Chilenga Takes Min of Energy To Task over Importation of Electricity Poles
Ministry of Energy has once again come under fire from the Parliamentary Committee for Natural Resources for entertaining suppliers and contractors of the Malawi Rural Electricification Program (MAREP) to use foreign electric poles when the country has a company that produces the same.
The condemnation comes in the wake of a stalled MAREP project which is aimed at connecting thousands of Malawians in rural areas.
Ministry officials today were grilled on Thursday and one of the hot topics was about suppliers failing to meet the supply of poles due to scarcity of forex because they continue to import them from Zimbabwe.
The committee Chairperson Welani Chilenga wondered why other local suppliers like Raiply which the ministry has conceded to be producing quality poles that meet procurement requirements are not being utilised.
“We continue to hear about this problem of Electricity poles being imported when we have a company, Raiply Malawi Limited producing the same. By using local companies we save Forex, create jobs as well increase the country’s revenue base.
“This also makes me to doubt if indeed the MAREP phase 9 is going to roll out on time when we hear companies are failing to procure material,” he wondered.
Reacting to the development, Raiply Limited’s Public Relations Officer Dalitso Chimwala said that the company is currently delivering and supplying Escom/Marep with poles and what matters is the just for the companies to engage them.
Chimwala stressed that if other players are not meeting the demand that is for the awarding authority to comment arguing maybe they wanted to spread the fair share of the cake.
“When it comes to utilizing public resources through winning a supply tender, we are saying let relevant bodies do their job. Let them come and inspect or check and certify even the chemicals used, the processes and everything else,” Chimwala said.
Chimwala further hinted that in such a way there will be accountability and the public will have spent their resources gainfully.
Recently during a visit to Chikangawa at Raiply Malawi Limited pole plant the Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola said continued procurement of poles from neighbouring Zambia and Zimbabwe has been costly and has derailed growth of the energy sector.
Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee for Government Assurances Noel Lipipa concurred with Matola saying that government continues to import electricity poles, when Malawian companies have the capacity to supply the same even at a lower, cost.
“Our energy sector is failing to grow just because we are failing to implement the best buy Malawi strategy, let’s support our own companies like Raiply Malawi Limited which have the capacity to supply poles to Escom at a lower cost,” said Lipipa.
Briefing journalists in before being dropped from cabinet former energy minister Nweton Kambala said there need for a deliberate policy aimed at empowering local Malawians by promoting products made in Malawi through Buy-Malawi Strategy (BMS) and Market linkages program, which will go long way to enhance import substitution and affirmatively promote job creation, protect foreign exchange reserves and revitalize the local industries
