By Sheminah Nkhoma

Lilongwe, October 23, Mana: Minister of Information and Digitalisation Moses Kunkuyu has said government is working tirelessly to ensure that fuel is available in the country.

Speaking on Wednesday during a press briefing in Lilongwe, Kunkuyu said government understands the difficulties, which Malawians are facing due to fuel shortage and how it has affected many lives.

He said the shortage of fuel has come due to accumulated debts owed to fuel suppliers and shortage of forex.

“Government is doing everything possible to normalise the situation by among others borrowing money from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to buy more fuel for the country,” said Kunkuyu.

He further stated that government has allocated 21.5 million United States dollars to fuel importers as a way of lessening the burden.

“44 tankers are already in the country and additional fuel supplies are on the way, including 29 trucks carrying 1.1 million litres of petrol, 30 wagons transporting 1.2 million litres of petrol, 150 trucks delivering 5.7 million litres of petrol and nine trucks carrying 350,000 litres of diesel to restore the country's fuel supply”, he said.

In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer for National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA) Clement Kanyama said that the country continues to receive a constant supply of fuel and that the current fuel shortage will be electrified soon.

Kanyama assured Malawians of NOCMA’s commitment and unwavering dedication to ensure the availability of fuel in the country.