Dutch investors to promote agribusiness in Malawi
The Netherlands-based management consultancy firm, Accesserator, wants to partner local entrepreneurs with small and medium agribusiness ideas by providing start-up capital and business skills for five years.
One of the co-founders of Accesserator, Maatern Verboven, said this on Tuesday in Blantyre to highlight their investment plans meant to boost the country’s agriculture sector.
He said people should embrace entrepreneurship mindset for sustainable development of their lives.
“They should come up with agri-business ideas in which we will provide capital, knowledge and skills. We will have a minority share of 40 percent for five years to get the business working until local entrepreneurs solely have the sustained investments,” said Verboven.
He said the programme is expected to contribute to the growth of the country’s economy as the businesses will reduce high unemployment rate.
Accesserator Malawi executive director Patrick Namankhoma said the gesture is in response to the government’s call for investors in various sectors of the economy.
“Communities will be empowered to depend on investments through businesses not charities. Entrepreneurial skills from experts in the field will enable them have foreign markets; hence, maximising profits,” he said.
Some of the business cases underway include Lelembwe Dairy Farm in Thyolo and meat production at Mudzi Farm in Balaka.
The firm welcomes any agribusiness idea from poultry to selling of maize products. n
