By Orchestra Kamanga

The former Be forward Wanderers Vice Chairperson Maxwell Mapemba has ventured into serious business by producing and deigning gel fuel stove in an effort to encourage Malawians from using charcoal and firewood especially in big cities and thereby reducing deforestation which are already depleted forest.

Mapemba who is the Managing Director of Macal engineers and the renowned engineer in the country has come up with the idea of a gel fuel stove known as ‘max stove’ that uses fuel formulated from ethol which is abundant in the country and can be produced locally.

“Despite that at the moment Gel fuel can be found in Supermarket only in our cities the stove produces no smoke and has high content than charcoal and firewood even electricity coil,” lamented Mapemba.

He said his company which was started six months ago is selling gel fuel stove at K10,000 each and 2 lilters can last for ten days using in the morning and afternoon and the stove could be found at its head office next to St Anthony Catholic Church in Township of Chinyonga along pioneer drive road.

Mapemba said he decided to come up with the product because he has seen the gel fuel in the supermarket but with no stoves to use that’s why he took some time to design and produce the max stove and upon successful performance he produced several for the market.

“My main challenge to sell the stove on the market is that I am too busy with other things like maintenance and production of machine and steel structure. I also urged private organizations and government to join my initiative so that we can expand to other cities and regions of the country.

He said the producing of max stove is to assist the government because people cutting down trees carelessly for charcoal and firewood.

“I want to assure all Malawians that they should not worry about blackout because there is gel fuel stove in place,” he said, adding that paraffin is expensive than gel fuel stove.

Apart from producing gel fuel stove Macal engineers do machinery repairs, equipment designing and adaptation, petroleum industry backup, welding and fabrication.