By Nellie Nyirenda

Blantyre, March 10, Mana: Malawi Union for Informal Sector (MUFIS) is conducting nationwide training sessions for small scale business people and those in the informal labour market to cope with economic hardships that has affected businesses and livelihoods.

Executive General Secretary, Mwanda Chiwambala told Malawi News Agency on Sunday that MUFIS intends to support the informal sector through series of trainings to ensure adequate knowledge and skills to deal with economic challenges.

“The economic hardship has made it very hard for a lot of people in the informal sector, especially those running small businesses, to stabilise,” Chiwambala said.

In line with government policies, he said that MUFIS remains committed to protecting livelihoods of those in the informal sector, adding that the union will continue providing proactive measurers in the wake of inflation.

He assured the members that MUFIS will continue to be a beacon of hope for those that depend on small-scale entrepreneurship to sustain their families and to serve communities.

“We train our members in small groups, where they learn innovative approaches to secure micro-loans among themselves. By providing this tailored support, MUFIS aims to not only stabilise individual businesses but also to strengthen the overall economic fabric of the nation during a period of significant financial downturn,” he added.

A MUFIS member at Chirimba Market in Blantyre, Annie Masanza expressed gratitude to the union for supporting members to adapt to the hard economic times.

“It has been so difficult for small business people like us to stay afloat during tough economic times. I want to thank MUFIS for teaching us the importance of relying on each other and for the support they provide,” said Masanza.

MUFIS came into being in the year 2000, and it has 18,000 members across Malawi where members are engaged in fruit, vegetable, maize, groundnuts selling, second hand clothes, grocery shops, farm, flower selling, small holder tea growing in Mulanje and cooperative farming in Chitipa and Karonga.