Minister of Civic Education, Culture and Community Development Cecilia Chazama has applauded Community Savings and Investment Promotion (Comsip) Cooperative Union Limited for improving people’s lives.
The minister spoke on Thursday at Linthipe One Community Day Secondary School in Traditional Authority Kaphuka (T/A) in Dedza where Comsip Cooperative Union Limited organised an entrepreneurship fair.
Chazama said government appreciates Comsip’s role, which is in line with United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the integrated rural development.
She said her ministry works with projects that aim at contributing to poverty reduction and improving the socio-economic well-being of the local population; hence, her attendance at the fair.
“The entrepreneurship fair was basically about what the rural people of Dedza District have harvested while belonging to different groups such as Comsip, World Relief and Fedoma [Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi] and they have showcased a lot of farm produce,” she said.
Dedza district commissioner Ellis Tembo said the council would continue to lobby for more markets and search for other organisations to help with machinery to enable farmers add value to their products to easily find markets.
The fair brought together experts from community development, agribusiness and business promotion to provide support for the promotion of entrepreneurship at the local council level.
Jesse Hamilton from Kagwa Cluster said she brought beans and groundnuts to the fair, adding that since she joined the cluster last year, she has benefited and is able to pay school fees for her child.
The fair was held under the theme Promotion of Local-based Entrepreneurship and Marketing Vital for Sustainable National Economic Development.
