One NICO Group has committed more than K250 million to this year’s Mulhako wa Alhomwe Cultural Festival at Chonde in Mulanje, reinforcing corporate support for cultural preservation and community development.
The contribution, comprising K200 million in cash and more than K50 million in kind, was announced before guests including Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha, Paramount Chief Kaduya and Pio Matos, governor of Mozambique’s Zambezia Province.
Speaking on behalf of the group, NBS Bank chief wholesale banking officer Alfred Nhlema said the festival’s theme, Heritage Preservation for Sustainable Development, underscored the need to safeguard cultural identity alongside economic progress.
“A nation that loses its identity risks losing its soul,” he said.
Mr Nhlema argued that culture should be viewed as an economic asset as well as a social one, citing opportunities in traditional crafts, cultural tourism and indigenous knowledge systems.
He said cultural industries could create jobs for young people, attract visitors and contribute to broader economic growth.
He also linked cultural preservation to environmental sustainability, saying the protection of forests, rivers and agricultural land was essential for future generations.
The sponsorship forms part of One NICO Xpression, the group’s cultural investment programme, which also supports the Umthetho, Umhlangano wa Maseko Ngoni, Chiwanja cha Yao and Gonapamuhanya cultural festivals.
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