# Malawi - United States Department of State

- Digital Press Briefing on the U.S.-Africa Business Summit Joy Basu, Deputy Assistant SecretaryBureau of African AffairsAlice Albright, CEO, Millennium Challenge CorporationReta Jo Lewis, President and Chair of the Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United StatesMODERATOR:  Good afternoon to everyone from the U.S. Department of State’s Africa Regional Media Hub.  I welcome our participants logging in from across the continent and thank all of you for joining this discussion on the topic of the ongoing U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, Texas.  Today, we are very pleased to be joined by the U.S. Department of State’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, Joy Basu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Alice Albright, and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Reta Jo Lewis.  Our speakers will review the 2024 U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Dallas and how the U.S. works to increase trade and investment in Africa. We will begin today’s briefing with opening remarks from our speakers and then we’ll turn to your questions.  We’ll try to get to as many of them as we can during the briefing. So with that, I’d like to turn it over to the president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Reta Jo Lewis, for her opening remarks.  MS LEWIS:  Good morning and thank you very much.  It is such a pleasure to be here with all of you to speak about the Export-Import Bank of the United States’ commitment to fostering economic collaboration with nations in Africa.  The Export-Import Bank – as we call it, EXIM – is the official export credit agency of the United States.  We actually were established as of February – this February – 90 years ago.  EXIM has played a very critical role in fostering economic opportunity for U.S. companies and for partnering nations that American companies do business with around the world.   It is very exciting to be here at the Corporate Council on Africa’s U.S. annual meeting, and it has given us an opportunity to talk about the work that we have and to make some major announcements.  As those of you who do not know, EXIM offers direct loans, loan guarantees, and insurance products backed by the full faith and credit of the United States to support the exports of U.S.-made goods and services.   So we were actually proud to be able to announce that – on Tuesday, we announced alongside the president of Angola, where we participated in a signing ceremony to celebrate the closing of three key partnerships for global infrastructure and investment, PGII projects, in Angola.  The projects that we signed are historic direct loans for more than 900 million to support the construction of two solar energy power plants in Angola.  The project is the largest renewable energy project and largest transaction in Sub-Saharan Africa in EXIM’s 90-year history.   We also celebrated the closing of a 363 million transaction on the – our China and Transformational Export Program, which we call CTEP, which goes to support the export of small business Acrow Corporation’s prefabricated modular steel bridges and related equipment to construct bridge infrastructure across Angola.   And then the final transaction that we were able to announce with President Lourenço and signed by his minister of finance, Minister Vera Daves, was a final transaction for 42 million to support Gates Air’s export of EXIM – of FM transmitters, towers, training, and other equipment.  This authorization is going to help extend the Angolan Government’s ability to communicate by radio with approximately 95 percent of the country’s population.   These were projects that we were – have been working with the Government of Angola for the last year, and we know that these are the types of projects that epitomizes our commitment to the Biden-Harris administration’s PGII objectives, a collaborative effort by U.S. Government agencies to support sustainable, clean, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure projects. So our commitment to Sub-Saharan Africa is also one of our key mandates that Congress has placed on us since we were reauthorized in 2019 to make more financing available in Sub-Saharan Africa.  And we know there is still more work to be done.  We’re eager to continue building upon our strong work on the commitment – on the strong work on the continent and are excited to be here at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit to seek out additional new opportunities to support U.S. exporters doing business in Sub-Saharan Africa.   MODERATOR:  Thank you very much, Chair Lewis.  So for her opening remarks, now we’d like to go to CEO Alice Albright.  MS ALBRIGHT:  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Good morning, good afternoon.  Wonderful to be with everybody.  So it’s a very exciting week for us.  There is, of course, as Chair Lewis has just said, the U.S.-Africa Business Summit going on.  It’s the 16th Summit, and there’s a lot of energy in the room, with a number of U.S. agencies there and then a number of participants, heads of state from the continent, and a number of businesses.  It was just a terrific – it is a terrific environment.   MCC has a lot going on in the continent.  One of the things that we also did this week was we celebrated 20 years of MCC being in operation.  We were started in 2004 by President Bush.  And since our founding, we’ve been squarely focused on working on the continent.  Of the $17 billion that we’ve invested globally so far, 10 billion of it has gone to the continent.  