct of construction stakeholders in the light of the principle ethical guidelines codes breeds a fertile ground for corruption. The Anti Corruption Bureau should further take the initiative to sensitize contractors and the public masses on the repercussions of corruption in the construction industry on national development.

A pen is mighty than the sword, so it is believed. Over the years, one art that has had the temerity to challenge swords has been poetry. The Poetry of South Africa’s Dennis Brutus did expose the inhuman acts of the apartheid regime. Nigeria is awash with poets fighting for liberation from economic and political exploitation: Niyi Osundare and Obiora Udechukwu are some notable examples. Malawi has its fare share in the hall of fame of poetry of protest through Jack Mapanje and Frank Chipasula. There is however a group of poets that can better be labeled ‘voices of protest’. Probably a leading figure in such a category would be Obiora Udechukwu of Nigeria.

Going through Udechukwu’s poem entitled: The Land, a reader gets a vivid image of the betrayed hopes of the people of Nigeria. Divided into ten parts, the poem is more of a lamentation of a common man who though lives in a country classified among the rich in Africa, he or she is lives a miserable life, unable to even access the basic necessities of life as the political elite takes all. The poem highlights the water scarcity as follows:

If thirst catches you in Uwani/ If thirst catches you Ogui/ I say/ If thirst catches you in Enugu/ There are many gutters for free/ Police will not arrest you.

The poem starts with a powerful introduction that entices a reader to read on. The distinguished professor, painter and poet internationally acclaimed for his visual arts poses questions in the opening two-line stanza: What is the hare saying to the fowl?/What is the owl singing to the moon?

An element that a reader might find intriguing and exciting in the poem is the lyrical style used and the irony in some of the sentences. For instance one stanza reads: We were once poor but rich/ We are now rich but poor. Another ironic adds reads: We were once naked but alive/ we are now clothed but a corpse.

The Land strictly challenges Nigerian politicians to move away from rhetoric politics riddled with empty promises. Udechukwu states in one stanza: Promises and three-piece suits/ Cannot climb palm trees/ Briefcases and files/ Cannot plant cassava/ Ora obodo, can one eat roast yam with petrol?

Dissilusionment in promises is clearly spelled out in a short stanza that reads: Promises are baskets of water/ Promises are words spoken to the wind.

Those who are fascinated with poetry for technical skills in poetic craft would certainly find ‘The land’ rich in that content. The poem weaves irony in an admirable fashion, deals with issues in the light of allegories, personifications, symbolism and other attributes of poetry.

Published in an anthology of poems, short stories and drama entitled: New Africa Voices, The Land gives an insight into the missing link in the development process of Nigeria: leaders with the vision and integrity to enable the country to fulfill its potential.

It might not be surprising that at the moment that Dr. Stewart Brown, editor of the anthology, was compiling the anthology Obiora Udechukwu and other academics at the University of Nsukka where he was a distinguished professor had been interned.

Obiora Udechukwu’s poetry offers new generations an opportunity to get in touch with the past, to learn the evils of dictatorship. Its lyrical style makes the poem recitable even using drums. The Land was written during the military regime in Nigeria. The author also boasts a collection of poems entitled: What the madman said, published by the Boomerang Press in Bayreuth in Germany in 1990.

Fiction excites a lot when it does not only just entertain but teach as well. One excellent piece of fiction writing that portrays what havoc greed can cause in the life of a human is a short story entitled ‘Tekayo’ written by Grace Ogot of Kenya.

Set in Sudan, the story talks of a grandfather, Tekayo, who after tasting a delicious liver dropped by an eagle; he is filled with a craving which gradually leads to his moral disintegration. This is portrayed in how Tekayo progressively cuts himself off from his own nature, from his relations, community and work. In murdering children entrusted in his care all just in the hunt to roast their livers and in his eventual suicide, he effectively cuts himself off, in life, death and for all time, from the community.

One exciting element in the story is how the author consistently shows the reader how greed can transform the life of a human. In one paragraph Tekayo is seen storming the Ghost jungle all just to hunt for an animal with a liver as delicious as the one that fell from the claws of the eagle.

Tekayo’s changing life due to greed comes in the limelight when he, all over a sudden, started leaving home early, refusing even to take lunch with him to the field where he grazed cattle. He would just take with him his hunting spear.

The grand man’s greed was so deep rooted such that his dedication to grazing and milking the cows started wearing thin. The author paints a clear image as follows: ‘while previously Tekayo could patiently graze the cattle, his life had changed. He rushed the cow along, lashed at any cow that lingered in one spot for long. Reaching at the edge of the Ghost jungle he would live the cows grazing unattended as he went hunting.’

At one point in the book a reader comes across a scenario whereby the cows headed home alone as Tekayo was lost in the Ghost jungle hunting for animals with delicious livers. He even risked his life to eat livers of a lion, leopard, and hyena, all of which were tabooed by his clan. Yet, he never came across meat as delicious as the one that fell from the claws of an eagle.

