Malawi-China to hold business investment forum

Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC) and Peoples republic of china have organised the Malawi-China Investment forum which will take place on 21 June at Golden peacock Hotel in Lilongwe.

Speaking during a press briefing in Lilongwe, Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC) Chief Executive Officer Clement Kumbemba said the forum presents a unique opportunity for Malawi to sell its investment opportunities to Chinese investors.

“We are seeking the possibility of transformational Chinese investment in Malawi through this forum. We want to empower Malawian entrepreneurs through possible ventures with Chinese counterparts while intensifying the government and business relations between the two countries,” said Kumbemba.

He said Malawi will benefit a lot from this forum as the Chinese investors are coming to see which sectors of business they can engage in the country.

“We would like to invite the private sector to prepare projects that they would like to discuss with the investors from china and register with MITC to attend this Malawi-china forum,” explained Kumbemba.

He said the areas investors are mostly interested in include Agriculture, agro-processing, industry/manufacturing and education sectors.

He added that it is high time Malawi should be put on the market world map so that those investors outside the country can see what the country can offer and that this is the best opportunity for Malawi to sell itself to the rest of the world.

“In 2015 we organised the same which proved to be a very fruitful forum. And through that, we have seen a lot of projects coming, some are still on implementation level and some are looking for funding,” said Kumbemba.

He further said the country has a lot to offer to the world community and asked the private sector to grab the opportunity by attending this forum organised by MITC and government of Malawi.

According to the CEO, MITC remains committed in playing its role of creating platforms for the private sector.

Malawi and china enjoy an increasingly cordial business and working relationship. According to the international Trade Centre Malawi exported goods and services worth US$55,874,000 to china in 2015, which represents 5.2 percent of Malawi’s exports and in the same year the country imported goods and services worth US$303,819,000 from china.

The forum is expected to host 100 Chinese delegates and will last for 2 days.