FDH Bank sponsored a training for former staff members of the bank and others who were laid off at the Malawi Savings Bank following completion of processes to merge the two banks to fulfill banking provisions set by the Reserve Bank of Malawi.
The training was delivered by Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (Smedi).
Smedi Acting Chief Executive Officer, Richard Zidana, said the move was meant to instill confidence among the trainees to venture into various entrepreneurial activities.
“We mainly focused on imparting skills to the people that were retrenched during the merger. Instead of leaving them with no skills, we partnered with FDH to train them and develop sound business plans,” he said.
And Senior Manager responsible for Human Resources and Development at FDH, Achisomo Kavala, said the initiative was the bank’s moral obligation to the staff that were laid off.
“After the merger, it became apparent that retrenchment had to happen but we thought that we have a moral obligation to give the people an alternative source of revenue,” said Kavala.
One participant, Stefs Bonongwe, a former staff member of FDH bank, commended the two institutions for the initiative.
He however, lamented that apart from the skills imparted, the team still lacks capital to start business as an alternative source of income after losing their jobs.
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