‘Malawi should expect greater benefits from the government-to-government fuel arrangement’

* The G-to-G fuel arrangement is expected to help Malawi save foreign exchange currently spent on importing fuel and fertilizers

* Malawi has been spending about MK1 trillion on fuel and fertilizers alone

Maravi Express

Minister of Trade & Industry, Sosten Gwengwe says Malawians should expect greater benefits from the government-to-government (G-to-G) fuel arrangement and investments between Malawi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He made these remarks on Thursday during a meeting with the UAE delegation at the Office of the President and Cabinet in Lilongwe, saying the meeting was a direct result of President Lazarus Chakwera’s visit to the UAE, during which he had promised that the UAE delegation would visit Malawi for further discussions.

He said the meeting focused on the G-to-G fuel deal and potential investments that the UAE government is expected to pursue in Malawi and he highlighted that the delegation will also meet with officials from the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, and the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC) to discuss initiatives in the fields of energy, agriculture innovation, and investment planning.

Additionally, Gwengwe stressed that the G-to-G fuel arrangement is expected to help Malawi save foreign exchange currently spent on importing fuel and fertilizers, saying Malawi has been spending about MK1 trillion on fuel and fertilizers alone.

The Minister also revealed that discussions with the government of Morocco are underway to establish a G-to-G fertilizer deal, which would ease the financial burden Malawi faces when importing fertilizers.

The meeting was attended by several key officials, including Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet, Collen Zamba; Secretary for Trade and Industry, Christina Zakeyo; Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mwaiwawo Polepole; Solicitor General & Secretary for Justice, Alison Mbangombe; and Younos Karim, Malawi’s Ambassador to UAE with residence in Kuwait.

The UAE delegation included Director of Investment Legislation Management, Abdakla Alobeidili; Director of Policies, Abdakla Ahmed Ibrahim; Manager of Government and Sovereign Relations at Abu Dhabi Development Holdings Company (ADQ), Abdulrahman Abdulla Naser Salem Aishkelli; and Specialist for Foreign Direct Investment Ayesha Saleh Mohammad Ramadhan Alrafi.—Content by Malawi Government Media