By Tikondane Vega
Thyolo, November 4, Mana: Minister of Industry, Roy Kachale on Tuesday said cooperatives in Malawi have a key role in ensuring that the current administration fulfills its promise of creating one million jobs during its first year in office.
Kachale made the remarks in Thyolo after touring three cooperatives namely Zakudimba, Bvumbwe Dairy Farmers and Lomola Cooperative in Luchenza in the district.
Kachale said cooperatives have potential to offer more job opportunities to young Malawians who he said form a larger part of population in the country.
“A cooperative is a group of people who come together with one common goal and by doing that, they employ themselves. Once their production is satisfactory, they can employ other people to help.
“When we said about one million jobs we did not mean that all people will be employed by government. It is also the duty of the private sector like cooperatives and all Malawians to create jobs so that together we can realise our dream,” he said.
Kachale said government was ready to support cooperatives as one way of creating one million jobs promised by the current administration during the last elections campaign period.
The minister then advised members of the three cooperatives he visited to change their mindset on how they run their businesses, saying gone is the time when people were doing their businesses without considering the time they are in.
District Commissioner for Thyolo, Douglas Moffat said he would utilise opportunities existing in cooperatives to ensure that the district is on the map in as far as provision of social and economic development is concerned.
“One of the reform areas that we submitted to the Office of Vice President is that we want to maximise the potential of dairy industry so that they can expand to another level of value addition.
“In Thyolo, the dairy industry is a game changer if utilised to the maximum. This is the reason why Thyolo Council would like to support the industry by buying cattle that will be used as a pass on strategy so that many should be in this business,” said Moffat.
Director of Production for Zakudimba Cooperative, Veronica Jeremiya commended the minister for the visit, saying it demonstrated that government values small scale businesses in the country.
