Fuel transporters in the country have queried Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) and National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) Limited for preferring Tanzanian transporters at their expense.
Transporters Association of Malawi (TAM) and Truck Drivers Union of Malawi (TDUM) said in separate interviews yesterday that they have observed preference for Tanzanian hauliers under the current system.
TAM spokesperson Frank Banda said the arrangement has resulted in Malawian transporters taking weeks to load fuel in Dar es Salaam while their Tanzania counterparts make numerous round trips and get paid in dollars.
He said the situation is ironic for a country grappling with foreign exchange scarcity as it costs about $13 500 (about K23.4 million) for one Tanzanian trucker to ferry fuel into Malawi when local transporters would be paid in kwacha.
Banda said they engaged Mera and Nocma leadership, but they are yet to get feedback.
“We remain confident that through these ongoing discussions, an amicable and mutually beneficial resolution can be achieved. However, should all negotiation and engagement efforts fail to produce satisfactory outcomes, the association will not hesitate to consult its members for guidance on the next course of action,” he said.
Between 2020 and 2024 local operators protested the delivered duty unpaid (DDU) system which was being used mostly by Tanzanian transporters to haul fuel into Malawi, arguing that it put local transporters at a disadvantage.
Consequently, in August 2024, the High Court of Malawi outlawed DDU in a case where the Fuel Tankers Operators Association challenged the system.
TDUM vice-president Francis Mkandawire said they have registered numerous complaints with government and have been to several round-table discussions but there has not been any tangible solution.
Mera spokesperson Fitina Khonje said in a separate interview yesterday that they will further engage the transporters on the matter.
“The agreed upon position will be shared with the media,” she said.
On the other hand, Nocma spokesperson Raymond Likambale and deputy chief executive officer Micklas Rueben were yet to respond to our questionnaire by press time yesterday.
In April 2026, Mera said it had resolved grievances raised by tanker truck drivers regarding their welfare by allocating 85 percent of contractual fuel volumes to Malawian transporters and establishing offices at loading ports.
