Malawi firm grabs IAE Global Award
A prophet is without honour amongst his kinsmen, is an old Biblical adage, which refers to negative perception conceived by people who trivialize successes, achievements and unparalleled commitment to accomplishing ambitiously set goals, by the people they daily brash shoulders with.
Indeed, the adage proved itself right recently, when a Malawi local firm, which may have not plucked accolades from a bigger percentage of Malawians, pulled a surprise to grab a Global Award.
Those who have keenly been following current affairs of the month of March, 2018, might have been awakened by the news that a Malawi local firm, Tradeline Cooperation (TlC) Group Limited , scooped an International Arch of Europe (IAE) Award, for its excellent performance in its portfolio.
TLC Group Limited emerged one of very few companies in the World to be considered for a prestigious IAE Award, in Gold Category, presented by the Business Initiatives Direction (BID) Group One, a World’s leading private organization, wielding highest degree of determination in dissemination and promotion of a culture of quality.
The IAE Award is one of the most prestigious Global awards in the family of BID Quality Awards , BID Group One awards to companies, organizations and institutions which have demonstrated outstanding performance in Quality Management in their operations.
Perhaps, it may be serious misplaced assumption that all Malawians know Tradeline Cooperation, (TLC) Group Limited . This is purely a Malawian conglomerate, founded by one of the think-tank and innovative youthful sons of the Warm Heart of Africa, Malawi, Calvin Kamchacha, who is also the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Tradeline Corporation, a business affiliated firm’s core activities range from provision of business consulting services, financial services to trade facilitation services, targeting small and medium agribusiness enterprises (SMEs) and corporates, in the trading and agro-processing sector.
“Tradeline Corporation Group Limited supports its clients in designing business models, projects and business solutions so that they improve their business performance and competitiveness in the commercial sector,” said Lerato Khoaba, TLC Commercial Director.
The breaking news about TLC Group Limited surprise win of the IAE Award reached the firm on January 5, 2018, through a high profile postal letter from BID President, Jose E Prieto.
Said Prieto in his letter,” We are pleased to inform you that BID Group One, whose international activity is to promote Quality Culture, Innovation and Excellence, has chosen Tradeline Corporation (LTC) Group Limited to receive the IAE Award.”
Prieto added in his four paragraphed letter that he was, therefore, inviting TLC CEO, Calvin Kamchacha, to receive the award during annual IAE Convention, to be held in Germany, from March 17 to 18, 2018.
The ceremony was co-organized by BID and Technical University of Madrid , an educational institution also running a special program on Total Quality Management.
Thrown into a frenzy, Kamchacha then touched off from Kamuzu International Airport for Johannesburg, for onward connection to Germany, to attend a unique and colourful award presentation ceremony, hosted at the spectacular InterContinental Theatre Convention Hall, adjacent to the Main River, in the Historical Zone of Frankfurt City.
Passing the Gold Medal Award to humbled Kamchacha was Jose E Prieto himself, who later congratulated the recipient for sweeping the award.
Prieto explained that TLC Group Limited has been selected as one of the winners of the Gold Medal Award because it has managed to satisfy eligibility criteria as enshrined in the core concepts of Total Quality Management.
Said Prieto, “It is my honour to recognize Tradeline Corporation Group Limited of Malawi for its commitment to quality , leadership, technology and innovation in continuous search for excellence. The Quality Award being presented to the corporation symbolizes international recognition of leadership quality in the corporation.”
The BID President added that Tradeline Corporation Group Limited has managed to follow the path to continuous quality improvement and has demonstrated to be a driver of innovation, leading to remarkable achievements and progress in customer satisfaction, technology , leadership, strategic planning and business results.
BID has a committee of experts, with envious and vast experience in quality management, who scrutinize companies and organizations which apply practices of quality and excellence in their core business.
And award winners are always companies and organizations which are influential and active in the communities they operate.
