MALAWI’S FUEL CRISIS TO BECOME HISTORY

Malawi Fuel Crisis to End

Malawi’s fuel crisis is yet to become history as a fuel-supplying deal is on the cards, Wawa Malawi News has learnt.

Petroholland Oil Refining (PTY) Ltd, a Namibian owned company proposed to the Malawi Govt to be supplying 10 million litres of fuel including Mogas 93; Gasoil 500ppm and Jet Fuel A1 per week. In return, govt is to be paying the company in local currency (kwacha) as it cannot pay in US Dollars since the nation is facing a forex crisis. The company will be using the money (in kwacha) to buy seasonal produce such as soya beans, sun flower seed, groundnuts, maize, pigeon peas among others which it will be exporting to Namibia, thereby leaving the fuel and local currency to circulate within the country.

The fuel deal is expected to be signed soon as representatives from the Namibian company are expected to arrive in the country on a date to be announced soon. An earlier meeting with the company’s Chairman which was scheduled on 1^st March, 2012, was cancelled by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy on unknown reason as the govt was still negotiating the deal. Goodall Gongwe who is the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy was not readily available for commenting.

Malawi is a landlocked country which under the visionary leadership of the Late President Bingu Wa Mutharika had a bright future of importing and exporting its own goods independently through the Shire – Zambezi In-Land port in Nsanje District. The project is still underway as the two countries (Malawi & Mozambique) are still negotiating better ways to implement the project to benefit both nations.