We’ve worked in 24 countries.  We’ve done – of the 10, almost all of it relates to infrastructure in one way or another.  We also have a lot going on right now in the continent.  We’ve got about $3 billion in active programs. So in addition to meeting with a lot of our partners, this week we also announced the implementation or the start of implementation of, as I’m very proud to say, our 79th program, and it is a $350 million program in Malawi to help farmers get their goods to market cheaper and faster.  So we are very excited about that.  We also had a chance to meet with a number of our bilateral partners – of course, President Chakwera was with us to announce the project.  We also had a wonderful meeting with President Neves from Cabo Verde.  Of course, Cabo Verde was one of our earliest partners at MCC, and we announced – well, we announced it earlier this year.  We had a chance to speak with him further about something that we think is going to be very interesting, which is a regional program with an island nation, and I think it speaks to that country’s very strong vision for the role that they occupy where they are.   From a trade and regional investment perspective, we think that our regional program is going to really be very additive to our work, and we’ve got a number of different regional programs that are in various states of play.   And then another program that we’re – I’m just jumping around a bit, but another program that we’re very excited about is our program in Mozambique we signed this past fall, and it’s a half-a-billion-dollar program that will focus on various aspects of infrastructure in Mozambique.  One big piece of it is a significant investment to restore the bridge that connects the southern – the Mocuba* Bridge that connects the southern part of the country to the northern part of the country, and it’s become very vulnerable due to flooding and other things to do with climate change.  So we’re very excited about that. We have a lot of other things going on.  We have currently $3 billion in active programs in the continent, and I’m happy to answer further questions about them if we have time.  But let me turn it back over to you all so you can get on to other questions.  Thank you. MODERATOR:  Thank you very much, CEO Albright.  So finally for her opening statement, let’s turn to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joy Basu. MS BASU:  Thank you so much, and thank you, everyone, for joining.  Good afternoon.  Thank you for your time today and thank you for the important work you do as journalists.  A free press is a critical part of a thriving democracy, and we know that those values go hand in hand with a thriving economy.  So thank you for the important work that you do, and we’re just very – I feel very lucky to be here with Chair Lewis and with CEO Albright.   I will just wrap up very quickly by saying it’s been a successful Summit for us so far, and it’s really exciting to see how much progress has been made with the U.S.-Africa trade relationship not only since the December 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, but since I was with so many of you last summer in Gaborone at the CCA Summit last year.   We had a very comprehensive interagency delegation here to meet with the – I believe the final number of participants from CCA was 1,789, so almost 1,800 people were here.  And we had representation from across our interagency. As you heard from my colleagues, so much of the work that our interagency does is focused on energy and infrastructure, because that is so foundational to the work that other industries create.  We also had incredible deal signings with USTDA and Malawi, working on battery storage; with DFC and Sierra Leone, working on energy.  And we had meetings here to build on those industries with healthcare, with agriculture, and cross-functional industries like ICT. I think the goal of this is to really reiterate the U.S. commitment to Africa and the U.S. commitment to a 21st century economic partnership with the continent.  And the work here at USABS is really helping to partner with our African governments and African and American private sector to facilitate private sector-led economic growth and prosperity. So let me wrap there.  I’m very excited for your questions.  Thank you.  MODERATOR:  Well, thank you very much to each of our panelists today.  We’ll now begin the question-and-answer portion of today’s briefing. So for our first question today, we have a question from Mr. Andualem Sisay Gessesse of the New Business Ethiopia.  And his question is directed to Chair Reta Jo Lewis, and that question is this:  “Can you please explain the major achievements of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in advancing trade and investment with African countries over the past few years and your plans ahead to further enhance and support U.S. companies to invest in African countries and boost trade between the two sides?” So, Chair Lewis. MS LEWIS:  Yes, thank you so much for that question.  One of the things that we are very excited about is that EXIM, as I mentioned, is celebrating our 90th anniversary this year.  And our support for Africa really dates to nearly that beginning.  Since we did our first deal in Angola in 1942, EXIM has had a strong and reliable – and a trading partnership for Africa.  