Mining & Trade News

In an effort to address the electricity access challenges, the Malawi’s Ministry of Energy has launched the Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee Fund with the target to add 5% national rural electricity access rate by 2024.

The US$20-million Fund is being bankrolled by the World Bank through the Malawi Electricity Access Project (MEAP) to enable eligible solar off-grid companies to import and distribute over 200,000 solar home systems to rural households across Malawi.

During the official launch in Lilongwe, Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola said the project aims at increasing access to electricity through grid densification of Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) component, and Off-grid Market Development, which is Ministry of Energy component.

Matola said: “With this project’s component, Malawians, especially those living in rural and remote areas that are far from the national grid, will enjoy the benefits of electricity.”

“This project is, therefore, complimenting Government’s efforts to reach more people in rural areas with access to electricity where the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) which is now in Phase 9, is yet to reach.”

“This Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee Fund we are launching today is a complete package of interventions to unleash the potential off-grid solar market to cover 70% of electrified households in Malawi as aspired for in the National Energy Policy of 2018.”

“By assisting the off-grid solar companies, this Fund is fulfilling another aspiration in the National Energy Policy, to establish a vibrant, reliable, incentivized and sustainable private sector-driven Renewable Energy Technology industry.”

“Not only will this project benefit off-grid solar companies but, financial institutions will also benefit a lot from this initiative through the Technical Assistance Window which will provide training and capacity-building.”

The technical assistance includes: promotion and awareness building; quality assurance activities including the adoption and enforcement of Verasol quality assurance framework, efficient financial management and monitoring of collection efficiency; training of trainers, consumers and technicians to facilitate the efficient installation and maintenance of solar home systems.

Currently, the electrification rate is at 18% with 11.4% coming from the National grid and 6.6% from Off-grid solar solutions.

The fund will provide loans to eligible off-grid solar companies as working capital to expand their operations and speed up procurement and importation of the off-grid solar home systems.

He also said the project will also offer Result Based Grants to provide end-user with subsidies to close the affordability gap of rural customers that cannot afford solar home systems at the current commercial prices.

Matola also said the Fund will create a Market Catalyst Fund (MCF) of USD 500,000 to support small-scale off-grid market-based transformative solutions to scale-up the renewable energy transition, particularly by engaging the local off-grid solar companies in Malawi.

He said: “The idea is to make these local off-grid solar companies grow to the extent of being able to access capital on the market for the expansion of their businesses.”

“I, therefore, call upon the private sector companies to take advantage of this Fund and use it to expand their businesses in the off-grid solar market.”

“The terms of the loans have been made very competitive, as such, I do not expect any off-grid solar company to default on the loans they acquire from this Fund.”

“It is also my expectation that participating solar off-grid companies will operate within the principles of MEAP, the laws of Malawi and the World Bank’s operating framework.”

Matola further applauded World Bank for extending the loan and grant to the Government of Malawi, to implement the important project saying the Fund has come at an opportune time when the country needs massive investments in the energy sector to increase access to modern, clean, reliable and affordable energy.

He said the project will play a great role in fulfilling the Malawi Government goal of ensuring universal access to electricity by 2030, by providing the much needed financing to the Malawi off-grid solar market.

In his remarks, World Bank Country Manager for Malawi Hugh Ridelllauded solar off-grid power saying on-grid electricity is sometimes hard to reach rural, remote and the poor; and the fund will make Malawi to reach the United Nation’s Social Development Goal 7 (SDG7) which ensures access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Ridellalso said the World Bank together with partners are working with Malawi Government in developing standards and policies in the next two years that will ensure the availability of a market where consumers are protected from low-quality products and benefit from lower prices driven by market competition.

“The World Bank acknowledges that expanding access to sustainable energy while protecting natural resources is essential to achieve climate and development goals. Expanding energy access is a catalyst to achieving sustainable and resilient economy with people firmly at the centre,” said Ridell.

Apart from the Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee Fund, World Bank is financing other energy projects including: The Mpatamanga Hydropower Project; technical assistance for ESCOM’s financial turnaround and; the Malawi-Mozambique Interconnector project.

A local umbrella body for pigeon peas farmers, Nandolo Farmers Association of Malawi (NFAM), has called for concerted efforts in empowering women in producing crops that will transform their lives

NFAM chairperson, Susan Chimbayo said crops like pigeon peas have the potential to transform the lives of many rural women in Malawi.

