RTOA contributing to Malawi’s efficient transport sector
The Road Transport Owners Association (RTOA) says despite a plethora of challenges that is has been going through, it has been able to thrive and improve Malawi’s transport sector.
RTOA Executive director Chrissy Flao says in an exclusive interview that most of the challenges it had been going through had the potential to choke the operations of the association.
The association was established to elevate its members to the standards so that they would undertake businesses internationally and also enhance transporters’ capacity to manage their fleet.
She, however, says despite the challenges, the association continues to sail through without compromising the delivery of its services.
She says one of the challenges that the association was going through is poor road network which makes it impossible to operate effectively.
“We are unable to access some areas to get to markets because the road network is quite unsatisfactory. We can’t access some areas for example when we are distributing items for World Food Program and even for government,” she says.
Flao says her association would have loved to see good access roads to the rural areas observing that that is where most agricultural activities are undertaken in the country.
“If we can have good road connectivity in Malawi I am sure everyone would be happy to sell their produce at good prices at accessible markets. So good road connectivity and good infrastructure in this case could get us out of where we are every season,” she says.
She also says the recent devaluation of the Malawi kwacha has also posing a big threat to the effectiveness in delivery of the association’s services as everything has skyrocketed.
“Fuel prices and even spare parts went up. It has been very difficult for us because we are not able to get better rates because even the drivers have been asking for higher pay,” she observes.
Flao says the devaluation has made the association struggle to align itself with the rates so that it is in tandem with the country’s economic situation as the association cannot give better rates for its services.
“We cannot balance up as everything has gone up. It has been difficult to equate anything to devaluation,” she says.
She also observed that foreign transporters were having an upper hand in the transport sector because of high transport rates in the country due to the operating costs.
“Fuel costs are higher just like the bank interests rates so with that scenario foreign transporters have an upper hand,” he observed.
Flao, however, says despite these challenges, the association was making some inroads to see to it that it remains afloat and relevant to the transportation sector in the country.
She says one of the major achievement for the association has been equipping Malawian transporters with the capacity to compete internationally and also equipping them with, among other things, skills on tracking devices besides improving their management structures and how to best run their transport businesses.
“Some companies have grown and have become big entities .They no longer have to rely on us. They work on their own and able to effectively manage their fleet,” she says.
The association, which was established in the early 90s, boasts of a good working relationship with the Ministry of Transport as their mother Ministry which has helped boost the association’s objectives and aspirations.
“We normally come to a round table with the Ministry whenever there are some challenges that require their intervention,” She says.
The association which has government, non-governmental organisations and the private sector as its major clients normally uses the M1 and M5 roads as the most frequently used roads including the Beira, Nacala and the northern corridor.
Its membership is voluntary to Malawian transporters who own trucks from capacities of 5 tonnes and above.
In 2023 the association was able to move, through its members 47,000 tonnes of fertilizer and 11,394,763 kilograms of tobacco.
Meanwhile Director of Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Transport of Public Works, John Phiri, says the Ministry is to review bilateral road agreements with partner countries.
“We will later start engaging every country we deal with so that we attain a 60% to 40% ratio between Malawian and foreign transporters. We are also gradually shifting cargo to rail transport starting with fuel,” says Phiri.
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