The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) has suggested grouping of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the garment sector into clusters to spur the growth of the industry.
Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the successful completion of an industrial cluster training programme for garment makers, MCCCI president Matthews Chikankheni said if the country’s SMES are organized into clusters, they would perform better as they would be able to handle big orders which they cannot handle individually.
The training programme imparted training to 40 apparel makers in apparel designing, machine operation, garment stitching and costing.
The programme was implemented by the MCCCI, in association with Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), at a cost about K4.2 million.
Mr. Chikankheni said the intention is to identify SMEs in agro-processing, textiles and garment sectors and continuously train and mentor them in the manufacturing of good quality products for local, regional and international markets.