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Ministry of Industrialization, Business, Trade & Tourism - Malawi, Independence Drive, City Centre, Lilongwe (2026)

11/08/2026

Mzuzu Coffee upbeat about scaling out of its coffee exports

Mzuzu Coffee Planters Cooperative Union Limited (MZCPCU), one of Malawi’s leading farmer-owned coffee organizations, specializing in the production, processing and marketing of high-quality washed Arabica coffee is geared to commission its newly constructed state of the art factory with a capacity of 8 metric tones of coffee per day, a huge leap from the 1.25 metric tones capacity of the old plant.

Speaking in Mzuzu during a factory tour by the Deputy Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Edgar Tembo today, Chief Executive Officer for MZCPCU, Mackson Ng'ambi, said all things being equal, the plant should be commissioned in September this year.

Commenting on the development, Tembo said Malawi has to industrialise and that coffee was one of the most sort after export product that would significantly contribute to forex generation and narrowing Malawi’s trade deficit. He further added that the wider coffee value chain was a source of livelihood for thousands of rural households.

The Union which has 3,000 smallholder coffee farmers in northern and central Malawi through its cooperative model, links smallholder farmers to processing facilities, quality-control systems and international markets.

Currently, Mzuzu Coffee is already enjoying such markets as Japan, South Africa, USA, UK, Netherlands and Taiwan.

Mzuzu Coffee's cooperative model offers an important model for Malawi’s agenda on industrialization, value addition, export diversification, cooperative development and rural industrialization.

10/08/2026

Industrialization is achievable-Says Tembo

Deputy Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Edgar Tembo says Industrialization is achievable when private sector translates the dreams and ideas into actions that result in wealth creation, job creation, high value exports and forex generation.

Tembo made the sentiments today during an industrial visit to Kajikhomele Rice Processing Company in Karonga, under Karonga Diocese.

Once completed, Kajikhomele will be processing 50 metric tones of rice per day and generate revenue of not less than 1.4 billion Kwacha in the first year.

The investment has benefitted 750 million Kwacha in matching grants from the Agriculture Commercialization Project (AGCOM); with AGCOM pumping in 500 million Kwacha and 250 million as contribution by the diocese.

On his part, Monsignor Laurent Dziko, speaking on behalf of Bishop Martin Mtumbuka, applauded the AGCOM support and reassured the Deputy Minister of the diocese's commitment to complement Government in transforming lives through creation of economically empowered and self-reliant communities.

07/08/2026

Government says Malawi and Zambia have made progress through their shared years of diplomatic relations following the signed agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism signed in 2018

Speaking at the end of a three-day joint tourism technical committee (JTTC) meeting at Bingu International Convention Center (BICC), in Lilongwe, Principal Secretary for Tourism, Jeane Mnyenyembe, stated that the bilateral engagement formalizes the partnership and leverages the strategic complementarity of the respective tourism offerings.

According to Mnyenyembe, the partnership has enabled Malawi to participate in the Zambian Tourism Expo (ZATEX), with Zambia also participating in the Malawi Tourism Expo (MITE), which strengthens destination marketing and regional travel networks.

Mnyenyembe also noted that, through the Malawi-Zambia Trans frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) framework, they have recorded notable progress across shared ecosystems, complemented by cultural exchange visits that deepen the bilateral relationship between the countries.

She further added that the JTTC has fulfilled its objectives, which include the establishment of the JTTC, review of the current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), development of the terms of reference, and development of a 5-year implementation plan and matrix.

Mnyenyembe emphasized Government's commitment to the implementation plan, noting that having a plan alone is not enough; ensuring the plan is implemented effectively is crucial.

On her part, the Acting Permanent Secretary of Tourism for Zambia, Vivien Ndhlovu, said the outcome of the meeting marks an important milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

Ndhlovu added that the agreement reached in areas such as tourism marketing, tourism product development, and cultural heritage promotion, among others, provide a solid foundation for advancing sustainable tourism and creating greater opportunities for the people of the two nations.

The JTTC also served as a mechanism to solidify the joint marketing strategies, deepen cultural exchange, and promote the exchange of industry best practices, among others.

The visiting delegation also undertook an excursion to Sunbird Water Front in Salima to appreciate the lakeside aspect of Malawi’s tourism attraction.

29/07/2026

Take farmers as partners and not as high risks-Itaye advises banks

Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Simoni Itaye has challenged commercial banks and lending institutions in the country to take farmers as partners and not as high risks if the industrialization agenda is to yield any fruit.

