Minister pushes fuel hike decision to Mera board
Energy Minister Ibrahim Matola has said it is up to the newly appointed Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) Board to decide on whether to increase fuel prices.
Matola, however, has hinted that it would not be surprising to see the board increasing the prices, considering that neighbouring countries have already done so.
He made the remarks in Lilongwe yesterday after inspecting some filling stations to appreciate the availability of fuel and compare stocks with those in Mera figures.
Matola was in the company of Mera Chief Executive Officer Henry Kachaje, National Oil Company of Malawi acting Chief Executive Officer Helen Buluma and other officials.
The minister said, in Zambia, fuel is at an equivalent of K1,600 while K1,700 was the minimum price in Mozambique, which he said is making people in the neighbouring countries flock to Malawi for cheaper fuel.
“I am not going to speak on their [Mera] behalf but they have the mandate. Let us just pray because the only thing that we need is the availability of the product,” Matola said.
He said the Russia- Ukraine conflict had affected the economy of many countries including Malawi.
He, however, said the government was doing its best to minimise the negative effects.
Mera spokesperson Fitina Khonje said, according to the quantity of fuel in the country, there was no need to panic.
Mathews Kasanda is a journalist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Malawi (The Polytechnic).
In 2015, Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded him the Best Print Media Education Journalist of the Year accolade.
He joined Times Group Newsroom in September 2019.
