The Balaka business community has lamented that delays in disbursing loans by the state owned National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) remains a bottleneck in their operations.
Chairperson of the business operators in the district, William Kasonda, says the delays suffocate their businesses as most of them have a weak capital base.
He said: “We apply for the loans inorder to sustain our businesses. However, it takes time for our loans to be approved.This stifles the businesses and eventually dies.”
Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola on Saturday engaged the business operators and political party representatives in order to understand their concerns.
Minister Matola has since committed to forward the concerns to relevant authorities for action.
