Minister of energy Ibrahim Matola has urged Malawians not panic with fuel scarcity since government and National Oil Company (NOCMA) have put in place measures to see to it that there is enough fuel stocks in the country.
Matola made the remarks when he visited NOCMA fuel reserves in Matindi, Blantyre.
Recently, there has been wide-spread fears that the country may run short of fuel due to lack of foreign currency, citing Russia-Ukraine war as a cause.
But speaking to journalists after the tour, the Minister assured Malawians that there is sufficient fuel in all reserves in the country.
“You may agree with me that since April, we have had no fuel scarcity in filling stations, and this month alone, we are expecting to bring about 60 million in addition to what we already have in stocks. From May 11, 2022 about 500 tankers will start offloading fuel in our reserves in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu,” he said.
He then applauded NOCMA leadership for its tireless effort in serving the nation.
Matola also inspected the new Railway siding project which will allow trains to bring in fuel directly to the depot from Nacala, which he said is part of government’s reforms.
“This is already done in Lilongwe, and for Blantyre it is expected to be completed next month. Once completed,transportation of fuel will be easier and cost effective.” said Matola
In her remarks, NOCMA Deputy CEO Helen Buluma applauded the government for making sure that there’s enough money for them to import fuel.
Buluma said the reserve bank and the government has put about 57 million US dollars to be used to purchase and import fuel into the country this month.
She also revealed other measures NOCMA has taken to ensure that the war in Ukraine should not cause fuel shortages in the country like stocking some fuel in neighboring countries.
“We are stocking about 20 million litres in Beira and we will be having another 20 million litres in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. This is on top of what we are bringing in the country. We want Malawians not be affected by war in Ukraine which has forced the world scrambling for diesel,” she said.
