Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (Medf) says it has received K1.2 billion from the government to facilitate disbursement of loans to youths, women and other vulnerable groups under the K5 billion Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
From the K5 billion annual CDF allocation per constituency, government set out K100 million each towards youth enterprise and women enterprise loans to be managed by Medf.
In a written response, Medf chief executive officer Kayisi Sadala said the institution started receiving the funds a fortnight ago.
He said: “Medf has received the Constituency Development Fund allocation designated for youth and women.
“The funding is coming in phases. Therefore, applicants from any constituency who submit complete applications that meet all CDF loan requirements, and whose applications successfully undergo the Fund’s due diligence and approval process, will access the loans from the received and available funding.”
Sadala said K1.2 billion has been disbursed targeting approximately 122 132 beneficiaries, comprising 61 066 youths and 61 066 women.
Access to CDF-linked loans is tied to groups of between five and 10 members receiving between K2.5 million and K10 million while each eligible individual gets between K250 000 and K500 000.
Political scientist George Phiri said in an earlier interview that effectiveness of Medf depends on its independence from political influence.
The lending institution has a loan portfolio of K240 billion, benefitting 377 460 Malawians as of December 2025, with K116 billion disbursed in 2025 alone.
Sadala said earlier that Medf targets 160 000 beneficiaries with K100 billion in the current fiscal year with nine loan facilities.
The loan products are Government of Malawi Employees Loans, Youth Empowerment Loans, Women Empowerment Loans, Men Empowerment Loans, Agricultural Production Loans, Cooperative and Industrialisation Loans, General Trading Loans, Asset Financing and Micro-Insurance Loans.
Established on January 29 2005, the institution has evolved over the years from Malawi Rural Development Fund (Mardef) to Medf in 2014 and later Neef in 2020 before reverting to Medf earlier this year.
