By Brighton Tchongwe

The Minister of Industrialization, Business, Trade and Tourism, Dr. George Patridge, has launched the inaugural Malawi Trade Report 2025, highlighting key challenges in the country’s trade dynamics, including a 7 percent drop in exports for 2024.

The report serves as an evidence-based roadmap to guide Malawi through global economic turbulence towards a more resilient and competitive future.

Speaking during the launch on Tuesday in Lilongwe Dr. Patridge hinted on the need for structural transformation by expanding production capacity, deepening value addition, and leveraging regional markets where Malawi has competitive advantages.

He called on stakeholders such as the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, and government agencies to use the report’s insights as a common reference point for coordinated action.

“The report reveals a trade deficit of $2.36 billion, with exports contracting to $758.5 million while imports remain elevated at $3.3 billion,” said Patridge.

“The service sector, especially telecommunications and computer services, has shown growth, signaling early diversification that could buffer commodity volatility,” he added.

In this regard, the Minister Patridge outlined four priority actions: promoting investment in special economic zones, strengthening regional trade participation by addressing non-tariff barriers and logistics, supporting the expansion of digital trade (which now accounts for about 50% of merchandise export value), and deepening agricultural value addition through agro-processing zones and financial access.

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In his remarks, Ted Nankhumwa, Export Development Fund (EDF) Board Chairperson, expressed EDF’s commitment to supporting businesses with financial tools and technical guidance, having disbursed over 39 billion Malawi Kwacha in trade support between 2024 and 2025 to build a critical industrial base.

“Efforts include mobilizing more capital, expanding export credit agency services, and developing industrial parks following the successful pilot of the Magwero Industrial Park,” explained Nankhumwa.

Also present at the launch was William Mpinganjira, Group Chief Executive Officer CEO of FDH Financial Holdings, who said that the report provides financial institutions with clear indications on where to focus export sector support across Malawi.

Overall, the Malawi Trade Report 2025 aims to monitor the widening trade gap closely and help inform policies and interventions to boost export capacity, diversify the economy, and enhance Malawi’s international competitiveness through structural reforms and partnership

EDF is Development Finance Institution (DFI) wholly owned by the Reserve bank of Malawi.

The fund was incorporated in 2012 to provide financial and advisory services to businesses in growth sectors of the economy aim at stimulating Malawi’s productive capacity as well as diversifying the economy.