By Stanley Nkhondoyachepa

Lilongwe, August 31, Mana: Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) says it is important for the media to understand how fuel pricing in Malawi is done so that the public gets information that is factual.

MERA Director of Economic Regulation, Patrick Uka, said this in Lilongwe on Saturday at the end of a media orientation on Malawi fuel pricing mechanism.

He observed that journalists play a critical role in information dissemination and, therefore, needs to be conversant with the technicalities involved in fuel pricing.

“It is important for journalists to understand how fuel pricing in Malawi is done since they are responsible for disseminating information to the public; this will help in the dissemination of information that is factual, truthful, balanced and fair” he said.

In his presentation, Uka highlighted the different elements that determine the fuel pricing in Malawi which, he said, include transportation costs and levies, among others.

“MERA is guided by two principles which are, cost reflective and uniform pricing which ensures that investors in the oil industry are getting fair returns, and also that prices of fuel are uniform in all parts of the country.

He said, currently, Malawi is using the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM), which takes into account the exchange rate, global fuel price changes, among others, noting that with the system, the cost of fuel changes to reflect the cost of importing the commodity.

Director of Information, Arthur Chipenda, said the orientation was organized as part of ongoing efforts to have a strong partnership between MERA and the media so as to create a well-informed public.

He said fuel is a strategic commodity, noting the orientation was necessary to equip journalists with knowledge on fuel pricing mechanism.

Chipenda hoped that the orientation will help the media to understand how fuel is priced and the factors that influence its pricing so as to help in factual reporting.

He orientation drew participants from different media houses from the central region.