Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) says its K4 billion bottled water plant commissioned last year is generating K82 million in monthly revenue, translating to K984 million in one year.
LWB public relations manager Chisomo Chibwana said in an interview on Friday that bottled water sales have increased by 244 percent, with monthly revenue rising from K25 million in September 2025 to K82 million in August this year.
“The unit remains in its growth phase. Continued market penetration, expansion into new geographical areas and strengthening of distribution channels are expected to further increase its contribution to LWB revenue,” she said.
Corporate governance expert Jimmy Lipunga said in an interview that the water bottling unit is the utility’s revenue broadening strategy and is critical to attaining higher profitability and return on investments.
“This investment is in the same line of business and within the integrated value chain and can be characterised as a vertical integration proposition,” he said, adding that the success of the venture depends on managing variable costs, risks, marketing and achieving the needed volumes.
The Comptroller of Statutory Corporations’ office is quoted as having said in a statement that the utility’s investment reflects a wider public sector transformation, observing that other water boards are also preparing to launch similar plants.
“This shows a broader reform trend across the sector. Clean water reduces disease incidence, saving government resources on treatment and improving productivity as people stay healthy and able to work,” reads the statement.
The K4 billion water bottling plant builds on a strong financial performance of LWB in 2023/24 when it posted a profit after-tax of K9.8 billion, a 27 percent rise from the previous year’s K2.6 billion, according to the 2025 Malawi Government Annual Economic Report 2025.
