Mangochi is popular for its beaches along Lake Malawi but in many villages in the district, access to safe and clean water remains a major challenge. This means long walks to open and contaminated water sources, waterborne diseases and limited agricultural and economic development.

To the untrained eye it may simply look like a humble shipping container, but to the residents of the remote Malawian village of Mthembanji, the contents have been life changing. Inside the 20-foot receptacle delivered to the village in June 2020, were the components of a 12-kilowatt solar-powered microgrid.

Malawi’s long search for a viable and affordable source of electricity continues. Local energy experts have argued that the country can benefit if it transitioned to clean and renewable energy sources.

The Malawi Integrated Energy Planning Tool is an online, publicly available, interactive, and user-friendly data visualization platform that equips Malawian policy makers and energy practitioners with data and insights to make informed decisions on strategies and operations to advance energy access in the country.

A WFP study suggests the irrigation scheme and other resilience-building activities are delivering major dividends. Targeting 128,000 families in eight Malawi districts, it found some 95 percent of respondents reported higher crop production. Nine in 10 said they felt better prepared to face natural disasters.

Ministry of Energy chief energy officer Thokozani Malunga said in light of the problems Malawi is currently facing, some people still have low buying power and can also not be connected to national grid. He said off-grid energy options is critical way for the country to meet its energy needs.

Amind boggling 2 083 hectares of forests are lost to wood energy every year in the country. This alarming rate is enough reason to worry everyone as Malawi may as well be on the road to desertification. However, Malawi stands a chance to avert the environmental crisis and diversify from using wood energy, courtesy of briquettes.

IDCOL will provide consultancy services to the Ministry of Energy in Malawi for the Off-Grid Market Development Fund under the Malawi Electricity Access Project, funded by the world bank. The objective of the fund is to address the challenges of scaling up the off-grid market in Malawi and electrifying 200,000 new households in remote rural areas.