President Lazarus Chakwera Thursday reiterated his administration’s commitment to helping vendors contribute to national development efforts through enterprise.
He said this when vendors from the Southern Region had an interface with the President at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.
Speaking during the meeting, one of the vendors, Mervis Latifi, said they struggle to obtain loans from the National Economic Empowerment Fund (Neef), blaming tough conditions for such state of affairs.
“There is so much that we are told to do; for example, they tell us to present collateral such as houses or sometimes cars. To be honest with you, these are items that many vendors do not have.
“Sometimes, just to obtain a loan, there is so much that happens; the process is too long and we eventually give up along the way because, at the end of the day, the money we could be looking for could be in the range of K200,000. As a result, the effort does not match the end result,” she said.
Commenting on the matter, Local Government Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda said the authorities would look into matters raised because some of the points that were raised are valid.
“This meeting was very important because the vendors are part and parcel of the people that run the economy and the President wanted to meet them and hear from them by himself. So, the issues they have raised will be looked into because these loans are meant for people like them,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Chakwera engaged religious leaders from the Southern Region, who asked him to work towards fulfilling Malawi 2063 vision goals.
Leader of delegation Apostle Samuel Vikhumbo said when a leader has vision, he must ensure that it is fulfilled, hence calling on the leadership to walk the talk on meeting national development goals.
“The Bible says we must support and pray for our leaders and, as such, if we see that what he is doing is good, then we will continue moving with him,” he said.
Speaking after the meeting, Presidential Adviser on Religious Affairs Brian Kamwendo said the meeting was crucial as it gave the President an opportunity to hear from the horse’s mouth.
