National Bank of Malawi donates K20m to floods victims

National Bank of Malawi (NBM) today donated K20 million to flood victims through the Public Private Dialogue Forum, which is coordinating relief efforts through the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI).

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the Forum, MCCCI Chief Executive Officer Chancellor Kaferapanjira thanked NBM for the donation promising that it will be used for the intended purposes.

“We encourage members of the private sector to help the flood victims by donating whatever they can. Some are donating directly to government through the Office of the Vice President but there are some companies who are not allowed to donate directly to government, those are donating through the Forum.”

“We brief the Vice President on the donations that we have received and we are going to identify a reputable NGO which will administer these funds to make sure that we alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who have been affected by the floods,” said Kaferapanjira.

He thanked the NBM board of directors for approving the donation saying it is not easy to release the kind of money donated because of the tough economic conditions that everyone including the private sector are going through at the moment.

NBM Chief Executive Officer George Partridge thanked the Forum for giving them an opportunity to make the donation.

“We are very grateful that you gave us a way out because our policy does not allow us to donate directly to government. The board indeed approved the donation so that we should help our brothers and sisters who have been affected by the floods,” said Partridge.

Malawi is reeling from effects of floods which has killed almost 200 people and displaced thousands of people across 15 districts in the country following a heavy downpour.

President Peter Mutharika declared Malawi a disaster state and appealed for help from both local and international agencies.