100%
women
90%
rural
83%
live below $2.50 poverty line
Extensive Training & Support
MicroLoan Foundation Malawi is where MicroLoan Foundation started its operations back in 2002. We now have 22 branches and eight satellites operating across the country. Four of these branches were opened in the first quarter of 2022, and three opened during 2021, demonstrating impressive growth.

Malawi currently ranks 169 in the Human Development Index reflecting the depth of poverty that MicroLoan Malawi’s clients face. Operations in Malawi focus on serving rural women in under-reached communities. MicroLoan Malawi provides loans and ongoing business and financial literacy training to clients across its branches. With a large proportion of clients engaging in farming, MicroLoan Malawi also offers a agricultural and irrigation loans.

As part of the five-year strategic plan, MicroLoan Malawi aims to scale up its geographical reach and enhance its services through product diversification and digitalisation.

Number of active clients

37,177

Number of branches
(including satellites)

22

PAR30(%)

8.8%

Average loan size (USD)

$85

Loan Officers

86

Loan book (USD)

$2,717,208

Operational self-sufficiency (%)

106%

No. of clients per Loan & Training Officer

448

Data as of 31 December 2023. For latest data please see quarterly operations reports.

Mobile Money

MicroLoan Malawi has been training clients on the use of digital financial services and mobile money since 2022. The training has been rolled out across all branches and is essential to build confidence and trust in the new technology and ensure that clients are able to transact safely and securely. At the end of 2023, over 40% of repayments and 12% of disbursements were done via mobile money. MicroLoan Malawi is developing the internal structures to integrate the mobile money platform with the Musoni core banking platform which will reduce the overall administrative burden of manual disbursements and repayments.

Leadership Team

Davison Rakasi - Chief Executive Officer

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Davison Rakasi

Chief Executive Officer

Linda Kambalametore - Chief Financial Officer

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Linda Kambalametore

Chief Financial Officer

Elias Chakuza - Chief Operations Officer

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Elias Chakuza

Chief Operations Officer

Board of Directors

Charles Mandala - Chairperson

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Charles Mandala

Chairperson

Medha Wilson - Director and Group CEO

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Medha Wilson

Director and Group CEO

Bernadette Mandoloma - Director

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Bernadette Mandoloma

Director

Nick Hall - Director

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Nick Hall

Director

Mateo Zanetic - Director

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Mateo Zanetic

Director

Riz Khan - Director

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Riz Khan

Director

Fannie Perisha Gondwe - Director

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Fannie Perisha Gondwe

Director

McNeil Mhango - Director

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McNeil Mhango

Director

Quarterly Operational Reports

Q2 2024 Operations Report - Malawi

Q1 2024 Operations Report - Malawi

Q4 2023 Operations Report - Malawi

Q3 2023 Operations Report - Malawi

Branch Locator

Success stories

Before joining MicroLoan Foundation in 2017, Annie’s life was a constant challenge. She and her husband had difficulty paying school fees, often resulting in their children missing out on education. Although Annie managed to grow maize to feed her family,… Read more

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Latest Updates

Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa most affected by the severe impacts of the El Niño induced drought which is having catastrophic consequences including failed harvests, lack of food supplies and malnutrition. All three countries… Read more

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Policies and procedures

MicroLoan Foundation Malawi Summary of Environmental Safeguards Management Strategy

Browse Our Locations

Zambia Malawi Zimbabwe Where We Work map

If you are seeking a loan, please contact our teams in Malawi, Zambia or Zimbabwe.

    We do not currently operate outside of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe so you are not eligible for a loan at this time. If you would like to speak to a member of our team: contact@mlf.org.uk

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    Our Partners

    Davison Rakasi

    Chief Executive Officer

    Davison is an accomplished executive with over 15 years’ experience in Banking and Microfinance. Davison is currently the Chief Executive Officer for MicroLoan Foundation Malawi. Prior to joining MicroLoan Foundation, Davison worked as Interim CEO at a microfinance organisation after gaining significant exposure to operations, technology deployment, sales & marketing, strategy development, and project management in his previous role as Chief Operations Officer.

    In his career to date, Davison has held various roles where he was responsible for leading initiatives that strengthened organisational risk management and compliance, as well as customer acquisition and retention. Davison holds a BSc in Accounting and an MBA from Malawi Institute of Management.

