Government says Malawi–China business forum successful

Government has described the Malawi–China Investment Forum held in Lilongwe last week as a success, saying it shows how committed Capital Hill is to attracting foreign direct investment.

The Malawi–China Investment Forum attracted 83 Chinese investors from China’s Anhui Province, one of the successful provinces in that country.

The investors were in the sectors of education, trade and investment and agriculture.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Joseph Mwanamvekha, said substantial deals were made during the forum.

He said Malawi stands to benefit a lot more especially in terms of business capital.

“The forum was a milestone and a success. A number of deals were made which the ministry jointly with the Malawi Investment Trade Centre (MITC) is compiling. We should have all the data for the deals ready by the end of the week,” said Mwanamvekha.

He further said the platform offered local business entrepreneurs an opportunity of joint ventures whereby business capital issues will be addressed.

Mwanamvekha said the government is committed to bringing more FDI into Malawi.

“The two investment forums we have had so far have proven to be successful. This gives us an edge on the forthcoming Malawi Investment Forum which will be held in October. We would like to attract as many investors as possible into the country and improve our job creation,” he said.

On the other hand, Economic Empowerment Act ion Group (EEAG) president Lewis Chiwalo said the government should emphasise on follow up on the deals that have been made.

While applauding the government for organising and attending various investment forums, Chiwalo said most deals fail to materialize because of lack of follow ups.

“This forum was different from the others and we do welcome the idea whereby apart from the investors selling what they have, Malawians were also able to market themselves,” he said.

Chiwalo urged the government to do regular checks on the progress of the deals made and make sure that Malawians are the ones benefiting more