Malawi opens consulate and trade office at Tete

Malawi has finally opened a consulate and trade office at Mozambique’s booming city of Tete to operate as a regional marketing office for Malawi’s products.

Malawi’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Joseph Mwanamvekha, officially opened the office on Friday while in Tete where he led Malawi’s delegation during bilateral trade talks with Mozambique.

Speaking after cutting a ribbon to mark the official launch of the office and touring the premises located at the centre of Tete city, Mwanamvekha said the office will serve as Malawi’s core regional trade and investment operational point for the region.

“Tete is now a hub for business because of the large investments in coal mining which has seen many international companies coming here to support the miners. So we want Malawi to be strategically represented here to support traders, investors, tourists and transporters interested in coming to Malawi,” said Mwanamvekha.

Malawi’s High Commissioner to Mozambique Frank Viyazi said his office has lately received a lot of interest from Portuguese companies interested in Malawi and that the office in Tete will be expected to facilitate such prospective investment.

“In fact, we have already facilitated a trade forum in Maputo where we have invited Malawian officials, come and hold discussions with prospective investors,” said Viyazi.

According to the Malawi Investment and Trade (MITC), the office will not only focus on Mozambique but other countries in the region as well.

Its opening has been supported under the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) funded by eight donors, including World Bank, World Trade Centre, the United Nations and International Trade Centre.

The MITC project is running side by side with a component being implemented by National Smallholder Farmers Association (Nasfam) which is enhancing production by engaging smallholder farmers whose products will be marketed through the Tete office.