She was speaking on her arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she went to attend the 6th Empowering Women in Agriculture (EWA) on the margins of the 36th summit of the African Union.

According to Chimayo, women play a critical role in agriculture, and their empowerment is essential considering that the crop offers high nutritional value, income, and boosts soil fertility..

“NFAM is urging stakeholders to support our efforts to empower women in agriculture and unlock the potential of Nandolo as an export crop.” -She said

She said her organization was moving towards commercial farming, and collective marketing and aggregation of valuable roduce.

“NFAM sees its future in the value addition and processing of Nandolo into various products, creating demand beyond India, its primary consumer” she said

NFAM represents over 10,682 smallholder farmers from 45 cooperatives, of which 7,478 are women and 3,204 are males. The organization aims to equip Nandolo farmers with education and skills that will make them more efficient and facilitate maximum output. It also seeks to create a conducive agricultural operating environment for improved variety, productivity, and profitability.

The EWA initiative targets ten pilot countries, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Morocco, Djibouti, Liberia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Malawi. The initiative has taken various activities since 2012, such as the development of EWA indicators to track progress in empowering women in agriculture, a baseline survey on mapping of initiatives on women and agriculture in Africa, and a case study of initiatives by GIMAC members at the country level.

The EWA initiative also aims to mobilize and engage various stakeholders to increase the capacity of women cooperatives in the pilot countries, as well as key actors and business opportunities. The initiative seeks to increase stakeholders’ awareness and engagement at the national and regional levels, advocating for its success across Africa.

The Event was graced by various African Leaders including: President Sahle-Work Zewde, of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Co-Chair of EWA Dr. Olusegan Obasanjo, Former President of the Republic of Liberia and Co. Chair of EWA, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Malawi’s Former President Dr. Joyce Banda.

The newly launched Malawi Exporters Awards 2023 by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, in conjunction with the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC) is set to increase local exports by encouraging local companies to be exporting competitive products. 

Former Minister of Trade and Industry Mark Katsonga Phiri launched the Malawi Exporters Awards on January 12, 2023 in Lilongwe.

This year, the Malawi Exporters Awards 2023, has been scheduled to take place from March 29th to 30th, 2023, at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.

Commenting in a press statement, CEO for MITC Paul Kwengwere says the awards have been organized as a platform to sensitize the locals on the importance of increasing exports of Malawian made products, encouraging a culture of creating exports, as well as awarding best exporters in the country.

He said the winner’s selection process will comprise a detailed, well-planned criteria and the awards will include Best Non-traditional Exporter award, Best Female Exporter Award, Best Youth Exporter Award, Best Services Exporter Award as well as Best Financial Institution Award.

Kwengwere said: “Extending across industries and including both rural and urban presentation, the awards will serve as a celebration of the contribution exports have made to Malawi’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and forex earnings.”

“The event will comprise export awareness exhibitions which will provide a platform for B2B meetings and one on one B2G with Trade Support Institutions and Gala Dinner which will culminate to Exporter Awards Ceremony on the closing day.”

“MITC is therefore, calling upon local exporters and financial institutions, who are interested to be considered for the categories, including the Malawi Exporters of the Year Award, to visit our event website to fill out an application form and submit their information.”

MITC has just found a potential export market for rice in Gambia which was revealed during a virtual business meeting held between Malawian private sector and buyers from Gambia.

Speaking during the meeting, Finance and Economic Affairs Specialist and owner of Niro Company Ltd in Gambia, Sulayman Cham said they are ready to start importing rice from Malawi.

“Gambia requires 96,000 metric tons of rice per year based on its relatively low population. So we are ready to start importing from Malawi and we are mostly interested in buying 100% broken rice of any variety from Malawi because that is what is on demand,” Said Cham.

Commenting on the development, Kwengwere encouraged local exporters to explore this market opportunity in Gambia.

He said: “This is a great opportunity for those that are into rice production. As a trade facilitation agency we are more than ready to facilitate those that might be interested in exploring this opportunity in Gambia.”

“We are also told that apart from rice, Gambia is also interested in importing other commodities like Irish potatoes and onions from Malawi.”

“So we are still engaging the Ministry of Trade in Gambia on how best we can explore such export opportunities.”

Malawi’s trade engagement with Gambia is in line with the spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) which encourages economic integration to promote trade and investment in the region.