Speaking during the 2026 Agri-Finance Conference in Lilongwe, Itaye said for a long-time, banks have been lending to farmers but what they have been lending out was not enough to meet the demands for value addition and export pursuit.

“Under Malawi 2063, our ambition is to build an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation driven by productive commercial agriculture, industrialization, and export-led growth. Agriculture is no longer viewed merely as a social sector, it is now recognized as the engine for industrial transformation, job creation, import substitution, and economic diversification,” said Itaye.

“My Ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development and other strategic institutions to ensure that agriculture becomes the foundation of Malawi's industrial economy. This means shifting our focus from exporting raw commodities to producing processed, high-value products that can compete in regional and international markets,” he added.

The Minister was quick to point out that Government financing alone will never be sufficient to transform Malawi’s agricultural sector saying the scale of investment required in irrigation, mechanization, processing, logistics, storage, renewable energy, transport, digital technologies, and export infrastructure demands strong partnerships with the private sector.

“This is why Government continues to encourage commercial banks, pension funds, insurance companies, impact investors, venture capital firms, and private equity investors to increase their participation in financing agriculture. Agriculture should no longer be viewed as a high-risk sector but as a high-potential investment opportunity capable of generating attractive returns while creating employment, strengthening food systems, and driving inclusive economic growth,” he called out.

He appealed to the private sector to come up with special purpose vehicles in order to make this dream a reality.

President for Farmers Union of Malawi, Maness Nkhata said the farmers were more than ready to change the trajectory as long as banks and programmes stopped looking at farmers as mere beneficiaries but as partners who can turn the tables around through production and value addition.

On her part, Chief Executive Officer for Bankers Association of Malawi, Lyness Mkungula said her team had seen a gap in how issues to do with farmer or agri-financing were done in the past as farmers themselves were not part of the decision making, hence the birth of the agri-financing conferences.

“We realized we were making decisions without the farmer and decided to create a platform where farmers themselves would speak and contribute to major decisions affecting their growth,” she said.

The conference is being held under the theme: "From Plot to Profit: Unlocking Malawi's Agribusiness Potential through Sustainable p and Resilient Value Chains.”

-financing

27/07/2026

It’s of no use to sign a contract or agreement and deliver zero on the ground-Itaye tells MBS and SMEDCO

Minister of Industrialization Business, Trade and Tourism, Simoni Itaye has challenged the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO) to deliver on the signed public sector reform contracts.

Speaking during a signing ceremony in Lilongwe this afternoon, Itaye said the signing of the reform contracts was a milestone for the Ministry, however, he was quick to caution against cerebrating ‘ceremonies’ than translating the contracts into tangible deliverables on the ground.

“It’s of no use signing a contract or agreement and few months or few years down the line, you have nothing on the ground. I, therefore, expect concrete institutional functions; greater coordination and innovation. Because at the end of the day, the ultimate beneficiaries of all these reforms are the citizens of Malawi.”

He bemoaned the tendency of signing contracts or strategies that bring no results. He, therefore, called for quarterly monitoring and evaluations.

MBS commitments included the following: provision of policy and legal framework in which the MBS should operate in pursuit of fulfilling its mandate; provision of resource support that will build institutional capacity and robust conformity assessment regime; provision of oversight role and conducive leadership structure that would lead to realization of vision and mandate of the institution; and collaboration on standards development, identification of sector target groups and support conformity assessment activities.
SMEDCO on the other hand committed to construction of value addition facilities in line with SME Transformation Programme and issuance of letter of comfort for accessing bank overdraft where necessary.

The contracts run from 2026/27 Quarter 1 to 2027/28 Quarter 4.
MBS was represented by its Director General Symon Mandala while SMEDCO was represented by its Chief Executive Officer, Kondwani Kachamba Ngwira.

The other stakeholders yet to sign the contracts include the Competition and Fair Trading Commision, the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre and the Malawi Tourism Authority.

25/07/2026

Let us promote Malawi with pride-says Tembo

Deputy Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Edgar Tembo has challenged Travel Agents in the country to market Malawi with pride.

Speaking last evening at the Travel Agents Association of Malawi (TAAM) gala dinner at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe, Tembo said travel agents role goes beyond ticket selling.

He further pointed out that tourism is not merely about moving people from one destination to another but more about connecting economies, creating opportunities, fostering investment and bringing people and cultures together.

He, therefore, called for closer collaboration between the public and privates sector; and strengthened partnership in order to unleash Malawi’s tourism potential.

