National Bank of Malawi (NBM) has donated K50 million towards this year’s Tourism Expo, expected to be opened Thursday at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.
The bank says it has made the donation as one way of fulfilling its corporate social responsibility.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, NBM Regional Manager for the Central Region, Shadreck Malenga said the bank felt duty bound to support the expo as the function is key in unlocking tourism in the country.
“Our bank sees tourism as one of the main anchors of the economy and as such we felt duty bound to support the expo,” he said.
Malenga added that the bank looks forward to more involvement in supporting the sector.
“The issue is simple, if the country receives more tourists. It simply translates to more business for us as a bank,” said Malenga.
Speaking after receiving the assistance, Minister Tourism Vera Kamtukule commended National Bank for showing what she described as “acts of patriotism”.
“We are looking forward to see the financial sector unlocking more support for the tourism sector because we have several projects that may require assistance from the private sector,” said Kamtukule.
The minister underlined the need for the private sector to support projects under the Tourism Investment Master plan amid poor state of some infrastructures.
The 2025 Tourism Expo, themed; Solidifying the gains, is expected to be launched by president Lazarus Chakwera Thursday, and is scheduled to end on the 26 April.
The event has attracted local and international partners.
Potential partners are being advised to contact the ministry on +265 999 511 976.
