Office of the President and Cabinet has challenged players in the energy sector to enhance coordination in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.
Deputy Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Janet Banda, said this is because Malawi is looking to expand electricity access to rural communities.
Banda, who is also the Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, made the remarks in Lilongwe on Wednesday during the Power Sector Pre–Lab meeting which drew participants from ESCOM, EGENCO, the Ministry of Energy, MERA and off-grid stakeholders.
She said reliable energy is critical if Malawi is to realise its aspirations of becoming a middle-income nation through industrialisation.
Banda said it is encouraging to note that Malawians are enjoying reliable power; however, the electricity demand continues to grow, hence the need to increase generation to improve the access rate, which currently stands at 25 per cent of the population.
Director of Electricity in the Ministry of Energy, Million Mafuta said his ministry feels Malawi is on track to achieving set targets of generating 750 megawatts by 2027 because of several projects, both on and off the grid.
Experts say reliable electricity is a catalyst for economic growth, hence the current administration’s commitment towards fixing electricity challenges including power outages which were prevalent over the past few years.
By Isaac Jali