After three-year hiatus due to Covid-19 pandemic, Malawi’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife has announced that it will host the fourth Takulandilani Malawi International Tourism Exposition (MITE) from April 26 to 27 this year at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.

The Ministry’s Public Relations Officer Simon Mbvundula said in an interview that the hosting of the international tourism fair will assist the country to market its tourism brand.

Mbvundula said: “A tourism fair brings buyers and sellers together in one place and facilitates face to face meetings and conclusion of deals.”

“It provides a cost effective platform for local operators who might not have had the chance to transact business to come face to face with international buyers.”

“Hosting of buyers from all over the world also provides an opportunity for the international and regional buyers to sample and experience the destination.”

“This provides them an invaluable opportunity to experience what their clients would experience when they visit the destination and also equip them to better appreciate and manage problems their clients would meet when they visit the destination.”

Mbvundula also said the tourism fair brings with it both international and regional media who collect and write positive stories about the destination and also investment and trade opportunities the country has on offer to the world.

The Ministry plans to host 12 international travel writers and documentary producers who will be in the country to collect Malawi Tourism content for their respective media houses that will be utilized to generate Malawi tourism visibility targeted towards consumers in the source markets.

Mbvundula said: “Those that visit the country also become automatic tourism ambassadors especially when they are satisfied and have enjoyed their stay.”

“They are also likely to recommend the destination to others when they go back home and are also likely to come back on holiday with their families.”

“Holding of a tourism fair creates huge business opportunities for the local population in the areas of Events Management, Stand Construction, Furniture, Flower and Equipment Hire, Transportation, Printing, Security and a host of their opportunities.”

Mbvundula stressed that the exposition is not only targeting exhibitors from the core tourism sector but also related service providers in various sectors.

This year the Ministry is reviewing the exhibition fees to ensure that a lot of players are given a chance to participate in the expo.

He said: “Therefore, in addition to accommodation units, tour operators, travel agents, airlines, car hire companies, tourism training institutions, we also target institutions that offer direct or indirect support to the tourism and hospitality sector to exhibit.

“It is not in our best interest to bar would be participants due to high exhibition fees. The fees are being reviewed to reflect the economic reality on the ground while ensuring that local exhibitors are not left behind.”

The 2023 Takulandilani expo will be proceeded by a number of activities including a public lecture themed ‘The value of tourism business; building national consciousness’ to take place on March 8, 2023.

The Passenger Welfare Association (PAWA), a national body that promotes and protects the rights of passengers, has called on government to include rail transportation in hauling fuel into the country.

As part of its input to the 2023/2024 fiscal year national budget, PAWA says its suggestion is a measure to reduce the cost of transporting which would in turn bring down the cost of consumer goods across the country

PAWA President Don Napuwa says in an interview with Mining and Trade Review that government needs to take aggressive approaches in dealing with hefty prices of fuel that together with other economic forces heighten the cost of living in Malawi.

“Fuel drives the economy so if the price of fuel is high, it means the cost of living will automatically skyrocket as the prices of goods and services are also determined by transportation costs,” he says, urging government to devise means of reducing the price of fuel in order to induce a fall in related economic components.

“We propose that government facilitates ferrying fuel by rail,” he says pointing at the effects the Covid-19 pandemic which slowed down the economy and affected forex inflows resulting in fuel shortages and the subsequent escalation of commodity prices.

Napuwa notes that government has a choice either to consider their proposal or to adjust Pay-As-You-Earn tax bracket from K100-thousand to K250-thousand or K300-thousand and raise the minimum wage from K50-thousand to K150-thousand.

He also asks government to actively participate in transportation services especially movement of people.

“We expect some of these practical strategies to be adopted when developing the budget so that the livelihoods of local Malawians are cushioned,” he says

In a separate interview, Minister of Finance Sosten Gwengwe says government is determined to take-heed of every contributions made by stakeholders bearing in mind that there is need to reduce public debit which he describes as a main constraint preventing the country’s economic independence.

Gwengwe says: “Basically most of the proposals that various stakeholders are bringing on-board are things that the Ministry is already considering and now it is working in ensuring that the next budget should be centric on looking at the productive side of our economy with private sector as the main ally of our developmental projections.”

“We want the 2023/2024 budget to be inclusive in such a way that it should reflect the aspirations of the private sector, civil society organizations and all Malawians.”

The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) says there is need for the Malawi Government to prioritise overcoming the country’s energy challenges when formulating the 2023/2024 budget.  

