During a public private sector dialogue workshop to adopt the revised African Continental Free Trade Area [AfCFTA], it was clear that the industrial sector in Malawi welcomes the ratification of the AfCFTA but has conditions.

 The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) says subjecting the manufacturing sector, which is still in its infancy, to rigorous pressure and competition from other countries would render it “completely dead”, hence the MCCCI director of business environment and policy advocacy Madalitso Kazembe suggested that Malawi has to “prepare” before it ratifies, or the country will be affected. “Government needs to bring in incentives to make sure the manufacturing sector becomes more productive like the taxation issues, smuggling, infrastructure, energy and telecommunications.” said Kazembe.

Ministry of Trade Principal Secretary Christina Zakeyu observed that while as a least developed country with low industrial base and customs revenue dependent, Malawi’s ability to trade in a way that promotes development is constrained by crippling supply-side constraints.