Mining & Trade News

When you are travelling on the M 1 road in Lilongwe’s Area 36 and Biwi Triangle, what will catch your eye is the number of terrazzo bags being sold along this highway.

These are bags of terrazzo brought to the capital city from as far as Neno, Balaka, Mangochi and Ntcheu by small scale miners. This terrazzo is made of white cement coloured aggregates including granite chips and other recycled materials and water.

It is used in construction projects for dwelling houses, offices, and tombstones.

MD for CSM Terrazzo and Tiling Granite Company Ganizani Kapito said in an interview that he started his business five years ago and normally sources terrazo from Njeleza in Mangochi.

“This business has changed my life. Terrazzo is hot business no wonder you can see that from Lilongwe Girls Secondary School all the way to Bunda Road Block there are people selling it. I sell it in 40 and 20-Kilogram bags and the pricing is very competitive,” said Kapito.

The order price for the 20 kg bag is K3,500 while the selling price is K7,000 while the order price for the 40 kg bag is K7,000 and the selling price is pegged at K10,000.

“I manage to pay school fees for all my children, pay rentals and bills and buy food from proceeds from this business. The only challenge I face is the rainy season because business tends to slow down,” he said.

There are over 30 entrepreneurs doing this kind of business in the Lilongwe M1 area.

Edson Goliati of Tapuma Terrazzo and Granite situated in Biwi Triangle explained that there are two types of terrazzo, black and white, though the prices are the same.

James Kapito who sells the Terrazzo near St Jones Msamba Catholic Church said he personally travels to Njeleza or Neno to order several bags of the commodity for sale.

The minerals sector in Malawi is still at exploration stage and dominated by artisanal and small scale mining of construction minerals, coal and gemstones.    

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