MCCCI CEO Chancellor Kaferapanjira said during the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs’ pre-budget consultation meeting for the 2023/2024 fiscal year at Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre that electricity supply challenges are decelerating the growth of the country’s manufacturing industry.

Kaferapanjira said addressing the energy challenges will bring out vibrancy, responsiveness and dynamism in the private sector as aspired in MW2063 so that the private sector can accelerate attainment of inclusive growth, wealth, and job creation for all Malawians.

He said: “The year 2022 posed a real challenge to businesses owing to economic shocks that defined it, which included shortages of foreign exchange and fuel, inadequate electricity supply, and high levels of inflation. The impacts of these shocks on businesses continue to be felt today.”

“Therefore we emphasize that government agencies especially Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO) should work with seriousness on electricity, yet private sector has also a role to play by investing in electricity production through alternative technologies for instance solar energy.”

Kaferapanjira bemoaned that EGENCO has taken a long time working on bringing back on stream the 129 Megawatts that was lost at Kapichira Power Station due to Cyclone Anna last year.

He said: “One point I am raising is that the foreign exchange shortage hampering fuel importation is also caused partly by EGENCO because industries now consume about 52 million litres of fuel per month. Such a high consumption is attributed significantly to inadequate supply of electricity to these manufacturers.”

“If EGENCO had played its role prudently, the demand for fuel by industries would have dwindled hence easing stress on fuel importation and consumption for other sectors as well as saving forex that could have been channeled to other vital sectors.”

“Government should move with urgency to stabilize electricity supply and increase electricity generation using both hydro and other alternative sources of energy to support the industrialization drive.”

In his remarks, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Sosten Gwengwe pledged that Government will ensure that the budget is in all practical sense aligned to the Malawi 2063 and its first 10-year implementation plan targeting the quick wins especially in the economic sectors that can generate wealth, create jobs, while at the same time entrenching food security and providing the nation with enough resources to retire its debt and enabling Government to sufficiently support social sectors.

“Government has set out the macroeconomic framework for the 2023/24 Budget that looks at the macroeconomic targets such as fiscal and monetary measures and the debt sustainability targets to be achieved by the end of the fiscal year,” he said.

Malawi’s economy is projected to grow by 2.6% up in 2023 from 1.7% in 2022 despite several economy bottlenecks the country is encountering including electricity supply disruptions, shortage of forex and fuel which continue to suffocate business operations.

Geologists belong to a technical expertise that deal with rocks. This technical expertise is branched into many aspects, among others, environment, geotechnical engineering/engineering geology, seismology, volcanology, exploration geology, geoinformatics, geo-statistics, structural geology, petroleum geology just to mention but a few. All these aspects of geology may be applied in the construction/ building industry using geology as the fundamental basis for such tasks. Infrastructures like road construction, bridges, foundations to buildings, railways, tunnels, housing settlements, dams, mine construction require the services and input of a geologist.

• Environmental geology is in one way also associated with Geohazard mapping among others to help in decision making and planning of housing units and settlements.
•  Engineering geology involves application of geotechnics/ geotechnical aspects by identifying geological factors that could affect construction projects.
• Seismologists are concerned with earthquake and seismic studies as in assisting in planning for settlements. They also make decisions based on attenuations of seismicity of an area where they may deduce the return period hence careful planning. Similarly they also work in areas where seismicity is the order like inducing them in oil exploration/petroleum to locate the position of wells, during design and construction of dams,
•  In road, tunnel, railway construction, engineering geologists are very important in analyzing the geotechnical aspects. For example in a tunnel construction a geologist is engaged to determine the type of rock where the railway might pass that will provide a good roof in avoidance of collapsing in and such knowledge may be accompanied by blasting technology to ascertain the blasting pattern that does not cause damage to the existing rocks and gives minimal negative or no impact at all

In mineral exploration geologists are required to do geological mapping, reconnaissance surveys, geophysical surveys, drilling, geological logging, sampling, resource estimation, geotechnical evaluations, geostatistics and in mine geology they are important in ore delineation by controlling the grade, sample analysis, geological mapping as in face mapping, stockpile analysis, ore blending, mine to mill reconciliation etc.