In simple terms, the BID President said BID Quality Awards eligibility criteria usually calls for companies and organizations to demonstrate special and continuous commitment to quality improvement and must boast an interrupted visible track record of achievement and innovation.
“These are the core values that TLC Group Limited has satisfied, which has warranted the group to scoop the IEA Award,” said Prieto.
Receiving the award, down to earth Kamchacha said he fell short of words to express how happy himself and TLC Group team in Malawi were, for his company to be considered for the prestigious Global award.
He described the award as an impetus and great encouragement to his company as it speaks volume of how its achievements have caught the international spotlight.
Said Kamchacha, “The award is a great honour as well as a tip to our company and its work force, to realize that commitment to quality and innovative leadership has a profound value and impact to customer satisfaction, which can easily be spotted out by those tracking quality management values.”
The CEO, however, added that besides the award being a source of pride and cerebration, it also pauses a challenge to the company and employees who must not be complacent with outstanding achievements but to seriously think and dream globally and jack up efforts in further improving its services.
“Yes, the award is a source of pride for the company. But this is not the end of the journey to warrant employees to fold up their hands. We have to pull up our socks and work extra hard to continue improving our service delivery so that our customers, at local market levels, sustainably maximize the benefits,” “said visionary CEO, Kamchacha
Some of key accrues TLC Group will now enjoy after winning the IAE Award will be the marketing of company brands by the international media, in over 170 countries.
BID’ s conferring of membership to the company allows it to freely participation in quality management Global events, like the BID Group One Quality Mix Program, to run for 24 months and advocacy support from Global experts which will help the company to actively work out on ‘only’ brands that catch Global flavor, for stakeholder benefit maximization.
The IAE Award which is given to ‘leaders’ by ‘leaders’ has been sponsored by independent Imarpress Media Publication, which Globally recognizes organizations and companies prioritizing innovation, quality and excellence in their undertakings.
BID’s international noble task is to spread performance excellence, in both, public and private sectors, Worldwide.
Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, BID has been presenting the BID Quality Awards to eligible companies, organizations and institutions for the past 32 years, with the support from BID Quality Programs implemented in six continents and its key partners, such as the Imarpress Media Publication.
In Malawi, TLC Group Limited is supporting growth oriented entrepreneurs to fully develop, improve and expand their businesses, through easy access to business development services, finance, trade and marketing services.
“We use our commercial driven models to significantly contribute towards development of a vibrant sector of small, medium and large scale enterprises, which in turn, will have enough capacity to provide sustainable incomes and create employment opportunities in the communities they operate,” explained Commercial Director, Madam Khoaba.
Since its establishment, TLC Group Limited has systematically and successfully designed and implemented over 30 ambitious projects, which have empowered thousands of Malawians to generate own wealth and create jobs, through innovative business models, sustainable investments and strong market linkages, which have led to great life transformation.
Recently, TLC Group Limited launched a five year Tools for Market Access Project in Mzimba District, in the Northern part of Malawi.
Director, Khoaba, who presided over the launch, said the Euro 1.6 million project intends to expand market access for small holder farmers, through enhancement of efficiency and competitiveness of local marketing organizations (MOs), like farmers associations and cooperatives, so that they can increase value and volume of the trade.
M’mbelwa Local Government Authority’s Director of Planning and Development (DPD), Precious Kantsitsi described the project as crucial as it will alleviate market challenges weighing down small holder farmers in the district.
Small holder farmers in Mzimba are still poor despite maximum food production every growing season, which is widely blamed on lack of access to viable markets for their agricultural commodities.
For decades now, most farmers have only relied on unscrupulous traders as source of market for their commodities, who offer them miserable prices which continue to plunge them in abject poverty.
“The project will transform our lives. Our household economic status will improve now that we will have easy access to well organized markets where we can bargain for attractive prices for our food commodities,” thanked one woman farmer, Masozi Banda, from Emfeni Extension Planning Area (EPA), under Mzimba District Agricultural Development Office (DADO).
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