Malawi electricity blackouts to end 2020 — Mutharika

July 2, 2018 Nyasa Times Reporter 47 Comments

President Peter Mutharika  has said he his government wants to increase  electricity supply to at least 1,000 megawatts, from 350 megawatts currently and for private investors to help fund new plants, saying a year after after elections which he hopes to get another five-year mandate, there will be no more power outage.

Mutharika speaks to Bloomberg during an interview at the presidential palace in Lilongwe

Malawi’s efforts to build up its mining and manufacturing industries have been constrained by crippling power shortages that result in blackouts of as long as 16 hours a day.

But in an interview with Bloomberg News, Mutharika said his government will have a lasting solution to the problem by next year.

“We hope that by March next year, we will add another 100 megawatts and that will substantially reduce the blackouts,” Mutharika said. “I think by 2020 we will reach a point where we no longer have the blackouts.”

Once there is adequate power, Mutharika expects the mining industry to take off.

The country has a number of substantial deposits of coal, uranium and cobalt that could be tapped, he said. Other industries that are being targeted for more investment include tourism, healthcare and construction.

“If we don’t have other challenges like floods or hunger and other natural catastrophes, I think we should be able to sustain the growth,” he said. “We should be able to reach 6 percent in two or three years.”

President Mutharika is  seeking re-election next year May  to tackle the challenges of attracting billions of dollars in investment and reducing the economy’s reliance on tobacco.

Mutharika, 78, gets the nod from ruling Democratic Progressive Party  (DPP) convention underway in Blantyre from Monday.

With the opposition fragmented and a first-past-the-post election system that awards the presidency to the candidate who gets a plurality of votes, Mutharika is the frontrunner to win the May vote.

Mutharika, an international and constitutional law expert who studied at the University of London and Yale and taught at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told Bloomberg News that he is upbeat to retain his seat.

“People have seen what we have done. I think they will return us for another five years,” he said.

Mutharika said his government took painful steps to stabilize the economy and the currency, the kwacha, and brought inflation down from a peak of 24 percent to 7 percent.

He expects the growth rate to reach as high as 5 percent in 2018 from 4 percent last year and is optimistic the shift in sentiment against emerging markets won’t have a major impact on the $6.2 billion economy. The kwacha is at 725.5 per dollar.

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47 replies on “Malawi electricity blackouts to end 2020 — Mutharika”

  1. Please Mr President, spare us of your utteraces. We have been promised always from your office. But we feel your utteraces does not carry the truth as we were told that by December 2017 we would have the problem rectified. Why should we belive you this time?

  3. You had five years to end electricity blackouts, all you you have brought upon this country is unimaginable woes, poverty, poor health care, and unbelievable rooting of public funds, you are nothing but a total failure, a total disgrace!!!!

  4. This is a failed policy. Private energy generation won’t service the poor. What a retard

  6. Stupid!! I am not voting for DPP this time. Too much mediocrity and lies. I regret my 2014 vote. Only that I thought this man was like his brother. He is useless I didn’t know. He needs to go. Useless old man

  7. Why anthu a kwa Goliati? Is this the reason why we now have rebranded MCP to LCP( Lilongwe Congress Party and soon to be rebranded further to Kasiya Congress Party) ndi cholinga choti azikawauza anthu a Ku Lilongwe uthenga omwe angakhale nawo?
    To bring adequate power is not an event, it is a process. What APM said was absolutely correct except to those with shallow mind and cannot understand this fact.

  8. Point of correction Mr President, the DPP will make sure that the blackouts end in 2084!! I am sure this was a mere slip of your tongue! kikikikikikikikikikiki

  11. I am very happy to hear blackouts will be over by March 2020. Problem is you don’t elaborate how the 1000MW, which we have been unable to generate for the past 54 years, will be achieved. Please don’t tell us about the Coal Fired power station at Kam’mwamba. Let Bingu (mhsrp) and JB sung this song hoarse and nothing came to fruition.

    If you check any ESCOM annual report before the year 2000, you will notice that there were additions to generating capacity every five or six years in response to growing electricity demand. How many megawatts have been since the MCP initiated Kapichira commissioned in 2000? A shameful Zero. Why? Because multiparty democracy leaders have been obsessed with nothing but fleecing Malawians. Is it any wonder we are in the situation we are now?

    Of course you can make such a weak promise about end of blackouts because you know you will not be around by then.

  12. You are fooling who?
    Not even embarassed you crook. Taking Malawians for ride again?
    Not this time Mr President you are already dead.

