REPUBLICOFMALAWI

STATEMENTBY
HISEXCELLENCY,PROF.ARTHURPETER
MUTHARIKA,PRESIDENTOFTHEREPUBLICOF
MALAWI
ATTHE
MALAWIINVESTMENTFORUM2015

BINGUINTERNATIONALCONFERENCECENTRE,
LILONGWE

29thJune,2015
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Your Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Malawi,

Madam Gertrude Hendrina Mutharika
Right Honourable Saulos Chilima, Vice President of the
Republic of Malawi and Madam Chilima,

Distinguished Invited Guests,

Honourable Ministers present,

Foreign and local dignitaries

Foreign and local Investors

Ladies and Gentlemen

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It is a distinctive pleasure for me and all Malawians to

welcome you to our country for the first ever Malawi
Investment Forum.
I am pleased to note that investors from all over the world
and Malawi have accepted our invitation and joined us for this
very important event.
I promise that the time that you have devoted to this
conference will be a worthwhile investment. You will have the
chance to hear about Malawi as a preferred country where
you can do business; you will learn about the strengths of its
investment environment; you will discover new investment
opportunities; you will build productive partnerships with the
domestic private sector; and you will discover why this
country is called the Warm Heart of Africa.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
The Government of Malawi believes that the private sector is
the driver of economic development in this country. We
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believe that investment, both foreign and domestic, is the

engine that will develop the economy of this country from a
predominantly importing and consuming to a predominantly
exporting and producing one. We believe that the private
sector will bring the prosperity that our people earnestly
deserve.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
In light of this vision, we will do our utmost to facilitate
domestic and foreign investment in this country.
The country has initiated and implemented various reforms
that will make your journey towards investment in Malawi
easier. My Government will also provide security for foreign
direct investments including flexibility in repatriation of profits.
Most recently, Malawi has:
-

Established a One-Stop-Service-Centre at the Malawi

Investment and Trade Centre. The centre will assist

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you with the registration of your company, the

identification of land, the processing of employment
permits and other required licenses, and advise you on
available incentives;
-

Malawi has liberalised the exchange rate and will

uphold this policy. As a result, the Malawi Kwacha has
been stable over the last year and the government
expects that this trend will continue for the foreseeable
future;

Malawi has upgraded the electricity generation capacity

and introduced demand side management measures.
Malawis electricity supply has become increasingly
reliable as generation capacity exceeds demand during
off-peak hours;

Further, as part of the upgrading of the transportation

corridors, a rail line from Tete to the deep sea port of
Nacala has been constructed. The line will provide fast

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access to the Indian Ocean and cut transportation

costs for the import and export of products; and
-

Finally, Malawi has in this month of June, 2015

become a signatory of the Tripartite Free Trade
Agreement bringing together twenty six (26) countries
from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern
Africa (COMESA), Eastern African Community (EAC)
and the Southern African Development Community
(SADC). The treaty will boost regional trade and open
up investment opportunities that seemed impossible a
couple of years ago;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

We also know there is still much more to be done to improve
the competitiveness of Malawi as an investment destination. I
believe that we can reach our targets through continuous
dialogue and the exchange of ideas with the private sector.

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Some of the most important reforms that this government will

implement during the coming years include:
-

Reform of the legal and institutional framework for land

administration. This will make the purchase of land
more transparent and reduce the potential for disputes;

Construction of an electricity interconnector with

Mozambique

and

upgrading

of

the

national

transmission network;
-

Introduction of National Identification Cards for all

citizens and operationalisation of Credit Reference
Bureaus;

Review of the Seed Act and policy, with the aim of

facilitating the prompt introduction of high quality seed;
and

The reform of the Public Sector, including government

ministries as well as parastatals.

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Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

There are many sectors in Malawi that have the potential to
transform this country. These sectors include:
-

Agriculture & Agro-Processing

Tourism

Energy

Manufacturing

Infrastructure

Mining

Financial Services

This afternoon and tomorrow you will have the opportunity to

discuss how these sectors are structured, what their strengths
and weaknesses are, and what investment opportunities lie
ahead.
Let me once again welcome all investors to Malawi and
assure you that Malawi is ready for your investment. Your
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investment will be secure fiscally and physically. We have put

measures in place to ensure that you are secure both at
home and at work and even in between. We are implementing
a number of reforms as alluded to earlier on to ensure that
the business environment is conducive for all. It is my sincere
hope that you will make Malawi the home of your
investments.
With these few remarks, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I now have the singular honour and privilege to declare the
Malawi Investment Forum 2015 officially open.
I thank you attention
May God bless us all and May God bless mother Malawi

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