Telecommunications companies Airtel Malawi and Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) have bemoaned persistent foreign exchange scarcity, describing it as a major setback to their growth plans and efforts to improve network quality.
The two mobile service providers say the shortage of forex has affected their ability to import critical equipment needed to upgrade and expand their networks across the country.
Senior officials from Airtel Malawi and TNM made the remarks at Parliament Building in Lilongwe during separate engagements with the Parliamentary Committee on Media and Communication.
The meetings were convened following mounting complaints from the general public over poor quality of service being experienced on mobile networks.
Airtel Malawi Acting Managing Director Abdul Shaikh told Members of Parliament that the company requires at least five million United States dollars to facilitate key operations.
Shaikh said the amount, which is equivalent to about K8.6 billion, is needed mainly for the importation of new machinery and network equipment.
Meanwhile, TNM Chief Executive Officer Michel Hebert disclosed that the company urgently needs nine million United States dollars to sustain its operations.
Hebert said the nine million dollars, equivalent to approximately K15.6 billion, forms part of a broader thirty-two million dollar requirement to support TNM’s 2026 network expansion programme.
In response, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Media and Communication, Kingwell Liphuka, assured the companies that the matter would be presented to relevant stakeholders, noting that Members of Parliament are deeply concerned about the quality of telecommunication services in the country.
