Malawi is endowed with beautiful and unique tourist spots including Lake Malawi, national parks and Game Reserves, Mulanje Mountain, wild game (the big five), forest reserves, and cultural and historical sites such as missionary graves and slave trade villages.

There are various investment opportunities in Agriculture, including livestock production (for dairy and beef), aquaculture, horticulture, agro-processing, irrigation, sugar, piggery, honey production, integrated cotton development, cassava production, and mushroom growing.

These agriculture products can be processed and exported under trading arrangements encompassing SADC, COMESA, and GSP SCHEME of the EU’s EBA Initiative. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), China General Tariff Preferential Treatment, the India Preferential Trade Arrangement Benefiting LCD’s and the Japan Preferential Trade Arrangement Benefiting Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Soya beans processing is a fast-growing business. Soya-based products are used by bakeries, the meat industry, and animal feed manufacturing to increase the nutritional value of their feeds as well as the shelf life of products.

Processing factory for turning soya into yogurt, cheese, tofu, mince, candles, cattle feeds, bio diesel, cooking oil, meat substitutes, and margarine for local and international markets.

Malawi boasts of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including oranges, tangerines, paw paws, guavas, mangoes, avocado pears, pineapples, bananas, tomatoes and onions. Most of Malawi’s fruits and vegetables are not preserved-hence they can often go to waste, especially in peak season. Fruits and vegetables are mostly grown in Ntcheu, Dedza, Mwanza, Salima and Shire highlands.

Malawi is among the top producers of Pigeon Peas / Pulse in the world. India presents a huge market for Malawi Pigeon Peas /pulse

Malawi produces enough sugar for its internal consumption and for export. Currently, there are two main factories; one at Ntchalo in Chikhwawa District and another one at Dwangwa in Nkhotakota.

The Malawi government would like to develop an integrated cotton industry as a future potential diversification strategy away from tobacco, particularly given the growing global anti-smoking lobby. This strategy involves developing the industry across the value chain from seed multiplication to textile manufacturing.

The government of Malawi has embarked to improve pig production by promoting increased availability of pigs, pig meat and products.

Cassava (Manihot Esculenta) is a staple food in the lake shore areas of Nkhotakota, Nkhata-bay and Rumphi, and other parts of Malawi as a security crop. The main advantages of growing Cassava are that it is drought tolerant, able to yield well on marginal soils, has minimal labour requirements and that its yield fluctuates less than maize. Cassava also serves as a cash crop.

Mushroom are a high value cash crop, a source of vitamins BI and B2, minerals, potassium, calcium and iron, proteins and essential amino acids

Malawi aims to sustain and increase the productivity of small- and large-scale fisheries for both domestic and export markets. Malawi fish especially the Tilapia and Cat fish are in great demand in South Africa, Europe and Asia. The abundant fresh waters of the third largest fresh water lake in Africa, Lake Malawi, are home to some of the tastiest tilapia (locally known as chambo).

Manufacturing accounts for about 12% of Malawi’s GDP.  As most of the traditional agriculture crops such as tobacco and tea are exported in a semi-processed state, there are great opportunities for investors to convert these agricultural products into high-value finished products.  Investors may venture into the manufacture of any of the products listed below.

With market opportunities under AGOA and preferential agreements between Malawi and South Africa, and Malawi’s low labour costs investing in the garment/textile industry would be a smart choice for foreign investors.

Malawi imports most of its light goods equipment such as household electrical fittings (e.g cables, plugs, switches) and engineering materials, e.g. steel-based products.  Investors are therefore invited to invest in this sector to reduce current imports and save foreign exchange.

Malawi has large forest plantations which are mainly; Nyika Plateau at Chelinda, Dedza, Mulanje mountain, Zomba plateau and Chikangawa

Value addition to the country’s vast forest resources via the manufacturing of timber and timber-based such as blackboards, cheap boards, plywood

Opportunities are also there to develop new forests.

Log and logging supply agreements for harvesting and cutting of existing timber.

This industry is crucial as it support other industries for sustainable economic growth and infrastructure development.  Huge private investment is required to meet increasing energy demand for both household and industry use.  Hydro electricity, fossil fuels and biomass are the most used energy sources in Malawi.  The Government is inviting local and foreign investors to invest in the following area;