Marep procurement process should be streamlined-Msukwa

Msukwa stated that the procurement processes that take place around MAREP take much longer, which interferes with the timelines that they have in order to implement projects.

Msukwa

Malawi: As the Parliament continued Thursday for Private Members Day with Questions on Notice to Ministers for Oral Replies, Chitipa East legislator Kezzie Msukwa raised a Point of Order to ask the Minister of Energy to consider shortening the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) procurement processes so that projects can be implemented in their constituencies as soon as possible.

Msukwa stated that the procurement processes that take place around MAREP take much longer, which interferes with the timelines that they have in order to implement projects.

"We anticipate that procurements will be completed on time, allowing you to complete projects on time. The Minister could use other legally recognised procurement mechanisms to reduce procurement time and thus shorten this process. However, given the circumstances, we have found that procurements are taking much longer than expected, which does not align with the timelines that we have in place to implement projects,” he elaborated.

He went on to say that he would be delighted if other parts of his constituency were electrified.

"It will be very exciting to see Kasitu, Sokola, Iponjola, and other places within the constituency, as well as most other places in the country, electrified," he said.

In his response, Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola stated that the evaluation and other processes will not take as long as they think because the MAREP issue is in the hearts and voices of many voiceless people.

He went on to say that the intended goal is not only to reach out to the many Malawians who live in rural areas, but also to fulfil Sustainable Goal number 7, which is to provide people with access to affordable, reliable, and efficient electricity.

Matola went on to say that the suppliers had already submitted their equipment, indicating that the project would be completed as soon as possible.

"I'm sure there were three disturbances, and some of the issues are in court, which we can't discuss. However, the current one is progressing well, and suppliers have already submitted their equipment or materials. What remains is to identify the contractors, which will be completed very quickly,” he said.

MAREP began in 1980, with the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) serving as the implementing agency, with donor and government funding.

Later, in 1995, the Malawian government took over programme implementation, and the Department of Energy was designated as the implementing agency.

The goal of MAREP is to improve access to electricity in peri-urban and rural areas as part of the government's effort to reduce poverty, transform rural economies, increase productivity, and improve the quality of social services.