Stakeholders at the second E-Mobility Conference in Lilongwe have stressed the need for Malawi to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), citing their potential to reduce foreign exchange spent on fuel imports.

Figures presented at the conference on Wednesday showed, Malawi spends over US600 million, equivalent to more than K1 trillion, annually on fuel imports, a cost that could be significantly reduced through increased EV usage.

Electric vehicles are already in Malawi but there is no legal framework and infrastructure to support their use. In the current state budget (2025/2026), the government provided incentives, like import tax cuts, to encourage more people to purchase such vehicles.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Madalo Nyambose, said that the authorities are currently developing legislative and physical infrastructure to support EVs, saying their adoption will also contribute to environmental conservation and a more sustainable transport sector.

“There is a legal framework that needs to be reviewed. This workshop is a very important component of EVs. Now, the framework that is being developed at the moment is looking so much at the energy issues.

“There are issues of regulation, also. The registration has to be done through the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services. So, the standards and the handling of batteries and other components that need to be part of the legislation would also have to be developed,” she said.

Nyambose said currently Malawi already has some few vehicles - motorcycles and proper vehicles - that are running on the roads, of which most are hybrids.

She added that the ministry is hopeful that by the end of this year, it should have made a lot of progress on the regulations and policies, but said such progress will depend on the work being done by other stakeholders like the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA).

World Bank Country Manager for Malawi Firas Raad said the bank will support Malawi’s efforts toward adoption of electric vehicles because of the potential they have in uplifting the economy of the country.

“We think Malawi has made some important strides in promoting e-mobility. More, however, has to be done, in terms of the waivers: custom and import duties. And also, the regulatory frameworks that the government has begun to undertake. We think there are improvements but there are further steps that the government should be taking with the ministries of energy and transport,” he added.

To ensure efficiency of e-vehicles in Malawi, experts have recommended installation of charging service stations in strategic points along the M1 Road and all the cities as well as introducing more incentives such as tax waivers.