"You are far more than ticketing professionals. You are destination marketers;
you are trusted travel advisors; you are business facilitators.
Above all, you are ambassadors who influence travel decisions and help shape visitors' first impressions of Malawi long before they arrive in our country, " he said.

According to Tembo, tourism remains one of Malawi's most strategic economic sectors as it creates employment, supports local enterprises, stimulates investment, generates foreign exchange and contributes significantly to inclusive economic growth.

On her part, president for TAAM, Patience Nyondo said her team understands the important role it plays and continue to play in promoting Malawi as a preferred tourism destination, pledging to support the Government's efforts in turning tourism from a support sector to its strategic position as a major forex earner.

Tembo was accompanied by Principal Secretary for Tourism, Jeane Mnyenyembe and other senior government officers.

23/07/2026

Government challenges cooperatives to think beyond funded projects timelines

Speaking in Blantyre during the Mlimi Patsogolo Learning Event organized by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with support from Growing Hope Globally, Secretary for Industrialization Business, Trade and Tourism, Wiskes Nkombezi said sustainable agricultural transformation requires stronger market systems that connect producers to profitable value chains.

According to Nkombezi, the Marketing Private Service Provider (MPSP) model initiated by the project had demonstrated practical solutions to long-standing marketing challenges faced by smallholder farmers and that through professional marketing services, farmer aggregation, structured market linkages and stronger buyer relationships, the project had shown that farmers can significantly improve their incomes and bargaining power.

He further commended achievements recorded under the initiative -including thousands of farmers reached- strengthened cooperatives, increased buyer linkages and improved commodity prices.

Nkombezi emphasized the need for good governance and transparent and accountable leadership within cooperatives saying lack of good governance has been a downfall of some promising cooperatives in the country as members turn to lose trust in the leadership.

He further challenged the cooperatives and the MPSPs to think beyond the project’s life span saying the gains realized from the model need to be sustained beyond the project’s exit as ‘strong institutions attract business partnerships and investment.”

On her part, Sekai Mudonhi, Country Representative for CRS said she was impressed that the small project in terms of funding, was able to bring such huge impact with farmers realizing as big as 75 million Kwacha from a 15million Kwacha investment in such a value chain as onions.

Mudonhi underscored the significance of having well trained middle persons (MPSP) who are also trusted by cooperative members and the community not only in identifying sustainable and competitive markets but also negotiating contracts and prices that benefit and add value on the farmer.

The project had cooperatives drawn from Nsanje, Chikwawa and Blantyre districts.

19/06/2026

Are we there yet? Itaye thinks we are at least, somewhat closer

Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Simoni Itaye says he has hope that as an economy we have everything we need to turn our economic narrative around.

Speaking in Dedza today during a visit to Mwaiwathu Cooperative, a women-led cooperative focusing in tomato and soya value addition chains, processing tomato and soya into tomato jam, soya milk and soya yogurt, respectively.

The entity is a bonafide beneficiary of the Ministry's efforts toward inclusive economic empowerment.

The cooperative which bears testimony to their benefitting from the government initiated One Village; One Product (OVOP) programme which got them funding from the joint Malawi-India project and technical support from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), decided against all odds to explore value chains that most Malawians thought ended at raw consumption, and at best, raw exports.

Today the entity processes tomatoes, farmed by its own members, into tomato jam, and soya bean into soya milk, soya yogurt and soya chambiko.

"I am impressed that this entity, though operating at a modest capacity, is able to import substitute. But looking ahead, I see them taking over these value chains and penetrating into neighbouring markets as well."

For Itaye, Industrialization in Malawi at present translates into two things, namely, import substitution, which entities like Mwaiwawathu Cooperative are doing, and exports, which can be achieved after scaling out production and pushing of adequate volumes of these value added products on the regional, continental and foreign markets.

Secretary for Mwaiwathu Cooperative, Lucy Rice, said their idea is to become a secondary Cooperative and essentially taking over supply and production of these value chains.

The development comes when many Malawians thought the tomato and soya value chains were limited and as such prone to raw export or post harvest losses.

The Minister assured the cooperative of his Ministry's support towards technical, market linkages and any other innovation.

Mwaiwathu Cooperative also recently benefitted 111 million Kwacha from Agricultural Commercialization (AGCOM) grants with which they intend to set up own factory premises as currently they are occupying space belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture.

