Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) has hit back on clams that it is responsible for the delay in approving the proposed Mulalo granular Fertilizer production Factory in Dowa District.
The claims have come following a statement from the factory owner Napoleon Dzombe who said it was not known as to when his fertilizer company would come into operation, as he was yet to acquire a license from MEPA.
In its clarification statement released on 4 June, 2026, MEPA said it reviewed and responded to the developer’s submission within the required time frame however it took about nine months for the developer to submit a revised environmental and social impact assessment ESIA after receiving initial feedback.
According to MEPA the latest revised report was submitted in March and was reviewed by the technical committee of the board in May 2026, saying it’s within the 60 working days stipulated in its service charter.
“The project brief was submitted on 24 March,2025 and MEPA provided feedback by 26 March, which the proponent collected on 1 April, 2025. The Preliminary ESIA report arrived on July 2025.MEPA completed an editorial review by the end of July and sent comments to the developer, advising that these be addressed before technical review could begin,” reads part of the statement.
The authority said is still waiting for another revised report before it can make a final decision on the project, insisting it has followed all legal and procedural requirements.
Commenting, an environmental Expert Gracian Kamnyamata says if the developer had followed all the requirements, MEPA would have allowed the project to commence saying if MEPA noted some shortfalls regarding the environmental protection, it was supposed to give its recommendations.
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