Business
MITC challenges local SMES on quality products
November 05, 2021 / Wahard Betha
The Malawi Investment Trade Centre (MITC) has challenged local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to produce quality products that can compete favourably on both local and international markets.
Speaking during the official opening of a three-day mini trade fair in Lilongwe, MITC Board Member, Fumbani Nyasulu, who also represented the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, said local production of good and high quality products can easily turn the country from a gross importing nation into an exporting one.
“The government agenda is to export more and import less, hence, our call on SMEs not to only focus on the local market but to produce with the international markets in mind.
“We should be competitive enough to replace the imported products in the shops with quality and affordable local products,” said Nyasulu explaining that government has put in place measures that will assist local producers build their capacities in different value chains.
The mini trade fair has been organized to give the local SMEs an opportunity to come together and share experiences with their fellow sector players, said Nyasulu adding that the activity is also one of MITC’s functions of promoting trade and investment.
The fair has been organized in collaboration with African Development Fund (ADF), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI) and National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise (NASME). The theme of the fair is “SMEs Driver of Industrialization and Economic Growth.”
In his remarks, SMEDI Chief Executive Officer Rodrick Chataika pledged to continue building the capacities of local SMEs.
“SMEDI will continue playing its important role of capacitating these SMEs through training programs, educating them in business entrepreneurship, management skills, financial literacy on how they can prepare their financial statements and accounting records and also financial proposals if they want to access funding from partners and also from different banks,” said Chataika, whose organization has entered several agreements intended to link SMEs to local banks for business financial support.
He further explained that SMEDI also links SMEs to potential markets, apart from providing incubation centers where entrepreneurs are trained to add value to raw materials and convert them into marketable products.
Chataika said the incubation centers also target local Artisanal Small Scale Miners (ASMs) to turn their raw gemstones into valuable products by professionally cutting and polishing them into internationally marketable products.
Endrina Maxwell, owner of Dwalle Supplies and General Dealers lamented limited capital as the main challenge obstructing her business to compete with bigger companies.
She however sees the formation of cooperatives as an alternative but said she would in the meantime want to run independently. “I want to grow as an individual,” she said
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The establishment of a stable and self-sustaining ecosystem, but not necessarily the one that existed before mining began. In many cases, complete restoration may be impossible, but successful remediation, reclamation, and rehabilitation can result in the timely establishment of a functional ecosystem.
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Remediation:
The cleanup of the contaminated area to safe levels by removing or isolating contaminants. At mine sites, remediation often consists of isolating contaminated material in pre-existing tailings storage facilities, capping tailings and waste rock stockpiles with clean topsoil, and collecting and treating any contaminated mine water if necessary.
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