Launch of LC³ technology in Malawi: A Momentous Day
for Green Construction Movement 

The launch event for the LC³ Malawi, at the Crossroads Auditorium, Lilongwe, on March 15, 2022

Malawi, a landlocked country in south-eastern Africa, has the highest urbanisation rate in the world at 6.3% annually (UN-Habitat 2010). Thus, the country faces a very high demand for new housing in urban areas. It is estimated that approximately 21,000 new units are needed every year for the next 10 years to meet its urban housing demand (Habitat for Humanity Malawi, n.d.). Thus, demand for cement, cement products, and burnt clay bricks will continue to grow.

Most of the building materials used for the construction of infrastructure and housing are produced locally by the informal sector, where limited knowledge and financial capacities result in unsustainable and environmentally harmful production methods. This affects the quality of the building material produced in the informal sector. It fluctuates widely and is mostly sub-standard as compared to Malawian regulations. The negative effects on construction using these materials are already noticeable today; for example, high breakage rates and up to 45% losses during transport, inconsistent sizes of bricks/blocks, unreliable compressive strength of the walling material, and risk of structural failure. Inconsistent sizes of the bricks/blocks used lead to high mortar and plaster consumption and increased construction costs. These effects will be even greater in the future, when more and more multi-storey buildings will come up and the risk of structural failure will pose a serious threat to the population.
In the absence of large industries in the power or manufacturing sector, the cement and building material sector is one of the largest contributors to the emissions in the country. No definite figures are available in public domain, and thus, projection cannot be made at this point. An estimate projects a figure of 0.80 million tonnes of CO₂ from the cement sector (assuming a production of 1 million tonne) and 3.1 million tonne from the brick sector.

To reduce the environmental impact of the building material sector, the Malawian government gazetted in May 2018 the ‘Sustainable Building Material Act, 2018’ that directs building developers and contractors to use sustainable building materials for all public, institutional, and commercial construction projects. However, no restrictions on the building material sector itself were deemed possible, as any legislation targeted towards the building material sector directly was considered politically difficult. On the one hand, it was because of the dependency of people in the low-income bracket on jobs in the sector and on the other, due to existence of a huge housing demand and subsequent reliance of people on the building materials. Furthermore, the informal setting of the sector makes any enforcement of legislation quite challenging. Hence, there is no legal obligation for building material producers such as Lafarge to produce only environment-friendly building materials.

Against this background, the LC³ technology has the potential to boost local and greener production of cement and accelerate Malawi’s independence from imports. The launch of the technology in Malawi this year attracted the highest support to gain momentum in bringing together different stakeholders to work closely.

This innovative method of cement production will be piloted countrywide in Malawi in collaboration with all cement producers in the public–private partnership mode under the Promotion of an Environmentally Friendly Building Material Sector in Malawi (PEFCoM).

Rt. Hon. Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, launched the LC³ technology at the Crossroads Auditorium in Lilongwe, on March 15, 2022. Honourable Ministers from the Cabinet such as those of trade, industry and commerce, mining, transport, and public works shared their remarks on the occasion. Other eminent guests present were Sylvia Giannakis, Honorary Consul General of Switzerland and Knut Gummert, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation in the Germany Embassy to Malawi.

Dr. Chilima said, “The project was a timely intervention in the government’s quest to support creation of enterprises in the construction sector through reduced costs as well as to help create hundreds of jobs.”

“These partnerships are not only commendable but also progressive because they provide us with cement and building solutions. These projects will reduce the negative environmental impact and instead allow us to substitute resources scarce in Malawi with other raw materials in abundant supply and readily available in the country,” he said.

The environment-friendly project also resonates with Malawi’s aspirations to promote green growth in the face of worsening climate change by reducing emissions. The project will be funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented through GIZ in association with TARA, India.

In his remarks, Knut Gummert pledged Germany’s support for the successful implementation of the project. He said, “The project could make Malawi a world leader in environment-friendly cement production.”

Further, Mark Katsonga Phiri, Minister of Trade and Industry said, “This is a game-changer and an outstanding project/initiative for economic recovery and transformation. Pollution mostly comes from industries, but I am delighted that this technology reduces greenhouse gas emissions for the cement industry. It fits very well with the expectations of our government. This launch brings hope to the nation. Cement production will help import substitution or eliminate imports. It also addresses problems faced by the small and medium enterprises. The ministry will be happy and obliged to provide all the help required for the project’s success.”

Jacob Hara, Minister of Transport and Public Works in his address remarked, “Since the invention of cement, today is a momentous day for Malawi and the green construction movement. Thanks to GIZ and TARA for working tirelessly to bring this technology to our shores. We have always needed cement, and hence we couldn't do anything earlier about the GHG emissions. Therefore, today we are empowered through LC³. With Malawi leading the way for Africa and the world, it is exciting because usually Malawi has never been the first to pioneer a technology. It dramatically complements the job creation agenda and environment-friendly products mandated by the Malawian government. The LC³ composition and chemistry will help increase the production. It adds value to the use of locally available materials in Malawi. However, it will be interesting to know some results of LC³ in terms of durability and long-term performance.”

Dr. Albert Mbwala, Minister of Mining noted, “Malawi is endowed with various raw materials in abundant quantity. The kaolinitic clay required for the production of LC³ is estimated to be over 50 million tonnes, and other raw materials such as limestone and gypsum are also available. We have enough minerals to ensure the project is successful. Mineral resources and their exploitation have significantly contributed to Malawi’s GDP. This project promoting the sustainable usage of raw materials for the cement industry is a welcome development. My ministry will work alongside the project team to ensure the project’s success that will yield great benefits for the nation.”

Peter Schramm, Head of Building Materials, MIERA, GIZ, delivered the opening remarks, highlighting the significance and the potential of LC³. Dr. Soumen Maity, Chief Technology Officer, TARA, presented the technical aspects of the technology in the Malawian context. He then made a symbolic gift of a sample of LC³ to the Vice President.

Dr. Stephen Chalimba, Deputy Director of Testing, Malawi Bureau of Standards, highlighted the importance of developing a coherent standard for the new cement to establish the production of the same by the industry.

Also, in attendance were top management representatives from Malawian cement manufacturers including Cement Products Limited, Mangochi.

The event concluded with a commemorative group photograph of the project team with the Vice President and the Ministers of the Cabinet.

The project’s success will ensure that cement is affordable and accessible for all and contribute to the vision of Malawi 2063 to become an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation.

The organisers of the event were:

• GIZ Malawi under the aegis of Development Cooperation in the Germany

• Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), which provides the technical expertise in LC³. TARA is leading the LC³ Technology dissemination across Africa and other countries. The supporting partners to TARA are Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, Central University “Marta Abreu” de Las Villas (Cuba), the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and Indian Institute of Technology Madras

• The Malawi Bureau of Standards, which will lead the development of an LC³ cement standard, and ensure the high quality of the cement produced

• The Malawi Department of Geological Survey, which will provide vital information on the raw material and ensure the sustainable usage of Malawian resources