By Phillip Pasula
MZUZU-(MaraviPost)-The Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Defence, on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allowing local companies to be making uniforms for the Malawi Defence Force (MDF).
Minister of Trade and Industry, Simplex Chithyola Banda, said this was an opportunity for small-scale entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.
He added that the initiative will help to save forex which was being drained through the importation of such items.
“This is a very big milestone for SMEs in this country because it provides an opportunity for their growth because the MDF is a large community.
“Huge sums of money that the MDF used to import uniforms and other supplies will now be used locally in this country,” Banda said.
Chithyola Banda also said his ministry will engage other security agencies in the country to embrace the initiative so as to help boost the local industry.
Defence Minister, Harry Mkandawire, said he was excited that the MOU had been signed.
Said Mkandawire: ”The signing of this MOU should be exciting to every Malawian out there. Producing boots like these would require millions of dollars but now this will be a thing of the past.”
According to the two ministries, a policy will be developed to regulate the exportation of leather since there will be a big demand locally.
Malawi has a leather designing studio in Blantyre where MDF soldiers trained in Tanzania will be working with SMEs to train them on knowledge on the same.