The National Bank of Malawi (NBM) has made a significant commitment to the development of sports in the country, unveiling a massive K1.58 billion sponsorship package, with K500 million specifically earmarked for grassroots football.
The announcement came on Wednesday evening as the bank revealed the contents of a mysterious briefcase that had been trending throughout the week.
Of the substantial total, the Football of Malawi (FAM) is a major beneficiary, receiving approximately K1 billion directed towards women’s football and, notably, grassroots development.
Speaking at the unveiling event held at NBM Towers in Blantyre, National Bank Chief Executive Officer, Harold Jiya, articulated the bank’s vision behind this initiative.
“We haven’t been in Football for so many years. We believe that Sports has potential to unite, inspire meaningful change, it touches millions of people in Malawi,” Jiya stated.
“Therefore, for National Bank of Malawi Plc, the sponsorship is more than the financial investment, it is a significant alignment with our vision to be the Bank of the nation.”
FAM President, Fleetwood Haiya, lauded NBM’s gesture, emphasizing its synergy with the association’s transformative agenda for football.
“At Football Association of Malawi, we have a 10-year strategic plan, we understand that Malawians want results immediately, but in our strategic plan, we planned on what we want to achieve on daily, weekly, monthly and annually basis,” Haiya explained.
Haiya particularly highlighted the critical role of grassroots football, an area where the sponsorship will have a profound impact.
“The sponsorship is also going to grassroots football, in our strategic plan, grassroots football is the key because we noted that there is a gap of football. There has been issues of shortcuts, we think that we can just have a team today and win Cosafa, but in football, there is no shortcut, same as any other investment.”
Drawing an analogy, Haiya added, “Farmers say ‘fodya ndi ku nursery’ meaning that we have to start from the grassroots. What National Bank has done, is a testament to what we believe that this will help us achieving our milestone for the grassroots.”
He expressed optimism that the funding would “spark talent starting from our zones, Districts going to the regional leagues, that’s where we can scout our players. Malawi has got talent but the talent is hidden and we have failed to scout the talent.”
Beyond football, the comprehensive sponsorship package includes K430 million allocated to the National Women’s League and the Scorchers (the national women’s team), and K450 million for Mo626 college sports, encompassing basketball, football, and netball.
NBM has a history of supporting various sporting activities, including their recent sponsorship of the 2024 K12 million Tertiary Education Students Sports Association of Malawi (TESSAM) Festival.
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