PRESS RELEASE 
 
PRESS/TPRB/331 
11 June 2010 
 
(10-3215) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: MALAWI 
Tariff simplification and trade fa cilitation would promote economic 
efficiency 
Since the last review in 2002, Malawi has made progress in reforming its trade policy regime in the 
areas of customs procedures, competition policy, government procurement, and privatization of 
some state-owned enterprises, according to a WTO Secretariat review on the trade policies and 
practices of Malawi.  
The report highlights the need for a reform and simplification of the complex tariff structure 
together with its exemption schemes, something th at would promote economic efficiency, reduce 
administrative costs, and possibly raise more tariff revenues. It also stresses the vital role of trade 
facilitation measures to help reduce Malawi’s high cost of transport.  
 Members of Trade Policy Review Body (TRRB) apprecia ted that Malawi has remained on the path of 
reform and has not retreated from its open policy stance despite the global financial crisis. They 
also noted the administrative difficulties foreign investors occasionally had in Malawi and encouraged Malawi to further improve the business environment in the country. It was also noted 
that Malawi needs to continue modernizing its trade-related legislation to align it with WTO 
obligations, as well as international best practices. Malawi informed Members of the TPRB that a comprehensive review of commercial and trade-related laws is underway.  Members also reminded 
Malawi of its WTO notification obligations, to ensure the transparency of its trading regime.  
 The report, along with a policy statement by th e Government of Malawi, was the basis for the 
second Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Malawi by th e Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 9 and 
11 of June 2010. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp331_e.htm  
• Secretariat reports 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  > Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  > Appendix tables  
• Report by the Government of Malawi 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). PRESS/TPR/331 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member countries” trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO”s full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB”s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38
 
or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  
Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com.” 
Next reviews: 
Chinese Taipei: 5 and 7 July 2010 
The Gambia: 14 and 16 September 2010 
Honduras: 20 and 22 September 2010 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
  
 
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