President Lazarus Chakwera’s administration has sparked controversy by awarding a lucrative gold mining license to foreign nationals linked to a disputed fuel deal, despite laws explicitly forbidding foreign ownership of small-scale mines in Malawi.
The beneficiaries have publicly praised Chakwera for his support, raising questions about the deal’s legitimacy and the president’s involvement.
According to Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), QLV DigitalEX Limited, a company connected to QLV Digital Fx (Malawi) Limited, which is involved in a controversial K128 billion oil deal with NOCMA, was granted the mining license. The mine is 16.53 square kilometres.
Marcin Tomasz Lapa, the lone shareholder of the company, confirmed the awarding of the license on LinkedIn, stating: “I’m happy to announce that QLV LLC – QASSIMI LAPA VENTURES with Victoria Mines & Minerals LLC (QLV Group) successfully transitioned from small-scale to medium-scale mining in Malawi, securing a license for metals and precious stones for the next 5 years! This also includes an export permit and an incredible allocation of over 14 square kilometres of land.”
Lapa accompanied his post with a picture of himself meeting President Lazarus Chakwera, and added: “This significant milestone wouldn’t be possible without the support we’ve received from His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Al Qasimi, Noor Al-Nahda Investment LLC (QLV Group) and AL QASSIMI – KEPTAIN LIMITED PARTNERSHIP FUND Their dedication to fostering growth in the hashtag #energy and hashtag #naturalresources sector has been instrumental in making this possible.”
However, the speed of the approval process and the fact that the company’s representatives, Lapa and Jakub Tadych (who made the application at the Ministry of Mining) are not Malawian nationals has raised questions about the legality of the deal.
Additionally, Lapa’s statement praising Chakwera’s support and his claim that the licence transitioned from small-scale to medium-scale begs more questions about the legality of the awarding license.
Section 178 of the Mines and Minerals Act reads: “A small-scale mining license holder shall be (a) an individual who is a Malawian citizen (b) a mining cooperative society registered purunderction 288 © a mining partnership registered purunderction 288; (d) a company duly incorporated under the Companies Act, that is one hundred per cent owned by the Malawian citizens.”
Meanwhile, Kennedy Rashid, a mining sector analyst, has told PIJ that the license raises questions over potential corruption as it appears to be done under a cloud of lack of transparency and accountability.
