Malawi to promote local contractors

Malawi government has reiterated its commitment to build capacity of local contractors by partnering them with their international counterparts.

Malawi’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Works Sosten Gwengwe said this when he opened a two-day workshop on the International Federation Consulting Engineering (Fidic) suite for contracts in Lilongwe last week.

Fidic suite is a form of contract widely used throughout the world and is important for contractors that need to work with international organisations, including the World Bank.

“As government, we are committed to building capacity of local contractors in the construction industry so that they operate efficiently both locally and internationally; hence, the decision to host the workshop,” he said.

According to Gwengwe, lack of capacity results in poor understanding, interpretation and administration of projects.

He said this result in project delays, contractual disputes and loss of resources.

Workshop facilitator Simon Davies, a partner in Beale and Company, said if local contractors use the Fidic suite ,it will be easier for them to compete with their international counterparts.

“Donors have pledged to pump a lot of resources into the construction sector. As such, it is important to increase the knowledge of contractors because it will be much easier for them to win contracts,” said Davies.

National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) organised the workshop to empower local contractors.