Construction contract awarded for new U.S. Embassy in Malawi

The U.S. Department Of State has awarded a design/build contract for the new U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi.

By Chriselle Moraes on
5th January 2022

The design/build construction contract for the embassy building was awarded to U.S. construction firm, B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama. The design architect for this project will be the Miller Hull Partnership of Seattle.

An Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed on 5 February 2018 for the acquisition of property for a new U.S. Embassy on Presidential Road in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Announcing the MOA for the property in 2018, U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Virginia Palmer said "The United States has been a steadfast partner in Malawi’s development since independence in 1964.  I am delighted that my government has committed to building a new U.S. Embassy in Lilongwe as a very physical demonstration of our ongoing commitment to our partnership with Malawi.  The current U.S. Embassy chancery, built in the early 1970s, no longer provides adequate space for our expanding work in Malawi.  We hope the new, state-of-the-art U.S. Embassy compound will be ready for occupancy early in the next decade".

The new embassy campus will be managed by the Overseas Building Operations (OBO), whose mission is to "provide safe, secure, reliable facilities that represent the U.S. Government to the host nation and support the Department's achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives abroad."

A statement on the U.S. Department of State website states that: "The new campus, managed by Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), will provide a secure, sustainable, and resilient platform for advancing U.S. and Malawi shared interests on democratic, accountable governance; fostering economic growth through the private sector; and supporting Malawi’s development primarily through health and education." OBO has completed around 171 new diplomatic facilities since the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program began in 1999. They are currently working on at least 50 projects worldwide that are being designed or are under construction.

Photo: Architectural Rendering of new US Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi (state.gov)

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