Matola receiving the fuel from UAE at Tanga Port
* Currently in Tanzania receiving 51 million liters of fuel brought by sea vessel that has brought 51 million liters of fuel from United Arab Emirates
* The fuel falls under an emergency procurement riding on the Government-to-Government arrangement
* Which President Lazarus Chakwera brokered with UAE last month when he was invited to Abu Dhabi
By Duncan Mlanjira
Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola, who has been retained in the Cabinet in the same portfolio in the Cabinet reshuffle made on New Year’s Day, says he accepts President Lazarus Chakwera’s decision to reappoint him “with profound gratitude”.
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“This reappointment reflects not just trust in my leadership, but a commitment to continuity in our nation’s energy transformation agenda,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Chakwera pledged that configuration of his Cabinet will work harder than ever to make Malawians’ lives better this year and beyond and Matola maintains that the energy sector “stands at a crucial juncture in Malawi’s development story”.
“In my previous tenure, we made significant strides in expanding our power generation capacity, improving distribution networks, and implementing sustainable solutions to stabilize our fuel supply chain.
“However, the journey towards universal access to reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy continues — I recommit myself to this vital mission with renewed determination.
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“Our focus remains clear — ensuring consistent fuel availability nationwide, expanding rural electrification, diversifying our energy mix, attracting investment in renewable energy, and strengthening our power infrastructure.
“We will work tirelessly to ensure that fuel shortages and queues become a thing of the past, while building a more resilient energy sector for all Malawians.
“To our dedicated ministry staff, development partners, and all stakeholders; thank you for your unwavering support. Let us continue working together to power Malawi’s prosperity.
“May God continue to bless our efforts and our beloved nation,” said Matola, who is in Tanzania receiving 51 million liters of fuel brought by sea vessel that has brought 51 million liters of fuel from United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The fuel falls under an emergency procurement riding on the Government-to-Government (G-toG) arrangement, which President Lazarus Chakwera brokered with UAE last month when he and Matola visited Abu Dhabi at the invitation of that country’s President.
ZBSNews at Tanga Port in Tanzania reported that the Minister, officials from the National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) and Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) had an interface with authorities Gulf Bulk Petrolium (GBP) at the port.
The report quotes NOCMA deputy Chief Executive, Micklas Reuben as saying the consignment is 28.5 million liters of petrol and 22.5 million of diesel, whose discharging off the vessel will be completed in the wee hours of tomorrow, January 3.
Minister Matola was quoted as saying over 1,049 tankers will carry the fuel to Malawi and added that the decision to use Tanga Port in the procurement of the emergency fuel supply has been necessitated by heavy congestion in Dar es Salaam, Beira and Nacala ports.
Matola told ZBSNews that using the the usual ports would have resulted in Malawi receiving the fuel in the next months which could have created pressure and switching to Tanga Port is a decision that is a game changer in stabilising the availability of fuel in Malawi and its fuel reserve.
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He added that the country has 60 million liters capacity in all its three strategic fuel reserves and has emphasised that the government is not abandoning the open-tender fuel procurement deals.
In the face of the fuel crisis that rippled across the country, President Chakwera constituted a Coordinating Committee to facilitate and execute all aspects of this G-to-G policy, chaired by Minister Matola that include Ministers of Finance, Trade & Industry, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Secretary, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, the Attorney General, the Director General of the Procurement Authority, and the chief executive officers of NOCMA and Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA)—Reporting at Tanga Port for ZBSNews by Eamon Piringu
