FDH Financial Holdings Limited Group chief executive officer Thom Mpinganjira has urged engineers to apportion more time on research and innovation to find viable and sustainable means of dealing with electricity and water supply challenges.
Speaking at the opening of this year’s Malawi Institution of Engineers (MIE) Annual Lake Conference in Mangochi on Thursday, he observed that the problem of potable water and electricity has reached a point where people are forced to drink unsafe water and stay hours on end without electricity and yet every year, the country produces engineers.
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) is currently load shedding between eight and 25 hours due to low water levels in Shire River, the main source of hydro electrical power generation.
Mpinganjira said Malawi’s prevailing social and economic crises call for engineers’ knowledge to invent new technologies to address problems that would generate wealth and boost the economy.
He said it is sad that businesses are being closed down due to massive power outages.
“Companies are spending millions of kwacha to run generators and this has adverse effects on citizens because consumers are forced to buy items at a higher price as companies are factoring in the cost of extra fuel to avoid suffering losses,” he explained.
In his remarks, MIE president David Mzandu said the conference afforded the experts a platform to brainstorm a myriad challenges rocking the country and find solutions.
He called on engineers to apply science, mathematics and other skills to overcome challenges besetting the country.
“Nobody will come and solve the problems,” he said. n
