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The Republic of Malawi, population 12.1 million, is approximately the size of Pennsylvania with an area of 45,750 square miles but 20 percent of that area is covered by Lake Malawi making Malawi one of Africa’s most densely populated countries.  Malawi is located at the northern edge of southern Africa and is bordered by Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.  Its capital, Lilongwe, and its principal commercial center, Blantyre, each have populations of around 500,000.

The transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy significantly strengthened the already cordial U.S. relationship with Malawi.  U.S. and Malawian views on the necessity of economic and political stability in southern Africa generally coincide.  Malawi works to achieve these objectives in the United Nations and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).

Malawi is a landlocked, densely populated country. Its economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and it has few exploitable mineral resources. Agriculture represents 38.6 percent of the GDP and accounts for over 80 percent of the labor force. Nearly 90 percent of the population engages in subsistence farming. Malawi's economic reliance on the export of agricultural commodities renders it particularly vulnerable to external shocks. High transport costs, which can comprise over 30 percent of its total import bill, constitute a serious impediment to economic development and trade. Malawi must import all its fuel products. Paucity of skilled labor; difficulty in obtaining expatriate employment permits; corruption; and inadequate and deteriorating road, electricity, water, and telecommunications infrastructure further hinder economic development in Malawi. However, recent government initiatives targeting improvements in the road infrastructure, together with private sector participation in railroad and telecommunications, have begun to render the investment environment more attractive.

For more information on this or other trade and investment matters please contact us at:

Mr. Daniel Daley, Economic/Commercial Officer, email: DaleyDN@N0SPAM.state.gov

Mr. Priston Msiska, Economic/Political Specialist, email: MsiskaPA@N0SPAM.state.gov , Tel: +(265) 1 773 166 Fax: +(265) 1 770 471 16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3, Malawi P.O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi http://malawi.usembassy.gov/

Support can also be provided by the U.S. Commercial Service South Africa. Please contact Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) Craig Allen via e-mail at Craig.Allen@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov or telephone at +27 11 778 4813 for additional information or other opportunities in Southern Africa.