  13. Thpse who dp not know thiink malawi can charge in a day in electricity and water in shire river if under mcp or chilima NEVER be cheated big projects will still take yeats and perhaps never as you see now

  14. Kkkkkk magesi adikira zisankho chaka chamawa koma ndiye mwatipezereransotu,tikhala mumdima zaka ziwiri zi kubwera zi. Ngati simunaiwale munanenanso kuti vuto litha january uja pano ndiye mwationjezera ndi zaka zina ziwiri,ikanakhala ndende bwenzi titati mubwezeko tikusamala ana a masiye ndi okalamba akudikira chithandizo chathu

  15. This is where Malawi becomes politically interesting. With all the criminal evidence available to the public the electorate still votes in politically bankrupt, corrupt, unethical and immoral leaders back into power. In fact, I can’t see any ethical, moral and straight-talking leader being voted by Malawians into power. This is the disease that is ravaging the country and not its lack of resources. Our biggest problem I must state is having a significant number of voters with very poor judgement with no critical thinking skills. It is for this reason that DPP may have a chance of winning elections next year with only 38%. However, mulungu is the final judge. He created all to look after his earth so if anyone and his family are happy to mistreat His creation by taking away what belongs to them then He will be the judge. All we can do as citizens is to make sure Peter and his family/cronies don’t enjoy the ill-gotten fortune. They should not sleep in peace until they realise their mistakes and maybe then and only then would they apologise to humankind.

  16. Kkkkk how many generetors are you planing to buy or hire on top of these failled ones to generate 1000mw? koma peter muthalika uona ngati tonse ndiochokela ku thobani ku thekelani eti? Zakukanikani izi vomelezani dziko mulibe nalo plan ili

  18. APM you are very true koma not under your leadership. Adzapanga ndi ena. Sinanga inu zakukanikani.
    If malawi is poorest in the world its coz its leader is clueless

  19. Koma yessss…… A Mutharika tsopano. Ma generator aja bwanji nanga. Koma u professor uwu ndi weniweni?

  20. You are the most despicable president to think you can lie to all Malawians……We are voting you out next year….and then ACB will be after your a@@!

  21. One characteristic of this president is that he changes goal posts for his convenience all the times. As for blackouts ndiye kaya kangati???
    APM needs to be reminded that his last promise on ending blackouts was February, 2018. It came and went silently. All the country was told were uMBAVA unapangidwa ndi procurement yama genset. Koma magetsi chidzimileni daily.
    Shame on MBAVA!!!

  28. ‘People will see what we have done.’ Yes, they will also see what you have NOT done, which is a lot more than what you have done! The President has lost all sense of reality. He lives in his own dream world. The people live in the real world and no longer believe his promises. The DPP have had their time and have let the people and the country down. Come May 2019 they will say a very big ‘BYE, BYE’ to the DPP.

  29. Stupid thief. You think you can develop Malawi electricity with your tribalistic and ntpististic strategies? Who told you that you can rule by only appointing top gurus in the Government. What happened to public service commussion interviews? Bolanso mwina Tcheya analiko bwino ndikusaphunzira kwake kuja.

    You are a mere clan leader of the Lomwe tribe of the three southern districts. Just pick up where Wandale left off and take the two districts. If a mitindu ina ulibe nafe ntchito. Lie to your Lomwe tribesmen. Not us. Stupid thief. You are on borrowed time with your age. Tell this yarn to your gullible tribesmen.

    But remember the Vulture is a patient bird. Be ready for the third force. You stupid thief.

  32. My father has a business of maize mill which runs on electricity, since Mutharika came to power his business has gone down and now you are telling that he should wait until 2020? If there are people in this country who are going to vote DPP again they are i@dts.

  34. He talks as if he has forgotten that Malawians are not stupid. Munthu waba posachedwapa utinamiza kangati………..? I think unabadwa mfiti kwanu. Forget about retaining your seat, aMalawi anazindikila.

    1. Koma akhale Peter Mutharika otembereredwa bwa. Malawi as a country is so innocent but the guy masquerading or trading is President of Malawi is the one who is cursed I guess

  38. ndiye timve ziti? Last time you told us that by end December 2017 black outs will be history after installing the generators and this time you are saying 2020. Kukalambaaaaaa chani? we are tired of lies from rotten mouths. Next year we are sentencing you and your govt to OUT OF POWER FOR GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  39. Think of the K145 million on your neck Mr Ibu. You are disgrace to the nation. You should stape aside old chona.

  42. This man is a daydreamer, a cheater, a thief!! His finance minister told us, electricity woes will be over in 2021, this is a contradiction, signs of old age. He will not help us let’s drop him in 2019

    1. Koma a Malawi ndithu mukumvela uyu? He really thinks that malawians are stupid.Koseko kufuna kuti akhaleso president 2019. Alibe ndi manyazi omwe.

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