‘Information gap weighs down Buy Malawi Strategy’

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and  Tourism says information gap is weighing down the success of the Buy Malawi Strategy.

In an interview on Saturday when officials from the ministry took the campaign to Mzuzu, the ministry’s spokesperson Wiskes Nkombezi said information on the strategy is trickling down slowly to most Malawians, mostly in the rural areas.

He said: “We still have to reach out to as many people as possible and stakeholders are saying that we have to reach out to the rural masses for them to embrace the initiative.

“Households should remember that when they buy Malawian products, they are creating jobs and helping government in revenue generation.”

Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito said the strategy is industry-driven, but has failed to articulate the benefits of buying locally-produced products.

He said in its market monitoring and inspection survey conducted last week, Cama established that most consumers do not know the benefits of the strategy.

“The strategy has failed to create public awareness on true benefits to the consumers if they buy Malawian products. It is targeting producers than consumers,” he said.

President Peter Mutharika launched the strategy in 2016 to reduce imports and narrow the country’s trade deficit by promoting local production and industrialisation.