Africa-Press – Malawi. State-run National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) has facilitated oil transportation agreements between its suppliers and four local transport associations to move fuel from Dar es Salaam to Malawi.
The four local transporters— which include Transporters Association of Malawi (Tam), Transporters Association 2016, Road Transporters Operators Association (RTOA) and Women in Logistics and Large Scale Supply (Wollss)—have been tasked to transport fuel using 400 tankers every month while waiting for a tripartite memorandum of understanding in June this year among themselves, Nocma and the suppliers.
Tam General Secretary Sympathy Chisale said after the MoU is signed, the transporters would be allowed to deploy 600 tankers per month. Chisale said the involvement of local transporters will cater for 86.7 percent of fuel transportation into the country.
“Since 2018, there have been discussions with Nocma to empower associations to transport fuel into the country. Nocma has given us an okay to transport fuel from the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Malawi. This is a welcome move,” Chisale said.
He said the local transporters have the capacity to transport fuel into the country. “We are grateful to Nocma for trusting us to participate in fuel haulage,” Chisale said.
Nocma spokesperson Chisomo Mwamadi confirmed the development but stressed that the contracts are between the associations and the fuel suppliers. “Nocma has no transportation contracts with any association but has facilitated transportation agreements between its suppliers and associations,” Mwamadi said.
“Nocma is paying no one for any transportation services as the contracts are between the suppliers and transporter associations,” he added.
Professional Drivers Union Secretary General Mphatso Moleni said the union has also welcomed the move but was quick to add that 400 tankers are on the lower side.
“We need more tankers. We have 800 tankers on the ground and 400 are not enough,” he said. Nocma is a State-owned company with the mandate to import and manage strategic fuel reserves.
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