BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Malawi Government has taken heed of advice from the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI) to provide a waiver on access to pension funds in a bid to alleviate the suffering of workers from the private sector, especially teachers and those from the hospitality industry who have been affected by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

CDEDI Executive Director Slyvester Namiwa in a press release said, for instance, private school teachers and employees from the hospitality industry are struggling to meet ends meet since they are either staying idle or lost jobs.

He said, for this reason government should provide access to pension funds even before one reaches the retirement age.

Responding, the Minister of Finance Felix Msulu has accepted the appeal and has since asked all affected employees to write the ministry of finance through their employers.

Teachers of private schools and those working in the hospitality industry have been going without pay for close to three months now due to covid-19 preventive measures that saw the closure of all public and private schools.