This follows the bank's decision to close some of its branches for allegedly not making profits. In the Northern Region alone four of its branches have been closed.

Retrenched workers in the region have since been receiving letters of termination of their contracts at OIBM Regional Office in Mzuzu. MBC talked to some of the affected workers.

“I have worked with OIBM for almost 11 years, I am not happy with the way they have fired me because it is like I was at an estate and it is very shameful to me,” said John Msokera who was the team leader for Opportunity International Bank of Malawi at Jenda Branch in Mzimba district.

“The officials are just tricking us; they are not giving us proper information, they are just moving up and down,” added Msokera.

Davie Ngwira who was Operation Supervisor for Chitipa Branch said they were told by officials that the bank will be closed and they were given a short notice.

“It was on 13th June when OIBM officials came and said today we are closing the branch. Thereafter they told us to do some handovers, and said since the branch is closed then the stuff members are going to be retrenched,” said Ngwira adding that they could have give them time to prepare.

Meanwhile, efforts to talk to officials from Opportunity Bank of Malawi proved futile as they were reportedly locked up in a meeting.

OIBM is a commercial microfinance bank which targets the economically active but marginalized Malawians living in underserved areas including semi urban and rural areas.