The Indigenous Business persons Association of Malawi (Ibam) is scheduled to hold a meeting in Lilongwe on Sunday where the association will register new members while also unveiling its plans to stakeholders in the capital city.
The meeting is to take place at Sunbird Capital Hotel from noon. Ibam president, Mike Mlombwa, has confirmed the development and he said the meeting is aimed at opening a new chapter for indigenous businesses in Malawi.
“Malawi needs a positive business revolution if the country is to register meaningful strides in the coming 52 years. If we look at Malawi today, there are very few successful businesspersons. Infact, if we talk in dollar terms, we would be lucky to find any billionaire.
“It is because of this that Malawi is classified as a least developed country. We, at Ibam, believe that time has come for this to change,” said Mlombwa.
He noted that the Lilongwe meeting would provide an opportunity for businesses in the central region to register with the group.
“We are advocating for 70 percent of government business to be going to indigenous Malawians. We also want Malawians to have some shares in companies wishing to invest in the country,” said Mlombwa.
Speaking during a similar meeting in Blantyre, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Joseph Mwanamvekha, urged local businesses to join Ibam to make their voices known to authorities.
Mwanamvekha said it is easy for authorities to deal with groups rather than individuals to influence policy change.
He added that government is in the process of coming up with an empowerment bill which would help boost local businesses in the country.
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