17/06/2026

I only have one thing to say-says Itaye

As Government and Private Sector strengthen partnership to drive industrialisation for Malawi’s economic growth through a Joint Launch of the Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) and the reformed Public-Private Sector Dialogue Forum (PPDF) in Lilongwe, today, Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Simoni Itaye said he only had one thing to say.

"We do not have time. We have spoken enough. We have discussed enough. We have carried a number of surveys on what we need to do in order for us to move as a nation. So, the only thing I can say is, it is time for action," said a composed Itaye.

"My Ministry has defined Industrialization to mean two things; import substitution and export diversification. And I, with my team at the Ministry, fully understand that this can only be achieved through a closer and more enhanced collaboration with the private sector. And that is what we have set out to do, " he emphasised.

The Minister said his Ministry, and indeed, Government was ready to work on the findings and recommendations by the CPSD and that the New Public-private Sector Dialogue forum offered that missing link.

According to Itaye, the CPSD provides a roadmap for unlocking private investment, creating jobs and addressing barriers to business growth. He noted that Government will utilize the findings to strengthen public financing, improve infrastructure and implement reforms that support industrialisation, trade competitiveness and economic transformation.

Itaye further described the reformed PPDF as a new era of collaboration between Government and the private sector, aimed at accelerating investment, promoting regional trade and improving the ease of doing business.

Making his contribution during a panel discussion, Secretary for Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism, Wiskes Nkombezi, emphasized the need for accountability, inclusiveness and effective implementation of reforms.

He observed that previous dialogue mechanisms had generated important recommendations but often fell short at the implementation stage. Nkombezi said the reformed PPDF sector-specific technical working groups will bring together businesses, regulators and government institutions to identify bottlenecks affecting investment and develop practical solutions to address them with candid.

Speaking on behalf of the private sector, President for Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI),
Ronald Ngwira, welcomed the launch of the CPSD and PPDF, describing them as important tools for advancing Malawi’s economic recovery and industrialisation agenda.

He highlighted challenges facing businesses, including foreign exchange shortages, high financing costs, unreliable energy supply and rising production costs, and called for decisive reforms to enhance competitiveness and attract investment.

Ngwira further noted that sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining, tourism, renewable energy and digital services present significant opportunities for economic transformation. He emphasized that successful implementation of the CPSD recommendations will require strong partnerships, accountability and sustained dialogue between Government and the private sector.

The launch of the CPSD and the reformed PPDF marks a significant milestone in strengthening public-private cooperation and advancing Malawi’s industrialisation and wealth creation agenda. The initiative is expected to support investment, job creation, export growth and economic resilience in line with the aspirations of Malawi 2063 and the National Economic Recovery Plan.

Participating at the joint launch were Ministers of Finance, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Justice, Defence and Labour, including the Division Director for Word Bank, Firas Raad.

11/06/2026

New Marriott Hotel Project Set to strengthen Malawi's tourism portfolio-says Itaye

The Ministry of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting private sector investments in tourism infrastructure as part of efforts to enhance Malawi's tourism competitiveness and economic growth.

Speaking during a tour of the Marriott Ryalls Hotel construction project at Lilongwe Golf Club, Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Simoni Itaye, said the Ministry is keen to ensure that the country has adequate infrastructure to support meetings, conferences, exhibitions and other tourism-related activities. He said facilities such as the Marriott Hotel are critical in strengthening Malawi's tourism offering and positioning the country as a preferred destination for both business and leisure travellers.

The Minister further said the Ministry, through the newly established Tourism Authority, is committed to working closely with private sector players to address challenges that may affect tourism investments.

He emphasized that Government's role is to facilitate trade, both in Goods and in services, and create an enabling environment for private sector to thrive, including tourism enterprises.

On his part, Eris Properties Chief Executive Officer, Washington Chimuzu, said despite some delays, the project is progressing towards its revised schedule and is expected to open in October 2026.

According to Chimuzu, the hotel will provide a unique tourism experience as the only hotel situated on an 18-hole golf course in Malawi and one of the few in the region with such a facility.

He further added that the project is expected to create employment opportunities, stimulate local supply chains and enhance the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism market.

Chimuzu highlighted that a significant portion of the materials and artwork used in the hotel have been sourced locally, demonstrating the project's contribution to supporting Malawian businesses and artists.

The Marriott Ryalls Hotel project is expected to strengthen Malawi's tourism infrastructure, attract investment and contribute to the country's broader industrialisation and economic development agenda.

Ministry of Industrialization, Business, Trade & Tourism - Malawi

11/08/2026

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Monday	07:30 - 16:30
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