Renowned Malawian videographer Gift ‘Sukez’ Sukali has resorted to social media to voice his concerns about deep-rooted favouritism and systemic injustice at the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF), in light of the revelation that over K8.4 billion was granted to only 50 pastors, while youths struggle to access loans from the institution.
This translates to K168 million to each pastor, while his own fully backed proposal for a national creative hub network was ignored despite offering seven vehicles as collateral.
In a viral Facebook post, Sukali recounted how, in 2022, he applied for a NEEF loan to establish Innovation, Creative, and Cinema Hubs across Malawi.
The hubs were intended to serve as youth centres equipped with spaces where filmmakers and creatives could learn, collaborate, and screen local productions. To support this vision, Sukali wrote:
“I provided 7 vehicles as collateral.” The application process involved a thorough vetting process, site visits, and numerous meetings, during which all requirements were met. However, subsequent delays ensued, prompting Sukali to make follow-up inquiries. “Weeks turned into months. Months turned into a year. I called. I followed up. I waited. We all waited,” Sukali expressed.
Sukez, who claimed to have employed 21 people at the time, said the loan would have been the catalyst to scale operations from major cities to districts nationwide. But despite going through rigorous vetting and administrative hurdles, his application was never approved.
What crushed him most, he said, was hearing that billions had been disbursed not to fellow visionaries but to individuals with political and religious ties.
“Word spread that large amounts—3 billion kwacha and more—had been disbursed, not to visionaries, but to politically connected individuals,” he said. “Some of whom, I knew personally, had never written a proposal—never walked into an office with a real plan.”
Presidential Advisor Brian Kamwendo confirmed to the local media that K8.4 billion has been disbursed to faith leaders, stating it was meant to boost their economic standing.
But for Sukali, the move exposes a deeper systemic rot.
“I won’t lie. It broke me. The bureaucracy, the betrayal, the disillusionment—it drained the passion. We had worked so hard to build a model that could change the game. But this experience taught me something crucial: The system is not broken. It’s working exactly as it was designed—to keep a few at the top and the rest scrambling,” he added.
While encouraging young Malawians dreaming of change to chase their ideas relentlessly, build it brick by brick and never wait on the system, Sukez highlighted that poverty in Malawi is not accidental, saying, “It’s manufactured. Sustained. Protected.”
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