LILONGWE, Jan. 4 — Malawi has imported 51.5 million liters of petrol or gasoline and diesel from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to ease fuel shortages the southern African country is facing due to inadequate foreign exchange. Malawian Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola announced the development in a statement Friday, saying the procurement of the combined cargo follows President Lazarus Chakwera’s earlier announcement of a policy shift in fuel importation. The minister said the consignment has been procured under the Kenyan government’s existing government-to-government arrangement with Abu Dhabi, as Malawi works to put in place its own government-to-government fuel supply framework with Gulf countries. According to the minister, MT High Freedom, the vessel carrying the maiden consignment, arrived at the port of Tanga in Tanzania on Dec. 29 and the fuel was tested on Dec. 31.
It “was duly certified as meeting Malawi’s technical specifications,” he said. Malawi will engage more than 1,400 trucks from local and foreign transporters to bring the entire fuel volume into Malawi, with the first trucks expected to arrive in Malawi Thursday, according to Matola. Fuel from traditional contracted suppliers for the National Oil Company of Malawi will continue to flow into the country, the minister said. The intermittent fuel shortage in Malawi worsened from mid-October, forcing motorists and other users to buy the commodity from parallel markets at 3 times more than the recommended price. The fuel shortage has also led to price hikes for basic needs, making life too hard for Malawians.
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