Branding can improve economy— Changaya

Branding can improve Malawi’s economy through creation of a positive image of local products which can lead to better sales on the domestic and foreign markets, an expert has said.

Candlex Limited operations and marketing director Fredrick Changaya said in Blantyre on Thursday that branding is important to organisations and the economy at large.

Changaya, who speaking during the closing ceremony of a brand management course organised by the Technical Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training (Tevet) said a company’s brand is in the minds of customers but is also built within the organisation.

He, however, pointed out that marketing and brand management is often marginalised in Malawi because most people do not understand the power and significance of the two.

“This training is timely because it has improved the participants’ skills in brand management which will lead to better competitiveness of product on the market. This will supplement the National Export Strategy and substitution of imports,” said Changaya.

Tevet regional service centre manager Elliot Mulanje said the training was important because they realised there was a gap on the market.

“We usually conduct needs analyses and we discovered that there is skills shortage in brand management,” said Mulanje.

He noted that Tevet’s operations are not only limited to technical disciplines but extends to the rest of the industry.

The four-day training workshop ran from Monday to Thursday and participants included marketing and public relations officers from commercial banks, parastatals, and the industry.