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Trade Support Institutions Directory

The document below list Trade Support Institutions in Malawi

 

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Malawi Country Profile

General Info


 

Official Name : Republic of Malawi
Capital City : Lilongwe
Major cities : Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu and Zomba

 malawi flag free wallpaper 1991449103

 

The flag of Malawi has a horizontal tricolour of black, red and green with a red rising sun centred on the black stripe. The black stripe represents the indigenous people of the African contents, the red symbolises the blood of their struggle, and the green represents nature. The rising sun represents the dawn of hope and freedom for the African continent

 

Geography


map 

 

 

Location & boundary:
  • Malawi is located in south eastern Africa
  • It is wholly within the tropics; from about 9°30S at its northernmost point to about 17°S at the southernmost tip.
  • It lies between latitudes 9° and 18°S, and longitudes 32° and 36°E
  • Malawi shares boarders with Zambia in the west and north west, Mozambique in the southwest and south east, and Tanzania in the north
Surface Area:
  • The total area of the country is 118,484 km², but this includes 24,404 km² of water surface, mainly composed of Lake Malawi, but there are other lakes, namely as Lake Malombe, Lake Chilwa and Lake Chiuta.
  • Lake Malawi, Africa’s third largest lake which has shire river as an outlet.
Topography:
  • The terrain of Malawi is breath -taking comprising plateaus, plains, hills and mountains.
  • The plateaus include Nyika and Viphya plateaus and Misuku hills to the North, Dedza and Kirk range mountains in the Centre.
  • In southern Malawi, the terrain is equally varied with escarpments, highlands and mountains and low marshy lands along the Shire River.
  • Mulanje Mountain which is home to the rare Mulanje cedar, it is the highest mountain in Central Africa, with the highest point, Sapitwa peak rising to 3, 050 metres above sea level.
Climate:

Malawi's climate is generally tropical.

 

May to August

Cool and dry, July being the coldest month, with temperatures ranging from 15.5 to 18.0 degrees Celsius in the plateau and 20.0 to 24.5 degrees Celsius in the rift valley areas. There is little rain in this season; most of it falling in the high southeast facing slopes.

September to mid-November

Hot and dry, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 25 end 27 to 30 degrees Celsius in the plateau areas and the rift valley respectively.

 

Mid-November to April

Hot and rainy, with 90% of the annual rainfall being received. December and January are the wettest months. Total annual rainfall overages 760 to 1,015mm with some areas in the plateau recording over 1,525mm.

 
Natural Resources: Malawi is naturally endowed with vast natural resources including arable land, water, hydropower, mineral deposits of uranium, limestone, coal, bauxite, gemstones, and niobium.
Environment: The environment in Malawi is undergoing severe degradation; a situation caused by a rapidly growing and rural based population that is largely dependent on natural resources for its livelihood. The reliance on natural resources has exerted pressure on the environment causing a number of problems such as soil erosion, deforestation, water degradation, and loss of biodiversity among many others. Inadequate funding is a major hindrance to the implementation of environmental and natural resource management activities in Malawi.

 

Population

Population and Demography
Population of Malawi constitutes predominantly Bantu speaking black African people. There are 8 major tribes in Malawi. Asians and a few Europeans also constitute a sizeable number of Malawi's population
Population: 20.9  Million (2023, DEPD)
Population Density: 186 per square kilometre (2018, NSO)
Growth Rate: 2.9 % (2018, NSO)
Crude Birth Rate: 32.8 per 1000 population (2018, NSO)
Infant Mortality Rate: 33 per 1000 live births (2018, NSO)
Crude Death Rate: 6.3  per 1000 population (2018, NSO)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 68 years (2018)
Urban Population: 2,783,364 (2018, NSO)

 

Economy

Economy
Malawi’s economy revolves around agriculture, which supports well over 80% of the population.  Maize is grown as the staple food for home consumption. However, tobacco, tea, cotton, coffee and sugar are important for trade. Agricultural produce brings in more than 80% of the country's export earnings. Manufacturing in the country is minimal. Most industry is based in or around the commercial city of Blantyre in the south.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 13.6 billion (2022, World Bank)
Real GDP Growth: 2. 4% ( 2023 estimates, IMF)
Per Capita GDP: US$ 645.2  (2022, World Bank)
Consumer Price Index: 139.14 (June 2023, NSO and RBM)
Year on Year Inflation Rate: 26.9% (October 2023, NSO)
Government Expenditure: US$192.84 billion (March 2022, DEPD)
External Debt: US$ 3.64 Billion (March 2022, DEPD)
Total Expenditures: 26.7% of GDP 2022/2023 (DEPD)
Budget Surplus/Deficit: 8.8% of GDP 2022/2023 (Estimated deficit, DEPD)
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate): 5.6%  (2022, World Bank)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: 23.4% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Manufacturing 12.2 % GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Services: 42.8% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Wholesale and Retail Trade: 12.0% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Construction: 3.2% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Mining and Quarrying: 0.7% GDP (2022 estimates, DEPD)
Exports: 8.2% GDP (2022, RBM)
Imports: 12.2% GDP (2022, RBM)
Trade Balance: 4.0% GDP (2022, RBM)
Net Errors and Omissions (NEO): 11.6% GDP (2022, RBM)
Capital Account Balance (CAB): 2.8% GDP (2022, RBM)
Foreign Direct Investment: US$ 158.6 Million  (2022, RBM)
Currency and Exchange Rate: Malawi currency is the Malawi Kwacha (MK). The exchange rate is liberalized.
Fiscal Year: April to March

 

Export Products Catalogue

Coffee

coffee

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Cotton

cotton

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Macadamia

 macadamia

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Groundnuts

groundnuts 

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 Pigeon Peas

Pigeon Peas

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Sugar

sugar

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 Tea

tea

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 Tobacco

tobacco

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Soybean

 soybean preparation

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Malawi Trade Profile

Trade Indicators

Indicated figures are in US dollars.

