Malawi is investing heavily in a new coal-fired plant despite the country’s stated commitment to renewables. Malawi plans to bankroll a coal-powered plant despite current worldwide disdain for using the fossil fuel. The country’s appetite for political appeasement has fuelled government non-adherence to its own policies and strategic documents that direct it to focus on renewables to meet its future energy needs. The $700 million, 300-megawatt Kam’mwamba coal-fired plant, to be built in southern Malawi, will have a 30-year lifespan once operational, even though as of 2016 the country had coal reserves pegged at 2.2 million metric tonnes lasting just…
Collins Mtika
Malawi: infrastructure After fifty years of ‘overlooking’ economic growth, Malawi plans to encourage public-private partnerships to fund infrastructure development By Collins Mtika For years, Malawi has banked on the international community for the development of its roads, factories, airports, railway lines, ICT infrastructure, water treatment plants, energy supply and even toilets. Yet despite all the assistance from organisations such as the World Bank and regional body, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Malawi is now poorer than it was two decades ago, according to the 2016 African Social Development Index. Malawi is an extreme example, but Africa’s infrastructure deficit-estimated at…
The government plans to tax the informal economy to make up for funds lost through corruption
Mzuzu City’s lack of municipal services leads one enterprising businessman to fill the void “Mr Clean”, a private company that collects liquid waste in Mzuzu, as well as five other districts in the northern region of Malawi, has a fleet of five trucks. The Mzuzu City Council, however, has only one truck, which has not hit the road for about five years. The council says it cannot afford a $240 repair bill. Mzuzu has no sewage system, so the “Mr Clean” collects effluent from residents’ septic tanks—a service the council has abandoned. The company, which started operations in 2003, has…