    Linda Kambalametore

    Chief Financial Officer

    Linda is an affiliate to the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) with over 15 years of experience in the accounting and finance function, 5 years of which were in management advisory roles in small and medium sized businesses. Her work experience spans across various industries including Agri-business inputs focusing on receivables management, debt collection, Agribusiness financing in sub-Saharan Africa, financial reporting, investment portfolio management and human rights advocacy in commonwealth countries with special focus on project financial management.

    Linda is an expert in preparation and analysis of financial reports, internal and external audit management, budgeting and forecasting, tax compliance, investment performance and risk management.

    Elias Chakuza

    Chief Operations Officer

    Elias Chakuza joined MicroLoan Malawi as Chief Operations Officer on the 1st November 2023 after an approval was granted by the Reserve Bank of Malawi.

    Elias brings in a wealth of knowledge and expertise with 16 years of experience in the Microfinance sector, he has an impressive track record of leadership and innovation. He has successfully led and was a part of the operations teams in Vision Fund, FINCA and Opportunity Bank where he contributed to significant portfolio growth, efficiency improvements and a positive impact in underserved communities.

    As a COO Elias will be responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of MicroLoan Malawi, ensuring the highest standards of service, efficiency and impact both financially and socially. He will play a crucial role in driving the institution forward.

    Charles Mandala

    Chairperson

    Charles Mandala has worked in the Malawi public service for 40 years out of which 28 years was spent in executing community-driven development and economic empowerment programmes with strong focus on social infrastructure, economic livelihoods, safety nets and social protection programmes in Malawi, mostly under World Bank financing.

    Up until 2018, prior to his retirement, he served as the Executive Director of the Malawi Local Development Fund. Charles has significant experience in the provision of technical and strategic leadership in projects focusing on poverty reduction and decentralized (local) governance in Malawi, Lesotho and Kenya. He is widely travelled and extensive exposure to local development work in Africa, Europe, India, Pakistan and Latin America.

    Charles Mandala a is Certified International Business Leader; a member of Africa Board Fellowship Program (Microfinance and Financial Inclusion) and a holder of a Master’s degree in Strategic Management.

    Medha Wilson

    Director and Group CEO

    Medha Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer at MicroLoan Foundation. In her current role she oversees the activities of MicroLoan’s operations in Africa and is responsible for developing the overall strategy of the Group. She serves on the board of the three MicroLoan subsidiaries in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

    Medha has extensive experience in financial inclusion in both senior operational and investment management roles in emerging and frontier markets, across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her expertise also includes establishing and scaling-up of greenfield operations, turnaround of struggling entities and governance. She also has considerable experience in engaging with a broad range of social and impact investors.

    Medha is a Qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from The London School of Economics.

    Bernadette Mandoloma

    Director

    Bernadette Mandoloma is a Professional Business Executive with over thirty years of increasingly responsible experience in the financial services and agricultural sectors. She has skills with solid experience in strategic business management; accounting & reporting at company, group and shareholder level; banking; insurance; financial inclusion; investments management and company restructuring. Bernadette is retired from active roles having worked in a number of organizations in various positions as Chief Executive Officer for NBS Bank PLC; Finance Director for NICO Holdings PLC; Chief Executive Officer for Press Agriculture Limited; Investments Manager for Press Trust and Financial Controller of the then INDEBANK Financial Services Limited.

    Bernadette is a Chartered Management Accountant. She holds a Master of Science degree in Accounting and Finance (M.Sc. Acc & Fin) from University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom; Bachelor of Commerce (Accountancy) (B.Com) from University of Malawi and a Diploma in Business Studies (Dip. Bus) also from University of Malawi.

    Bernadette has served as Non Executive Director in Key Malawian Institutions (past and present).

    Nick Hall

    Director

    Nick is the director of Development Management Associates CIC, a management consulting firm operating in Lilongwe, Malawi where Nick has lived for over 20 years. DMA specialises in enabling Malawian organisations to realise their potential, by facilitating key players to identify blockages, engage ‘reform entrepreneurs’ to find practical solutions, then implement solutions through ‘test, learn and adapt’ cycles.

