Ministry of Trade and Industry says partnership with Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI) will promote use of local leather for production of boots and shoes for the security agencies.
Speaking on Tuesday in Lilongwe during a meeting with MDF and SMEDI on the implementation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Order and Buy Malawi Strategy, Minister of Trade and Industry Simplex Chithyola Banda said the initiative would save Malawi’s foreign exchange.
“The budget statement delivered in the National Assembly emphasised on the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to procure goods and services from local enterprises as part of the Buy Malawi Strategy. Being the policy holder on SMEs we are coordinating MSMEs’ access to institutional markets such as MDAs.
“The focus is on maximum utilisation of the Leather Design Studio in Blantyre to produce quality boots and shoes for the MDF and other government institutions. This will not only contribute towards the One Million Jobs creation but also save the country’s Forex,” Chithyola said.
MDF Commander, General Vincent Nundwe said maximum utilisation of the Leather Design Studio at Chatha in Blantyre would benefit all players involved.
“MDF procures a lot of uniforms, boots, shoes, food rations and other infrastructure projects within its establishments. Implementing of the MSME Order would go a long way in creating jobs and wealth for the people and saving our foreign exchange,” he said, adding the partnership would make MDF a shinning MDA on implementation of the Buy Malawi Strategy.
SMEDI training manager Francis Mwamadi said the state-of-the-art Leather Design Studio imported from Italy complies with the European Union Standardization on shoe designing and so will satisfy needs of the MDF.
