VP Ansah hails women-led cooperative for driving value addition and creating jobs
By Wanangwa Tembo
Kasungu, January 27, Mana: Vice President Dr. Jane Ansah has praised BOMFA Cooperative of Traditional Authority Mphomwa in Kasungu for demonstrating how women-led cooperatives can drive value addition, create jobs, contribute to national economic growth, and improve livelihoods.
Dr. Ansah made the remarks on Tuesday during a tour of the cooperatives 12-acre banana and mango orchard, before proceeding to the warehouse and factory where members process sunflower into cooking oil. She observed that BOMFAs focus on both production and processing sets it apart from many farming groups, noting that the cooperative not only cultivates crops but also adds value through products such as cooking oil and banana wine.
“This kind of diversification is good for our economy because it creates jobs and helps the country generate foreign exchange. What I see here are not just farmers, but industrious women determined to prosper not just themselves but also promote others in the community,” Dr. Ansah said.
She added that the cooperatives activities align with governments broader leadership agenda of translating rights enshrined in law into real benefits for citizens. She cited the Farm Input Subsidy Programme as promoting the right to food, free secondary education as fulfilling the right to education, and the increase in Constituency Development Fund allocations from K200 million to K5 billion per constituency per year as supporting the right to development.
Dr. Ansah affirmed government support for cooperatives like BOMFA, saying their work demonstrates what can be achieved when people unite through collective initiatives.
“What BOMFA is doing stands as testimony to what the country can achieve when people unite through cooperatives, and I assure the cooperative of government support to ensure such ventures grow and positively impact communities and beyond,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Industrialisation, Trade, Business and Tourism Edgar Tembo emphasised the governments recognition of the private sector, including cooperatives, as vital drivers of economic growth, job creation, and wealth generation. He noted that Malawis industrialisation under the Malawi 2063 vision relies heavily on a dynamic private sector.
“We need initiatives such as this to achieve import substitution by reducing dependence on imported products like cooking oil, thereby preserving foreign exchange and supporting the growth of local industries. The country needs a private sector-led economy that generates forex, and the ministry is actively promoting local products to protect foreign exchange and revitalise domestic industries,” Tembo said.
BOMFA Cooperative chairperson Zaina Kapachika appealed to government to help lower the cost of agricultural inputs such as fertiliser and to facilitate access to reliable markets. She also called for increased support towards value addition and encouraged more women to join cooperatives as a way of improving their livelihoods.
BOMFA Cooperative is a member-owned farmers organisation with 703 members, of whom 493 are women.