MALAWI URGED TO SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE ENERGY USE

Malawi has been challenged to sustain the momentum created by the Putting Energy to Work (PEW) project to ensure that access to energy continues to drive productivity among farmers and small businesses.

The call was made by Germany during the closure of the PEW component under the Energising Development initiative in Lilongwe on Thursday.

The initiative was jointly funded by Germany and the European Union and implemented by GIZ.

German Cooperation Deputy Head Susanne Meltl said the project had demonstrated that energy access should go beyond lighting homes and should instead contribute to business growth, job creation and improved livelihoods.

“For German Development Cooperation in Malawi, access to energy matters when it helps farmers and small businesses become more productive, strengthen their livelihoods and create opportunities for others,” Meltl said.

She urged government, the private sector and development partners to sustain the market for productive-use energy technologies established through the project.

Deputy Director of Research and Development in the Ministry of Energy Thokozani Malunga said government valued the project because it aligned with Malawi’s economic transformation agenda by turning energy access into tangible economic gains.

He said the initiative had helped farmers, cooperatives and entrepreneurs adopt technologies such as solar-powered irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing equipment, contributing to increased incomes and greater resilience.
Malunga said the project also focused on strengthening the supply of productive-use energy technologies, stimulating demand and improving the enabling environment.

He added that lessons from the project would inform the design and implementation of future energy programmes.

Germany said it remained committed to supporting Malawi’s energy sector but called for stronger local ownership to ensure that productive use of energy remains at the centre of the country’s development efforts.