MCCCI gears up for SMEs expo in Blantyre

Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) will hold a three-day small and medium enterprises (SMEs) exposition at Chichiri Trade Fair Grounds in Blantyre.

The expo, under the theme SMEs Growth Through Business Linkages, will be held from Friday to Sunday.

MCCCI head of communication Millie Kasunda said in an interview on Friday that the SMEs expo seeks to promote small businesses in terms of capacity, technology, finance and access to credit.

“We intend to link SMEs to other businesses that are already established so that they can make partnerships,” she said.

Kasunda said the exposition will attract local and regional businesses, financial service providers, business advisory service providers, business information providers and academic institutions.

“We are calling upon the entire business community to take part in this first ever SME Expo,” she said.

In an earlier interview, Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises executive secretary James Chiutsi said one of the challenges SMEs face is access to credit and that commercial banks do not favour small businesses because they are mostly looking for quick returns.

“Banks do not aim at partnering SMEs to see them grow,” he said.

MCCCI has partnered Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) who will have an information session on the investment opportunities in the energy sector, particularly in rural areas.