Sustainable economic development

In purely economic terms, Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of its 18.6 million population living below the poverty line (less then £1/day).

While improvements in basic services such as health and education are clearly required, for any such developments to be sustained there is an urgent need for Malawi to grow and diversify its economy to create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.

The Government of Malawi has identified private sector-led growth as the main engine of economic reform and development. Promotion of the private sector and policies targeted at the creation and expansion of livelihoods and small businesses are acknowledged as central in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III, particularly the objectives of accelerating the process of wealth generation and redistribution and of wider participation by disadvantaged groups in economic activities.

The strong historical links between our two nations mean that people from all walks of life and all sectors (private, public and civil society) have a keen interest in supporting the development of the Malawian economy, in particular towards enabling the rural population to build strong and resilient communities.

Supporting Malawian products

The SMP actively promotes Malawian exports available in Scotland, most notably rice and coffee in recent times.

We encourage everyone in Scotland to think about how they can support the Malawian economy by buying Malawian, investing in Malawi or visiting Malawi.

Learn more about our work supporting business, trade, investment and tourism.