By Dean Chisambo
Minister of Mining Monica Chayang’anamuno on Tuesday officially opened the joint Energy and Mining Lab meeting for Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and power sector coordination in Lilongwe.
In her opening remarks, Chayang’anamuno emphasized the importance of the Main Delivery Lab for the energy and mining sectors, as the nation needs to thrive and produce enough energy.
She stated that the three-day meeting will focus on addressing challenges in the energy sector to ensure sufficient energy production for the country.
“This, in turn, will enable the nation to generate enough forex for various projects,” she said.
The minister added that the Main Delivery Lab aims to collaborate with key stakeholders to find solutions to generate enough energy for the nation.
Deputy Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet, who is also Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU), Dr. Janet Banda, mentioned that the lab brought together key stakeholders to discuss issues affecting the sector’s progress.
She explained that the PDU intervened to identify obstacles and find solutions, likening the lab to a kitchen where ideas are cooked and refined.
“In the pre-lab meeting, nineteen issues were validated, and solutions are expected to emerge from the Main Lab.
“Nine of these issues require problem-solving, decision-makers, and higher-level decisions,” said Banda.
Dr. Collen Zalengela, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) country lead, expressed their support for the PDU in running the delivery lab to unlock bottlenecks in the energy sector.
He emphasized their commitment to accelerating the development of Malawi’s energy sector, ensuring everyone in the country and industries have access to electricity.
Currently, Malawi has 567 megawatts and aims to achieve 1000 megawatts by 2030.
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