When Mike Siliya started Status Furniture and Office Supplies years back, all he had was a hammer and a dream. Today, his company employs people and supplies offices across the country, thanks to support from the National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc.
Stories like Siliya’s are exactly what NBM plc hopes to highlight this June, a month the Bank has dedicated to celebrating Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the people who power Malawi’s economic engine.
“This journey hasn’t been easy,” Siliya says, standing among polished desks and hand-crafted cabinets. “Every entrepreneur needs someone who believes in them, and for me, that someone has been NBM.”
NBM plc Chief Executive Officer Harold Jiya and other senior executives will spend the month visiting SMEs in all corners of the country. From tailoring shops to agro-processing businesses, the Bank is stepping into the spaces where ideas are being turned into livelihoods.
“As a key financial partner for SME’s, we plan to actively participate in this year’s SME Day celebration by implementing meaningful activities that honour our SME customers and strengthen our relationship throughout the month,” said Akossa Hiwa, NBM plc’s Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager.
The celebration centres on this year’s theme, ‘Business for MSMEs: Connecting the Entrepreneurs’, and will culminate on June 27 with an SMEs market day, where over 50 entrepreneurs are expected to showcase their products.
Two weeks ago, NBM plc also sponsored 50 SMEs with K10 million to participate in the country’s International Trade Fair in Blantyre.
