Minister of Trade and Industry Simplex Chithyola Banda says working jointly with agencies and parastatals in the deployment of rapid strategies that enhance local Industrialization could help accelerate the turning around of the local economy.
Speaking on Wednesday when he met Chief Executive Officers for parastatals under the Ministry of Trade and Industry Chithyola Banda said agencies and parastatals directly under his ministry should concentrate on leveraging inter-ministerial collaboration to realise it’s mandate of championing local Industrialization through value addition and capacity building of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“When President Chakwera delivered the State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Friday he emphasized on the role Ministry of Trade and Industry can take to leverage transformation of our economy into a productive one. Agro processing and value addition of our local produce require that the ministry and all its agencies focus on driving local industries to improve exports.
“For instance Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI) should exploit opportunities presented by the Buy Malawi Strategy that encourages local buying for government officers like security agencies’ uniforms and the ban on other imports. Therefore SMEs development, capacity building and enhancement of marketing should be prioritized,” he said.
Chithyola Banda said every officer should contribute towards transforming the economy and leaving behind a legacy that will have impacted the economic development of Malawi positively.
Malawi Bureau of Standards Acting Director General Thomas Sengani Malunje said the bureau is ready to tap in strengths of ministries, departments and agencies and has memorandum of understanding with SMEDI and Competition and Fair Trading Commission.
In his remarks Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC) Chief Executive Officer Paul Kwengwere said collaboration and linkages are major key to achieving Malawi 2063.
“MITC is geared to supporting government to increase number of interested investors including local ones. We ought to improve on productivity for export to turn around the economy,” he said.
By Mike Van Kamande