    Nick got a BA at Cambridge University, UK in Natural Science/Psychology. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he spent 15 years as director of finance, and of HR, of international manufacturing groups. He then switched to non-profit work, spending 7 years as CFO at INGO Plan International, where he acquired his enthusiasm for rural micro-finance in many of the 45 developing countries supported by Plan. He then chose to end HQ-based work, joining Plan in one of those countries, Malawi. After a couple of years he left Plan to become an independent consultant.
    He is now sought out for his work, done exclusively in Malawi, in governance, decentralisation and aid effectiveness, with an increasing proportion of his work done pro bono. He is also known for his involvement in local organisations and activities in sectors like environment, child protection and visual arts.

    Mateo Zanetic

    Director

    Regional Director and Chief Executive Officer Zimbabwe, Board of Directors Zambia

    Mateo Zanetic is the Regional Director of MicroLoan Foundation. In his current role he is responsible for operations management, which includes providing hands-on support to MLF CEOs in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mateo serves on all three MLF subsidiaries. His responsibilities include providing guidance and troubleshooting in areas related to expansion to new operational areas and products, development of annual budgets and setting of performance targets for operational staff. Mateo heads the Social Performance Management function and is responsible for developing the evolving SPM framework and the reporting of SPM findings to both internal and external stakeholders. Currently, Mateo also serves as a CEO of MLF Zimbabwe.

    Mateo has an extensive background in microfinance operations in Southern Africa, specifically in scale-up of activities, integrating social performance in operational decision-making and in people management.

    He holds a degree in Management Accounting and Corporate Finance from Wits University.

    Riz Khan

    Director

    Rizvaan Khan is a Malawi national and has more than 20 years of trade and developmental experience in the agriculture and horticulture sectors. He has spent much of his career in Africa, working in Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. He brings in-depth knowledge of agriculture value chains and has supported the development and funding of agriculture-based commercial out- grower schemes and promoted business linkages of commercial farmers to markets.

    Earlier in his career, Rizvaan was a Senior Business Advisor for TechnoServe Inc., where he developed and advised horticulture and agriculture development initiatives. Rizvaan also oversaw business management and development for the USAID-funded EMPRENDA (Empowering Private Enterprise in the Development of Agriculture) program that developed horticulture activities in the Beira Corridor in Mozambique. He has also served as a Business Associate for AgDevCo Malawi, where he oversaw general programme and investment operations, scoping potential investments that were applicable to country portfolios. Currently, he is the Agriculture and Economic Diversification Programme Manager at the Agriculture Transformation Initiative (ATI) a part of the Foundation for Smoke-Free World, a non-profit organization supporting tobacco dependent economies explore alternative value chains and economic uplifts that will directly benefit the livelihoods of small holder farmers.

    From his working experiences and engagement with stakeholders ranging from donors, Government, and the private sector in Malawi, Rizvaan has an extensive understanding of Malawi’s agriculture, political, economic and cultural contexts and has built solid relationships with key stakeholders which will be essential in facilitating policy reforms that will expand Malawi’s business environment.

    Fannie Perisha Gondwe

    Director

    Fannie is the Founder and Executive Director of Perisha Agro and Packaging Enterprise, an eco-inclusive agri-business enterprise aiming at improving the nutritional status of women and children under-five by promoting the growing and consumption of biofortified foods including orange fleshed sweet potato, orange maize and cassava products.

    Fannie holds an MBA from Eastern and Southern Africa Institute of Management (ESAMI). She worked as the Regional Finance and Administration Manager for World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) for Southern Africa region for 11 years before founding Perisha Agro in 2015. As an entrepreneur, she has won several awards in agribusiness including HIVOS Most Impactful Business award, Graca Marcel business award and the Female Biosciences Business Acceleration Program (Fembiobiz). Her company, Perisha Agro has recently qualified in the top 50 business heroes under Jack Ma, the 2022 African Business Heroes competition.

    McNeil Mhango

    Director

    McNeil Mhango is a dedicated IT specialist with more than 14 years of experience overseeing the development of large-scale digital platforms. McNeil has successfully designed and implemented a number of remarkable technological platforms in Malawi and Namibia. His experience includes constructing long-lasting solutions for e-government services, e-commerce, e-procurement, e-identity, and digital payments while collaborating with a wide spectrum of stakeholders. McNeil holds a master's degree in ICT and the knowledge society and is currently working on his PhD in Information Systems.