And so since 1997, that has been underscored by EXIM’s congressional mandate to build partnerships and increase financings in the region. I – in Fiscal Year 2023, not only did we – we approved over 1.6 billion in authorizations for Sub-Saharan Africa that I just mentioned, we also have undertaken over five trips and traveling throughout Africa, meeting not only with government officials but, of course, the private sector.  Because we know that it is going to be through public-private partnerships that we can all get this work done.  In the work that we’ve also done in support of U.S. exporters engaging with Africa is that we’ve signed six MOUs with African governments and institutions, as well as signing the memorandums of understanding with Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire.  And we’re – each of these agreements have been designed to facilitate up to about 500 million in U.S. exports financing and deepen the commercial relationship with those countries. We are – we have been working very diligently with those on the continent where we have signed and begun work through MOUs totaling about 1.3 billion with the African Ex-Im Bank, with the Africa Finance Corporation, and then most recently with the Bank of Industry in Nigeria.  In total since I’ve joined EXIM, we have signed about 2.3 billion of MOUs.  And so we recognize that the continent is changing, and we’re committed to the administration’s various initiatives on Africa. You can see, by the MOUs that we have signed, we are prepared to work with African countries and partner with all stakeholders to ensure that our exporters compete on a level playing field.  And so we want to be partners in the work that all of us do in helping U.S. exporters contract with Africa, as well as as we work with the foreign buyers who want to – on the continent who want to purchase U.S. goods and services.   We know that as we have done – undertaken this work, we know that the needs around infrastructure, health care, women entrepreneurship are very vital for – and are vital, and investments for – are needed for economic growth and for job creation.  And so we stand ready as partners and collaborators to work with those on the continent. And as Alice mentioned, this conference has borne out to be very successful for us.  It is such high energy in the room, and to be able to see how far the relationships that we have garnered, along with others in the United States Government who are here in full force to support these efforts that the President has asked us to in building and strengthening and deepening our bilateral relationship.  And EXIM has been – is very proud to have done their part.  MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you very much.  So we do have a question from Kemi Osukoya of Africa Bazaar magazine.  And I’d like to open Kemi’s mic and if Kemi can answer – ask that question live. QUESTION:  Hello, can you hear me?  MODERATOR:  Yes.  QUESTION:  Okay.  Thank you very much for taking my question.  And good morning and good afternoon to you guys.  My question is a two-part.  What percentage of the deals that were signed will be given to SMEs and women-owned businesses, both on the continent and as well as the U.S. entrepreneurs?  And the other part of my question is, being on the ground at events, you mentioned that you’re hearing feedbacks from the partners, with leaders.  So could you share some of those feedback that you hear regarding the work that you’re doing on the continent?  Thank you very much. MS LEWIS:  No, thank you very much for that question.  As it relates to SMEs, I think what a lot of – what we always like to say at EXIM is that we’re the bank for everyone.  And in being the bank for everyone, we have to strive exceptionally hard as we work with large, medium, and small businesses.  EXIM, when we were reauthorized in 2019, Congress gave us an additional mandate to make additional financing available in the small business arena, and not just – I call it not just small business for small business’s sake, but also to really drill down and go beyond a small business, but also around women entrepreneurship, around veterans, around – and rural communities, and really in the underserved populations. And so we’re very excited that with the agreements that have been signed on these particular deals that I just discussed in Angola, there is a significant amount of work that will be done in the supply chain, and most of those businesses are small business.  We have been – as we have worked through this process with Angola as well as with our own U.S. exporters, small business, they all know that small – that the small business exporters are very essential, and we’re going to be monitoring very, very closely what that looks like.   As it relates to – and then additional work that we have done to ensure that we reach those small businesses is to work with members in the diaspora.  The President announced – President Biden announced a diaspora council a few months ago, and one of the things that we’ve been really hard at work with them is to ensure that the work that we do at EXIM is expose to those members who are specifically focused on how do you develop and continue to build strong relationships with diaspora members throughout the continent.  So we’re really excited about the work that’s going to go forth in Angola and excited about the work that we do at EXIM overall, and the fact that last year, when we authorized the over $8.5 billion, 2 point – 2 billion of that was transactions that were in small business.  So we feel we are on target and on tap to reach those goals, as well as the fact that 90 percent – I think it’s like 88 percent, 88.5 percent – of the transition that EXIM does on a yearly basis is in the small business arena.  