How an Alliance project in Malawi is empowering women through trade
Jacqueline Banda began making chilli sauce to whet her cousin’s appetite and help him maintain his weight following diagnosis with a chronic disease. As word spread about its taste and effectiveness, demand surged and she struggled to keep up.
Sensing opportunity, in 2019 the business administrator-turned-accidental entrepreneur founded the social enterprise, Jeyie Foods Ltd, aiming to play her part in tackling food insecurity, malnutrition, and female economic disadvantage head-on – no factory or special equipment required, just a kitchen table, mortar, and pestle!
And she didn’t stop there. In 2021, first-hand experience of the positive impact nutrition can have on malnourished babies and toddlers in her hometown of Mangochi encouraged her to expand into peanut butter and porridge flour. Since then, children under five have become her primary focus.
And she didn’t stop there. In 2021, first-hand experience of the positive impact nutrition can have on malnourished babies and toddlers in her hometown of Mangochi encouraged her to expand into peanut butter and porridge flour. Since then, children under five have become her primary focus.
“It was a struggle at first to get people to trust me, but I kept going. We realised that there was a lot of demand – in our village there are quite a few cases of children who are malnourished or pregnant women who need extra nutrition.”
After five years of growing her business organically, Ms Banda is now looking to break into national, regional, and global markets but this experienced entrepreneur hit a snag. She says that the company has lacked the knowledge to acquire export certification, which can be a lengthy and costly process.
“When I endure setbacks, I always look back at the community that is looking up to me, at the women I am working with, at my employees and at everyone who believes in me. People tell me that I inspire them – and knowing that helps keep me going.”
In Malawi, currently only 11% of MSMEs export their goods and most of these are medium-sized companies. Small businesses like Jeyie Foods Ltd. largely miss out on the benefits of international trade due to regulatory hurdles, technical skills deficits, and a lack of critical information, including understanding international quality standards, packaging requirements, and export documentation.
To enable businesses like Ms Banda’s to engage in cross-border trade, the Alliance is working with government and private sector representatives in Malawi to set up an export training program for the agri-food sector. The training programme will target potential exporters, preparing them for an anticipated upswing in regional trade.
When she heard about the Alliance project, Ms Banda was eager to participate and says it has already been positive for her business, providing her with the tools to grow her business beyond direct sales.
“The export training has helped me understand all the requirements for getting certification,” she said. “We have some gaps to fill in our current set-up relating to food handling, hygiene, and packaging but now I know exactly what I need to do: this is the kind of information that has been difficult to access.”
She says that increasing women’s participation in business through initiatives such as this Alliance project is fundamental to turning Malawi into a more self-reliant, industrialised country.
“I always talk about the women because I’ve been raised by women, so I’ve seen their struggles, and I know how hard it is. I think of myself as an ‘Ambassador of Impact’. When I learn things and gain knowledge, I educate other women around me to empower them.”
Jacqueline’s company trains women on seed cultivation and harvesting, buying a proportion of their produce in raw form, and supporting them in processing the remainder for value-added sale or own use. With strong direct sales to a loyal customer base, Jeyie Foods is supporting 178 women smallholder farmers and their families in this way.
“These women always say to me that it is thanks to my business that they have managed to send their children to school, feed them, clothe them properly,” Ms Banda said.
“When women are empowered, they can better care and provide for their children and when these children are healthy, they will be able to thrive at school, to find well-paid work afterwards to support their families. Ultimately, the entire country benefits and Jeyie Foods will also have played its part.”