Nthanda Times

Day: October 14, 2024

  • 15.25% LPG price hike sparks outrage among energy advocates

    The Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) has announced an upward revision of the maximum retail price for Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), a move that has ignited concerns among environmental advocates and stakeholders across the country.

    Effective from October 16, 2024, the price per kilogram of LPG will rise by 15.25%, from MWK 3,245 to MWK 3,740.

    In a statement signed by MERA’s Chief Executive Officer Henry Kachaje, the adjustment has been necessitated by the depreciation of the Malawi Kwacha against major currencies.

    While MERA insists the price hike is necessary to sustain the viability of the LPG market, renewable and sustainable energy experts argue that the move threatens the country’s progress toward energy sustainability and environmental preservation.

    Kenneth Mtago, a clean energy expert, expressed deep disappointment over the timing and implications of the price adjustment, criticizing MERA for failing to engage stakeholders in the energy sector before implementing the hike.

    Mtago argues that the increase not only discourages the adoption of LPG but also exacerbates deforestation and pollution as more households will revert to using biomass for cooking.

    Mtago: The price increase undermines our efforts to enhance access to clean and sustainable energy

    “As we work to complement the government’s efforts by promoting renewable energy, this price increase undermines the strides we’ve made in encouraging people to transition from using charcoal and firewood to cleaner energy sources like gas,” Mtago said.

    Mtago also lamented that despite Malawi’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all (SE4ALL) by 2030, the price hikes on essential energy sources threaten to derail progress, raising concerns about the country’s ability to meet its international sustainability goals.

    “So as much we know for sure that as a country, we are committed to being sustainable, to achieve SE4ALL by 2030. That’s a dream that will not be realized as the way we are by increasing prices without considering that we also as a country need to meet our international agenda,” he added.

    Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) National Coordinator, Julius Ng’oma, shared Mtago’s concerns, warning that the price increase could have far-reaching environmental consequences.

    Ng’oma says as the country battles rampant deforestation and environmental degradation fueled by dependence on biomass for cooking and heating, the recent LPG price hike threatens to derail efforts to protect the nation’s forests by making clean energy alternatives increasingly unaffordable for low-income households.

    Ng’oma: This is a blow to the country’s forest conservation

    “LPG was considered an alternative to lessen the pressure on forest resources for domestic and industrial energy needs. This is a blow to collective efforts to rescue trees and forests in Malawi since the price hike will make it more difficult for poor Malawians to access and afford LPG,” Ng’oma said.

    Ng’oma has however called on the government to consider subsidies for LPG, suggesting that part of the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) could be used to subsidize renewable and clean energy technologies.

    According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), only 18% of Malawi’s population has access to clean and sustainable energy.

    To enhance access to renewable energy in Malawi, stakeholders in the sector have been urging the government to consider removing the 16.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on clean energy tools in the national budget.

  • 2024/25 AIP to prioritizes productive amallholder farmers

    President Dr Lazarus Chakwera has on Monday launched the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) for the 2024/2025 farming season in Neno District with a call to beneficiaries of various social protection interventions to utilise the initiatives with prudence.

    Speaking at Dzundu Primary School in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Symon, Chakwera said this year’s programme targets small holder farmers who have land and are productive.

    He reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensure Malawians are food secure by supporting them with affordable inputs; hence, the continuation of the programme.

    “In the past the programme was targeting people randomly and was not achieving its purpose as some of the people that were benefiting had no land and were selling the farm inputs,” he said.

    He said the programme will from now onwards be targeting productive small holder farmers who have labour and can produce more food.

    President Chakwera inspects the pavilion at Dzundu primary school ground.(c) Abel Ikiloni, Mana

    Chakwera said those without labour and land will be incorporated in other government safety nets according to their abilities and those not benefiting from AIP will benefit in other programmes.

    He said government is aware that some Malawians are facing hunger as they did not harvest enough food due to the dry spell induced by climate change.

    “No one should cheat you that Chakwera will not help you. Government will help you as some have benefited from AIP, others are benefiting from Social Cash Transfer and NEEF loans,” he said.

    He, therefore, asked Malawians to love one another and not be greedy by benefiting from multiple programmes but give a chance to others to also benefit. 

    Minister of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, said everything is in place for this year’s AIP, as the ministry has contracted 77 transporters to ferry the inputs to different selling points across the country.

    Kawale said each constituency will have two selling points with each having mobile satellite depots across the constituency.

    AIP fertilizers and maize seed displayed during the launch (c) Abel Ikiloni, Mana

    “On network, we are working with ESCOM to make sure fibre is working properly so that the programme doesn’t face challenges in its implementation,” Kawale said.

    He said government through other partners has mobilised over K1 trillion for agricultural development to ensure the country achieves the Malawi 2063 of having productive and commercially driven agriculture sector.

    Kawale said government is taking AIP as a first step towards mega farms where they expect a person who has received two bags to multiply it using Mbeya manure so that they transition from AIP to mega farms.

    A total of 1,048,445 productive farmers nationwide are expected to benefit from AIP in the 2024/2025 season with each benefiting with farming inputs of 50 kilogrammes of UREA and CAN of which 6,500 farmers are benefiting with livestock (goats).

  • Hunger preventing girls’ attainment to education

    As the world commemorated International Day of the Girl Child on 11th October under the theme “Girls vision for the future,” the hunger problem in Malawi remains a great obstacle to girl’s nutrition status further hindering their chances to attaining a bright future.

    The school meals programme has been touted as one of the investments with proven long time benefits especially in overcoming school dropouts in many parts of the country.

    According to a Mary Meals report, in 2022, only 1.1 million were accessing school meals and it showed good results of reduced drop outs and increased performance.

    Violet Phiri a form four student at Nkhoma Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), stressed how hard it is for those girls coming from a family of school dropouts to go far with education hence appealed to well-wishers to assist them further their education.

    The girl, who aspires to be a surgeon when she grows up, cited lack of learning materials as one challenge preventing them from actualising their dreams especially if they come from families which cannot support them financially.

    Phiri: Spoke in praise of the School Meals Programme

    She narrated a story of a friend who was not given food before going to school prompting her to get married, encountered more problems in the marriage but was encouraged to go back to studies because of the school meals initiative.  

    Phiri spoke highly of the programme which she said has really helped them to be in school and be active in classes.

    “For the meals as you already know, a hungry person is an angry person and if one is angry cannot be able to do something or even give the studies more effort. So if one has eaten and is also energetic, one can be able to do studies with all the efforts and be able to understand everything and at the end having good results”.

    She bemoaned the tendency by some parents who force the girls into early marriages stressing that they should be given the power to make their own decisions.

    The form four student indicated that for those who lack the capacity to raise school fees and are sent back, the time that that the child is at home while parents are mobilizing funds, is wasted while their peers are learning.

    Some of the journalists who attended the presser in Lilongwe

    “For the parents to mobilise the money for the school fees, that time one is home your friends are attending classes; it will be impossible for one to catch up with the friends after two weeks you’re at home this will have a negative impact.”  

    Another form four student at Nkhoma CDSS, Naomi Ritchimani pointed out that it’s even harder for those children raised by a single parent to keep them in school.

    “They cannot be able to support their family financially, so these parents should also be empowered so that they can also help in supporting their children. Maybe they have the heart to support their children but they are failing.

    “The children also want to go to school especially the girls. So these parents should be helped economically maybe empowering them in entrepreneurship maybe in businesses so that they are able to help their children go to school”.