Balaka West member of Parliament (MP) (Independent) Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri has emphasised the need to invest in solar energy as one way of curbing the rising energy problem the country is facing.
Making her contribution on President Peter Mutharika’s opening address to the 47th session of Parliament delivered last Friday, Dzimbiri said using solar power would help provide a long-term solution to the problem.
She said women suffer the most as they spend long hours at maize mills waiting for electricity to come while their children starve at home.
“The energy crisis is real, there is need for government to prioritise solar energy. It is not good for people to spend three days, at the maize mill just because there is power outage. We really need to invest in solar power,” she said.
Dzimbiri noted that most of the power generated by Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (Escom) is being supplied to parastatals such as water boards. She said such institutions can generate their own power instead of scrambling for it with poor Malawians who are unable to do the same. n
