Outcry over Malawi election tender contract
Publish date: 20 May 2019
Issue Number: 824
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Forensic
A UAE company is again in the eye of a storm after landing a $4.6m contract to print ballot papers for Malawi’s elections today that has drawn heavy flak from opposition parties and a prominent rival bidder. Dubai-based Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing’s $4.6m contract price for printing the ballot papers was the highest of 13 contenders. They included a South African printer with past Malawian experience that offered to do the job for $2m less. The Daily Maverick reports that Al Ghurair has previously secured election contracts in Zambia, Kenya and Uganda where it was accused of submitting excessive claims and having ties with ruling parties. The Malawian bid prices shows that the Johannesburg-based printer Ren-Form CC tendered $2.68m. Sales manager Jean-Pierre du Sart said his firm has printed election materials for 22 African countries, including the last Malawian tripartite poll in 2014.