The Indigenous Business Association of Malawi (Ibam) says the indigenous business community will have to wait for some time as plans to establish the organization in all three regions of the country have been put on hold.

IBAM President Mike Mlombwa says at the end of last year plans were at an advanced stage to hit the ground running however, the new wave of COVID -19 pandemic has seriously affected the implementation phase this year.

Mlombwa said consultations had been made to ensure that the indigenous community would receive sufficient representation once the offices were set up.

Despite this the virus and new regulations have caused the organization to halt the process.

“We stopped just because the pandemic has hit hard and you how it is affecting operations in various sectors,” said Mlombwa.