  In   Milion USD
  2020 2021 2022 2023
         
Gross   Domestic Product          12,060        12,600        13,600       
         
Export of   Goods (fob)          781,981      1,019,154        940,876       
Import of   Goods (fob)          2,730,273       3,126,581       1,553,015      
         
Merchandise   Trade Balance - 1,948,292    - 2,107,427 - 612,139        
         
Export of   Services            207,000                            
Import of   Services            353,000                     
         
Service Trade   Balance - 146,000      
         
Overall Trade   Balance - 2, 094, 292 - 2, 107,427 - 612,139  
         
Exports of   Goods & Services as %   GDP 7.0% 8.7% 8.2%  
Imports of   Good & Services as %   GDP 22.3% 24.2% 12.2%  
         
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)                406.1             101.9             158.6  
         
Source: Trademap, MITC calculations, RBM

Main Exports & Imports


Main Export Product Share In 2022 Exports   Main Import Product Share in 2022 Imports
Tobacco 45.53%   Petroleum Oils 16.84%
Groundnuts 9%   Fertilizer 14.39%
Tea 8.48%   Vehicles 5.88%
Dried leguminous Vegetables 5.99%   Electrical equipment & parts 4.92%
Soya beans 2.7 %   Pharmaceutical products 3.98%
Sugar 2.54%   Textiles
 3.5%
Cotton 1.21%      
Coffee 0.26%      

 

Main Export Services 2021 Export Value (US$)   Main Import Services 2021 Import Value (US$)
Telecommunications, computer, and information services 71,000
   Transport 54,000
Insurance and pension services 31,000
   Other business services 46,000
Transport 30,000
   Insurance and pension services 24,000
Financial services 22,000
   Telecommunications, computer, and information services 20,000
Other business services 16,000
   Government services, n.i.e 14,000

 

Trading Partners

 

Main Buyers of Goods Share in 2022 exports   Main Suppliers of Goods Share in 2022 imports
Belgium 16 %   China 16.5 %
Tanzania 9.4 %   United Arab Emirates 14 %
Kenya 6.9 %   South Africa 14 %
South Africa 6.4 %   Kuwait 7.4 %
Zimbabwe 5.3 %   India 5.5 %
United States of America 5.3 %   Japan 3.2 %
Zambia 4.4 %   Malaysia 2.8 %
 India  4 %   Zambia 2.6 %

Source: Trade Map -Malawi

 

Export Restrictions

Malawi government controls exports of certain products.

As part of Malawi's export control system, the Malawi government has imposed some export restrictions. 

With a view to enhancing and promoting exports as outlined in the National Export Strategy (NES), the list of products requiring export permit was reduced from 25 to 10 items. This measure was undertaken to make it cheaper, easier and faster to export and trade across the borders. Hence, only the following products listed hereunder require an export permit as stipulated under the Control of Goods Act (Cap 18.08) of the Laws of Malawi:

  1. Implements of war (other than arms and ammunition), atomic energy materials of strategic value, and items of primary strategic significance used in the     production of arms and ammunition and other implements of war, including the following-
    2. (a) beryllium;    (b) cobalt;    (c) tantalam;      (d) uranium;       (e) lithium;          (f) columbite; (g) nobium;       (h) thorium (columbium);     (i) germanium; (j) titanium;        (k) nickel and any materials containing such metals.
  2. Petroleum products.
  3. The following gemstones in the manufactured state.
    1. Corundum  (b) Garnet    (C)  Quartz      (d) Tourmaline       (e) Turquoise  (f) Beryl  (g) Zircon   (h) Jade  (i) Olivine   (j)   Feldspar    (k)   Topaz   (l)  Opal   (m) Chrysoberyl   (n)  Spinel  (o) Lazurite
  4. Scrap metal.
  5. Hides and skins in processed and non-processed form.
  6. Rice, including: (a) rice meals in processed;  (b) rice bran;  (c) rice residues.
  7. Maize including (a) dried maize, or off the cob; (b) crushed maize;  (c) samp.
  8. Maize meal, including (a) maize grits; (b) maize corns;  (c) hominy chop;  (d) maize offals; or  (e)processed maize meal with or without additives
  9. Raw hard round wood timbers.
  10. Live poultry, including day-old chicks.

In addition to securing an export permit, exporters of the products outlined above should also ensure compliance with the necessary export procedures.

Any person found in breach of the above requirements will be liable to prosecution under the Law.                                                                                                                                                                                                 

  1. Malawian Export Offers
  2. Malawi Exporters Directory
  3. Malawi Producers & Suppliers Directory