LocationsGovernment, UNDP and Irish Embassy Tour Clean Cooking Enterprises to Build Support for Tax Waivers
July 22, 2026
The delegation tours Presscane Limited's ethanol production facility in Chikwawa to see first-hand the clean cooking fuel investments being made possible through GETF support.
Government officials, Members of Parliament and development partners this week completed a two-day site visit to clean cooking enterprises in Blantyre and Chikwawa, as part of a coordinated push to build political and institutional support for tax waivers and fiscal incentives on clean cooking technologies and fuels in Malawi.
The mission, organized by the Ministry of Energy in partnership with UNDP, the Irish Embassy and the Green Economic Transition Facility (GETF), brought together representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Malawi Revenue Authority, the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, and Members of Parliament from the Parliamentary Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and on Budget and Finance.
UNDP Resident Representative Fenella Frost and Irish Ambassador to Malawi H.E. Kate Brady also joined the delegation, underscoring the strength of the partnership between the Government of Malawi, UNDP and the Government of Ireland in advancing clean energy solutions.
Ms. Frost said the mission demonstrated the tangible results that GETF-supported enterprises are already delivering for Malawian households.
"These are not pilot ideas on paper. They are functioning businesses creating jobs, protecting forests and giving families cleaner, safer ways to cook. UNDP remains committed to working with Government to translate this evidence into lasting fiscal policy," she said.
Irish Ambassador to Malawi H.E. Kate Brady said Ireland's continued support through GETF reflects its long-standing partnership with Malawi on climate and development priorities.
"Ireland is proud to stand behind enterprises like these. What we have seen over the past two days shows what is possible when government, the private sector and development partners work together towards a common goal," she said.
Irish Ambassador to Malawi, H.E. Kate Brady, delivers remarks at the B&P Investments Blue Flame site in Machinjiri, highlighting Ireland's continued support for Malawi's clean cooking sector through GETF.
Clean cooking has been identified by the government as a critical intervention for reducing deforestation, improving public health, strengthening energy security and supporting climate change mitigation.
Despite growing private sector investment in the sector, taxes, import duties and other fiscal costs continue to push up the price of clean cooking solutions for ordinary households.
A Community Reconciled
At Presscane Limited's ethanol production facility in Chikwawa, Minister of Natural Resources, Honourable Patricia Wiskes, commended the company for taking corrective measures in effluent management, following an earlier dispute with the surrounding community over environmental damage caused by factory effluent.
"A few months ago, Presscane had a misunderstanding with the community. A few months down the line, we have also seen the positive measures that Presscane has undertaken, including the commissioning of the Zero Liquid Discharge," Honourable Wiskes said during the tour.
Presscane Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bryson Mkhomaanthu, said that beyond fixing the leakage, the company is now investing in a broader realignment with its host community.
"Our desire is that Presscane and the community should not be seen as two entities. We are bringing economic impact to the community in a meaningful way," he said.
Presscane is leveraging established industrial ethanol distillation capacity to pioneer Malawi's first high-volume, affordable domestic technical ethanol market, supported by a GETF grant.
The company produces molasses-based bioethanol that is cheaper than both charcoal and LPG, and is training local youth and women's cooperatives to manage decentralised refill kiosks in Blantyre and Zomba.
Gasman Limited Director and Project Manager, Mark Wheeler, briefs the delegation on the company's LPG distribution operations and plans to expand storage capacity in Blantyre.
Scaling LPG Access
The delegation's tour of clean cooking enterprises in Blantyre and Chikwawa also took them to Gasman Limited's LPG storage facility in Chigumula, Blantyre. There, Honourable Wiskes said clean cooking is beneficial to the environment, the economy and the nation.
Investment in cooking gas, she noted, promotes public health and protects Malawi's forests by reducing the number of households that depend on biomass for cooking, a figure that currently stands at 98 per cent. Government, she said, is targeting an increase in LPG use of at least 15 per cent by 2030.
Gasman Managing Director Mark Wheeler said the company, with support from UNDP and the Irish Government-funded GETF, will soon operate 40 tonnes of LPG storage capacity in Blantyre. He said the first 20-tonne tanker has already been installed, with a second tanker expected to arrive in Malawi soon.
Wheeler added that LPG usage in Malawi has grown steadily since the removal of value-added tax on gas cylinders in 2019, underlining the direct impact that fiscal incentives can have on clean cooking adoption.
The visiting delegation observes operations at Presscane Limited, gaining insight into the company's progress on clean, affordable bioethanol production for Malawian households.
A Third Model: Ethanol Cookstoves
The mission also included a visit to B&P Investments Limited in Blantyre, whose Blue Flame Project is scaling ethanol fuel and high-efficiency cookstove distribution to low-income urban households in Blantyre and Zomba.
Backed by a GETF grant, the company operates a central ethanol distribution centre in Blantyre City and 20 retail outlets, and has so far helped transition at least 30,000 household members away from illegal, toxic charcoal use.
A Blue Flame beneficiary demonstrates efficient ethanol cooking to the delegation, showcasing the everyday impact of clean cooking technologies on Malawian households.
Building the Case for Fiscal Reform
Together, the three enterprises visited during the mission illustrate the range of clean cooking solutions now taking root in Malawi, from ethanol cookstoves and bioethanol production to LPG distribution. All three are supported through GETF, a facility funded by UNDP and the Government of Ireland to accelerate Malawi's transition to a green economy.
By giving policymakers and Members of Parliament first-hand exposure to the successes and remaining challenges facing these enterprises, the mission is expected to strengthen the case for evidence-based fiscal reforms, including tax waivers, that could make clean cooking solutions more affordable, stimulate further private investment, create jobs and accelerate Malawi's shift away from traditional biomass fuels.
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