MUFIS Calls for Economic Empowerment of Informal Market Women in Malawi
MUFIS Nsanje Chairperson Maria Lazalo also called on the Nsanje District Council to expedite the completion of a new market facility in the district capital.
Nsanje, Malawi - The Malawi Union for the Informal Sector (MUFIS) has called on the government to provide more economic opportunities and financial services for women working in informal markets across the country, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
During an event to award prizes to women market vendors in Nsanje on Wednesday, MUFIS Vice President Gladys Mponda urged local leaders and policymakers to officially recognize these workers to help boost their incomes.
"The informal women in markets are not recognized hence they are not able to access finances to improve their businesses," Mponda said.
"Funds are only given to women who are not in the informal sector, denying them the chance to uplift their ventures."
There are thousands of women in Malawi who sell agricultural produce, cooked foods, and household items in municipal markets without licenses or formal credit access.
Advocates say bringing them into the regulated economy could significantly impact poverty and gender inequality.
MUFIS Nsanje Chairperson Maria Lazalo also called on the Nsanje District Council to expedite the completion of a new market facility in the district capital.
She said butcher vendors have abandoned the unfinished structures due to lack of suitable space.
"People are having problems accessing meat within the new market premises because butchers have no clear space," Lazalo said.
"We urge the council authorities to speed up completion of the new market for vendors to carry out their businesses more easily."