Malawi President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has announced a K35 billion relief fund to support small scale business people to cushion them from the impact of Covid-19, deadly disease caused by coronavirus.
The Malawian leader Professor Mutharika made the announcement on Tuesday evening through a televised nation address.
Mutharika said the special fund will target vendors who depend on markets for survival.
“We are introducing an Emergency Cash Transfer Program to serve small scale businesses in and around our major markets in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Zomba and others.
This is an extended cash transfer facility to support Malawians who depend on the markets for their survival,” announced Mutharika
He further said: “Government will target a minimum of 172,000 households in these areas, representing an estimated 35 percent of the urban population. Considering family size of around 5 people based on the 2018 Household Census, this will translate to just under a million people who will be reached with this measure. “
According to President Professor Mutharika the program will be implemented for the period of six months translating into 3 months of response and 3 months of recovery and each household will be receiving Mk35, 000 monthly.
Mutharika has since directed the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Ministry of Population and Social Welfare to devise an implementation process which will include registration of households in the hotspot areas and its immediate implementation beginning the month of May 2020.
“In addition to Emergency Cash Transfers in the peri-urban areas, my Government will also provide cash top-up to existing beneficiaries of Mtukula Pakhomo Program in all the 28 Districts.
This will strengthen livelihood interventions aimed at minimizing negative coping mechanisms for the poor. Details on implementation of these interventions will be announced shortly,” added President Mutharika
Meanwhile, Malawi has registered 36 cases of Covid-19, including three deaths and four recoveries, according to Ministry of Health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that Coronavirus could infect over 10 Million people in Africa.