One master piece of literary writing is showcased in the story through the author’s ability to tackle irony in an interesting manner. After Tekayo killed his second grand child, his sons wondered: which animal can it be that was terrorizing their village? One of Tekayo’s sons even suggested that his aged-father might be in danger from the ferocious unknown beast just as the two children had been. In the end, when Tekayo is found out to be the ferocious beast that was killing the children, he is treated like an animal he had become; he is locked in a windowless hut built for goats and sheep. Even his clansmen chanted: ‘he is not one of us. He is not one of us. He is an animal.’

Another literary art one comes across in the story is that as the story is set in a rural environment, the author brings to light the people’s traditional customs and beliefs. At supper time, male members of the Tekayo family would sit together and eat. And in observation of traditional beliefs they would throw some food on the ground before beginning to eat; thus sharing the food with ancestral spirits.

We further learn the mode of communicating sad news in this rural setting. When Tekayo was caught trying to murder his third grand child, a big fire was set on the compound and drums were beaten to notify villagers that sad news had occurred in the compound.

The traditional justice system and how punishment is meted out in respect of traditional beliefs and customs is well articulated in how Grace Ogot explains how the community would treat Tekayo the murderer. Ogot explains: ‘everyone on the clan must throw a stone at the murderer, for it was claimed that the murderer’s wicked spirit would rest upon a man who did not help to drive him away. Tekayo would be stoned to death outside the village.’

What the author does not tell in the story is why Tekayo could not kill any of the cows and roast its liver and claim that it had been attacked by wild animals? Perhaps since cows were domestic animals, he might have had tasted many of cow livers and were not as delicious as the liver that fell from the claws of the eagle.

The way the author concentrates on the single theme of greed throughout the story coupled with the writing style used well-versed in imagery and irony, makes the story an excellent piece of work for teaching short fiction writing. Students pursuing literature studies at the tertiary level can as well learn some writing tricks from the story. It is amazing that the story explains hunting tricks perfectly though authored by a lady.

Tekayo is a story published in the Anthology of East African Short stories, edited by Valerie Kibera. The collection boasts of other excellent short stories like Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s A Mercedes funeral, Meja Mwangi’s Incident in the park, Barbara Kimenye’s The battle of the sacred tree, among many others.

Inculcating a reading and knowledgeable culture in children calls upon the availability of necessary information resources written in the taste and style than can appeal to the interest of children. In Cecelia Dube Loti’s Baby Animals, nursery and primary school teachers and even parents who like teaching their children to read and write the queens language, have found a good companion.

The 22-page book knitted with illustrations of animals and their names provides children an insight into the animal kingdom. It can probably be called the dictionary of names of baby animals.

The exciting part of the book is that it is written in prose format hence making it easy for children to read as the contents can as well be recited. In the book, Loti endeavors to teach children 22 baby names of some of the common animals. The first page teaches a child that the name of a baby dog is a puppy.

An element that appears to be of great and admirable appeal to children is that the book is written in such a way that after a baby animal introduces itself, it questions another baby animal on the other page of the book its name. That skill entices a child to go ahead to find the answer. At the end, a young reader finds answers to the baby names of the animals through the answers of other baby animals.

What can also arouse the interest of children in the book are the colourful illustrations done by Tofara Dikani. They all portray the baby animals in their infant stages. Surely, as children are young they also like young-like creatures like toys.

Further beyond, the additional art of putting all the illustrations contained in the book on the cover page but without their names offers the children an opportunity to relate the baby animals to their names while the book is covered. They could in the end refer to the actual pages for corrections.

By the time a child finishes reading the book he/she would have learnt names of baby animals for the following big animals: dog, cat, lion, sheep, pig, hen, cock, bird, eagle, horse, tadpole, duck, goose, butterfly, deer, bull, cow, goat, swan, hawk, and hare.

It is worthy mentioning that though the book is meant for children it is not logical enough to restrict it to them. Definitely, not many adults know all the baby names of animals written in the book. Having a glimpse at it can equip adults with knowledge of the baby names hence responding accurately in case children ask one some of the baby names of the animals written in the book.


Of course the book would have been much better if the baby animals had been arranged in the book in alphabetical since children easily follow alphabet. It could have provided them an easy task of easy learning through twinning its contents to the alphabet. However, that having been said, the book remains a vital resource in enriching vocabulary of children and adult learners. The author can only be encouraged to consider the baby animals story as a series to provide a more wider insight into name s of many other animals left uncovered in the book.

‘Baby animals’ has been published by the National Library Service and it is edition number 32 in its Werengani series. Werengani series is a series of books meant to enrich reading habits of primary school age children. The National Library Service embarked on the series to alleviate effects of the chronic absence of suitable reading materials written and produced with the Malawian child in mind.

The motive of authoring the book can be achieved if it is made available to children through their school libraries. The advantage is that publishers of the book, National Library Service distribute books for free to primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. School librarians will do their pupils justice by acquiring the book freely from the publishers.