A widespread power outage has affected the entire nation of Malawi, leaving millions without electricity.
The shutdown occurred at 11:42 local time on Wednesday, with the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM) confirming the incident.
“We experienced a system shutdown… and are yet to establish the cause of the countrywide loss of power supply,” ESCOM said in a statement.
The power outage has caused disruptions to daily life, with businesses forced to close and hospitals struggling to cope.
The blackout is expected to have a significant impact on businesses, particularly those reliant on electricity to operate.
Many companies have been forced to halt production, resulting in potential losses.
Small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of Malawi’s economy, are likely to be disproportionately affected.
The outage may also affect the country’s already struggling economy, which has been grappling with inflation and currency devaluation.
