By Florence Magowa:
The Leather Design Studio has asked Capital Hill to encourage government departments and agencies to buy its products.
Members of the facility made the call in Blantyre on Monday during a tour by Industry, Trade and Tourism Minister, Francis Kasaila.
The facility, which has the capacity to produce 300 pairs of shoes, falls under the Malawi Enterprise productivity Enhancement Project (Mepe).
Members of the studio told Kasaila that they fear the facility would not sustain itself once the Mepe project ends in March due to the absence of guaranteed markets.
Mepe Manager, Lemani Jusa, asked Kasaila to lobby for tenders in institutions such as Malawi Police Service, Malawi Defence Force, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi and water boards.
Jusa said the studio wants to take advantage of the Buy Malawi Strategy to boost local production.
Kasaila said the government is committed to ensuring that the studio succeeds.
He said Capital Hill would help in establishing a market for locally made footwear.
Since its launch in October 2018, the studio has not made significant progress in terms of production and marketing of its products.