               1. Aspects of geology in Infrastructure Development/Construction

In construction Industry engineering geologist form the basis of foundation in determining say the type of rock to source quarry stone which may be used for building houses or roads. They may aid in planning for the choice of a site for construction of buildings to determine structures like faults. This type of geology analyses the geological and geomorphological techniques and knowledge at the pretext of aiding and facilitating infrastructure planning, geological mapping etc. The foundation of houses or buildings may be on top of these structures and may be underlain by underground drainage or an active spring. Engineering geologists here analyse ground materials to assess the risk factors and offer advice to the best procedures for the development and sustainability of such. They undertake field investigations by collecting and analyzing data where decisions can be made from. The importance of a geologist in infrastructure developments go beyond hydrogeology, petrology and geochemistry, rock mechanics, geohazard analysis  just to mention only but a few..

                2. Importance of Geology in Civil Engineering

Geology plays significant and crucial role in civil engineering discipline since it studies the structure of the earth.

• Geology tries to identify areas that are prone to structural failures arising from geological hazards like landslides, mudflows, debris flows, earthquakes etc.
• Knowledge of hydrogeology helps to understand groundwater where this is connected to water supply etc. A geologists assesses groundwater conditions that can affect the stability of a structure like dam construction. In this case, hydrogeological maps provide distribution of groundwater and the associated depth through groundwater modelling, mapping etc.
• Geological survey is also important because it tries to reduce the risk of incurring a huge cost to the project. In this regard a geologist may be required to make risk assessments of future construction sites.
• Foundation problems of buildings, bridges, roads, dams, excavations occur in direct relationships with the areas in which they are built
• The knowledge about the properties and nature of rocks and rock mass is very important to determine slope and cut stability of say road and tunnel construction.
• Geological maps help in planning by civil engineers. It provides information about structural depositions, faults, folds, joints, bedding planes that have to be carefully analyzed to increase the slope/structure stability.
• If civil engineers know the rock properties they can consider a specific rock type for a particular purpose or use such as aggregate, foundations, building stones, roofing materials since they are able to know the structure of the earth through geology.

      3. Challenges faced by geologists in Malawi

1. Geologist scope is not recognized and appreciated.
2. Lack of knowledge and exposure to work that requires the services of a geologist and constructions where contractors do not feel the need for engagement
3. Lack of understanding of technical language, digital data and interpretations of geology by the people.
4. Limited job market locally.
5. Working in various harsh environments.

Sugar group Illovo Malawi says it is optimistic that better weather and a return to normal power generation by Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) will improve the output from its agricultural operations, which will positively impact production efficiency and factory throughout.

In its audited financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2022 signed by Group’s Chairman Gavin Dagleish and MD Lekani Katandula, Illovo says it will continue pumping in more efforts to improve the performance of the group while providing the ultimate consumers with affordable prices.

It says: “More efforts on drip irrigation and other elements of the agricultural recovery plan replete with excellent agronomic practices, continued grower support, a proactive approach at plant maintenance and efficient production initiatives and embedding of the overall performance improvement initiatives throughout the entire business value chain should result in even further growth in the group results.

“The group will continue pursuing various initiatives in commercial and logistical operations that are expected to contribute to better delivery of excellent quality product pack sizes at affordable prices to the ultimate consumers.”

“Efforts at growth will also be engaged further in the export markets to assist us counter the impact on the business of the scarcity of foreign exchange and further ensure maximization of value from every ton of sugar sold.”

Dagleish and Katandula, however, say that delivery of cost optimization efforts for the business continues to suffer from depreciating exchange rates for the Malawi kwacha against major trading currencies.

They also bemoan increasing inflation and interest rates, and the scarcity of foreign currency and fuel.

“The Group will therefore continue to actively engage significant efforts at cost reduction, improvement of operational efficiency, export revenue enhancement, and domestic market growth to drive delivery of good results for the business and all stakeholders into the foreseeable future,” Reads the statement.

However, despite the challenges, the Group experienced significant growth in domestic market and sold 213 550 tonnes from 175 578 tonnes in the prior period.

The Group achieved 14% growth turnover to K186.6 billion, 24% growth in operating cost profit to K39.5 billion and 31% growth in profit before tax to K38.4 billion over the prior year.

Illovo Group also contributed to the Malawi fiscus by paying and collecting tax on behalf of government amounting to K28.2 billion and managed to fully repay its debt and achieve a net cash position in the year despite the challenges it faced.

