Government Lures Investors to Fuel Malawi’s Industrial Growth

Key Business Points

• Private-sector investment is crucial for Malawi’s industrialisation ambitions, with the government calling for increased investment to stimulate job creation and support inclusive economic growth.
• Six priority areas have been identified for investment, including agro-processing, manufacturing, mining, tourism, industrial parks, and the green and digital economy, offering opportunities for businesses to contribute to the country’s economic transformation.
• Predictable policies and regulatory consistency are essential for attracting private investment, with the private sector needing a stable environment to enable value addition, manufacturing, and exports, as well as technology adoption and productivity.

Malawi’s Secretary for Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism, Wiskesi Nkombezi, has reiterated the country’s commitment to industrialisation as the central pillar of its long-term economic transformation strategy. Speaking at the Impact Integration and Investment Forum Awards 2025 in Lilongwe, Nkombezi emphasized that private sector participation is indispensable for achieving this goal, as no country has industrialised without bold and sustained investment from non-State actors. The government has been pushing reforms, strengthening infrastructure, and improving governance to create an enabling business environment, but it is the private sector’s capital, innovation, and entrepreneurial energy that will determine whether Malawi achieves its ambition of becoming a self-reliant, upper middle-income economy.

Nkombezi outlined six priority areas that are open for investment, including agro-processing and agro-industrial value chains, where opportunities exist in oilseed processing, sugar, tea, coffee, macadamia, grains milling, and cotton-to-textile. He also highlighted manufacturing and light industry, which includes key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, construction materials, packaging, furniture, and ICT hardware. These industries support industrial diversification and regional export competitiveness, which is essential for Malawi to compete effectively in regional and global markets. As Wisely Phiri, Managing Director of Sparc Systems and President of the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, noted, private investment enables value addition, manufacturing, and exports, as well as energy solutions, technology adoption, and productivity, making it a critical component of Malawi’s economic growth strategy.

The government’s call for increased private-sector investment is a clear indication that Kuchoka kwa mabizi, or the spirit of entrepreneurship, is alive and well in Malawi. With the right investments, Malawi can kutengana na chitukuko, or accelerate its development, and become a more competitive player in regional and global markets. As the country continues to kulenga kwa tsoka, or strive for excellence, in its economic development, it is essential for businesses to take advantage of the opportunities available and contribute to the country’s growth and prosperity. By doing so, Malawi can kufikia malengo, or achieve its goals, and become a more self-reliant, upper middle-income economy.

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