More Rot at MEPA: Agency Accused of Sitting on ESIA Reports, Squeezing Local Investors While Foreign Firms Thrive

Fresh allegations of deep-rooted dysfunction and possible corruption have emerged at the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), with a growing number of local investors accusing the agency of deliberately frustrating indigenous businesses through prolonged delays in approving Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) reports.

The latest accusations come as controversy continues to swirl around MEPA’s handling of an ESIA report for a proposed fertilizer manufacturing plant in Dowa District owned by prominent local businessman Napoleon Dzombe.

But Dzombe’s case appears to be only the tip of the iceberg.

More than 15 local mining investors have now broken their silence, alleging that MEPA has been sitting on their ESIA reports for months—and in some cases nearly two years—effectively paralysing investments worth billions of kwacha.

The investors claim the delays are not accidental but systematic, alleging that some officials demand kickbacks before reports can move through the approval process.

Even more troubling are allegations that while local investors are subjected to endless bureaucratic hurdles, some foreign-owned companies are allegedly being allowed to mine and operate manufacturing ventures without approved ESIA reports.

The investors further claim that officials from MEPA and other key government institutions, including the ministries responsible for mining and trade, have facilitated or turned a blind eye to some of these operations.

“The problem is that certain officers want to benefit at every stage of the ESIA review process,” said one investor, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

“What should be a professional regulatory process has allegedly become an obstacle course designed to frustrate local investors.”

The investor argued that the prolonged delays are denying Malawians opportunities to create jobs, generate wealth, contribute taxes and drive economic growth through responsible exploitation of natural resources.

Another investor, who says he has already sunk more than K1 billion into a mining venture, warned that the continued delays could force him to abandon the project altogether.

“You invest heavily, follow every legal requirement, and then your report disappears into the system for years. At some point you begin to wonder whether investing in Malawi is worth it,” he lamented.

He cautioned that prolonged regulatory bottlenecks often create fertile ground for illegal mining, resulting in lost government revenue, environmental damage and increased risks to workers and surrounding communities.

The growing outcry has ignited public debate over whether MEPA is fulfilling its mandate of protecting the environment while facilitating sustainable development—or whether the institution has become a barrier to local enterprise.

Public frustration intensified following revelations surrounding the stand-off between MEPA and Dzombe over the Dowa fertilizer project, with many citizens questioning why major local investments appear to face extraordinary delays.

Adding his voice to the controversy, Executive Director of the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), Silvester Namiwa, described the allegations as evidence of what he called “entrenched rot” within the institution.

Addressing a press conference this week, Namiwa accused the authority of failing to serve the public interest.

“What is happening at MEPA raises serious questions. They are not serving the public and the nation,” he said.

Namiwa disclosed that CDEDI is considering petitioning a parliamentary committee to launch a formal investigation into the allegations, a move that could place MEPA under intense public and legislative scrutiny.

As pressure mounts, questions are growing louder: Why are local investors waiting years for approvals? Why are some foreign firms allegedly operating with fewer obstacles? And who benefits from the delays?

Until those questions are answered, the cloud hanging over MEPA is unlikely to disappear.

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