However, Cyclones Ana and Gombe that the country experienced in the first quarter of the year 2022, impacted on the delay by the Group to commence cane crushing exercise for the 2022 season by weeks as the wet fields could not be accessed for cane harvesting and haulage.

Dagleish and Katandula state: “The persistent rainfall negatively impacted cane quality and sucrose recoveries and high ash content which caused plant mechanical problems resulting in high incidences of downtime.”

“The two factories planned to start production mid-April 2022 but could not successfully achieve this due to muddy cane, especially at Nchalo and general plant downtime.”

“Both factories eventually started production initially at low throughout rates particularly in the first week of May 2022 while factor throughout was affected by plant mechanical problems resulting from the poor quality of the cane.”

Within the year, domestic revenue for the Group continued to register growth despite the reduced inventory levels in the period from late March to mid-May 2022 resulting from the delayed crushing cane.

“The Group commits to continue contributing to the development of the country through significant employment, trade opportunities, tax contributions, and various statutory payments,” reads the statement.

Local civil engineering firm ProjEx Group has managed to swim through Malawi’s murky economic waters to emerge as a giant in the field of railway maintenance and construction.

Corporate Director for the Group Phillip Tembo says in an interview that commitment to quality is the reason for the growth of the firm, which was established in 2011 as company providing both building and civil engineering services.

“ProjEx is able to execute any kind of job in railway construction and maintenance with expertise. We also have the expertise to work on projects related to water, roads, bridges, building and any other construction and civil works,” Tembo says.

The Company is, currently, executing various projects including: Upgrading and expanding of Chintheche Water Supply System for Northern Region Water Board (NRWB); rehabilitation of Section Chipala (KM507) to Mchinji (KM696 -Chipata Border) Railway Line in Malawi for CEAR and; construction of civil works on rail line at Blantyre Depot for National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA).

Tembo says the Company has a well-established Quality Management System (QMS) that aims at identifying principles and processes that ensure quality assurance and quality control of their work.

He says the primary focus of the QMS is to meet the clients’ specifications and requirements and to strive to exceed their expectations.

Tembo says: “ProjEx uses structured processes, with controls at all levels from the managers to the personnel performing each task.

“The aim is to make sure that the different activities are performed according to specifications and requirements and to continuously improve each process.”

“Quality assurance is achieved through our control of documents and records, internal quality audits and internal control of non-conformances.”

“As one way of ensuring quality control and delivering high-quality testing of construction and civil engineering materials, the company invested in establishing a well-equipped materials laboratory.”

“To adhere to specifications, testing of materials is critical and crucial. ProjEx Materials laboratory provides vital testing on soils/gravel, aggregates and concrete. We also have equipment for testing materials on site.”

On Occupational Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE), Tembo says the Company has a full department headed by a qualified manager dedicated to look after OSHE issues.

He says before acquiring or renting a new machine for projects they are executing, they always perform a pre-inspection that enables them to check if the machines conform to different standards regarding OSHE.

Tembo says operators for the machines are also required to undergo through trainings before they operate the machines. 

He explains “While on the work front, operators are required to perform daily inspection checks on the machines to see if they conform to different OSHE guidelines or standards.”

“If the machines are found to have nonconformities, quick efforts to correct them are implemented immediately.”

“ProjEx Group also commits itself to maintaining its equipment as specified by different machine specifications.”

“Whether maintenance is done in the field or workshop, efforts to manage the environment are implemented. For example, if there are spillages, control is done with the presence of spill kits and a waste management plan is also followed to allow proper disposal of the waste.”

However, Tembo describes business in the year 2022 as tough as the prices of most construction materials have risen due to the 25% devaluation that the Reserve Bank effected within the year.

He also says scarcity of foreign exchange contributed to challenges for the Group as the contracts they execute rely on imported materials.

Tembo says: “Things have gotten worse now with fuel supply shortages which have caused distraction of major works for the projects we are doing especially the rehabilitation of the railway line from Chipala to Mchinji.”

“This project uses a lot of machinery and fuel is one of the major commodities being used so our business has been affected badly.”

“Nonetheless, we appreciate the efforts government is doing to overcome these challenges and it is our belief that things will improve and get back to normal.”

Projex Group has offices in all regions of the country and this year has registered a branch in Mozambique and later plans to extend to Zambia.

With over 450 employees, the company has a steel profiling factory currently producing three types of iron sheets under the brand name ‘Mudzi Malata’ namely: Mudzi tile, IBR and corrugated including producing top rolls.