So we feel pretty confident that small business is going to be very much a part of the work that we’re doing, not only here in U.S. but those also in Angola and in Africa.  MODERATOR:  Thank you very much, Chair Lewis, for that response.  And we do have a lot of questions, and unfortunately, the time of our participants is limited, so we only have time probably for a few more questions today.  We did receive a question from Ms. Favour Okpale of BusinessDay in Nigeria, and the question is:  “African countries, including Nigeria, face enormous challenges, including inadequate power supply, lack of infrastructure, and security, among others.  Wondering whether these issues were on the front burner at this Summit; and in specific terms, are there concrete commitments from the U.S. to assist Nigeria and other African countries come out of this?”  And she also has a question about AGOA.  So I think if I could throw it to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Basu for her take on this question.  MS BASU:  Perfect, thank you so much, and thank you again for the question.  We just came back, actually, from the bi-national mission in Abuja last week, which was co-chaired between Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Foreign Minister Tuggar, and we discussed these questions in depth there.  And so I will be brief right now as the readouts of those meetings come out.  But we had a large session on shared prosperity.  And we understand that the challenges that Nigeria are facing are quite acute, and we see them echoed across the continent – as you say, lack of infrastructure, increasing insecurity, and yes, the United States is committed to be a good partner across that spectrum.  What I would say is, in particular, we’ve made commitments both to work on the security situation, but also to, as you’ve heard today, work on infrastructure, whether that’s roads and bridges or that’s energy, huge challenges both in Nigeria and across the continent.  A few concrete commitments were to work on the business-enabling environment in Nigeria, and to make sure that American companies that are investing in Nigeria are having a transparent and positive experience to deliver those goods and services, and we see that across the continent.  We also talked about reaffirming the difficult but hard policy choices that Nigeria is making and that we see being made across the continent to really strengthen their economies.  So of course in Nigeria there’s been a lot of challenge with the currency, but it is hopefully something that will make the economy stronger and enable Nigerian businesses to thrive.  We see that work across the continent as African countries come out of the pandemic and try to come out from under quite significant debt burdens and foreign exchange challenges.  And so we are working closely both with our U.S. Treasury, with the central banks of African countries, particularly Nigeria, and the World Bank to make sure that these countries are on solid economic footing to really serve their people and meet the basic public needs, both first and foremost for their people, but also to create the public sector goods that then allow private sector companies to thrive. So let me pause there.  I’m happy to follow up afterwards as well.  Thank you.  MODERATOR:  All right, thanks very much.  So we have a question on MCC, and that came in from Sogah Blessed of Joy News TV in Ghana.  Sogah, I’d like to open your mic, but if you could please be very brief in asking your question because our time is very limited.  Thank you. QUESTION:  Thank you.  I’m grateful.  Thank you for the opportunity.  I’m asking this question because of a peculiar situation we face in Ghana in the energy sector, the power crisis.  In 2019 the MCC revoked a $190 million funding for the energy sector owing to some challenges we had with the privatization concession.  I’m asking, given the situation in which we find ourselves now, is the MCC willing to avail this crucial funding, or it will be on the condition that unless the Government of Ghana brings back the PDS concession, which was a privatization module, and at the MCC?  Thank you. MS ALBRIGHT:  Thank you for the question.  A couple – a couple of thoughts on Ghana.  We did have a compact with Ghana, and the compact is closed.  And we were able to complete a fair amount of that work.  Right now we don’t have any immediate plans to work again in Ghana, but we can always look again to see if Ghana may be – may become a country that we can work with again. Generally speaking with regard to energy, we’re working in a number of energy compacts across the continent right now, because I completely agree with you about how critical energy is to overall development, which is our main mandate. MODERATOR:  All right, thank you very much.  As I mentioned, our panelists’ time is very limited and I know that Chair Lewis has another commitment in a few minutes.  So I’d like to give her an opportunity to give some closing remarks if she has some closing thoughts for us.  MS LEWIS:  Well, thank you so much.  I think this has been a very important conversation.  We realize – we’re really excited to be able to talk with all the journalists this morning.  I think the thing that we want to emphasize at EXIM is that we have a vested interest in the continent.  But we have a vested interest about the people and improving peoples’ lives, not only in America but also in Africa.  And so that’s why we are here as well as the work that we have done over decades about building partnerships and collaborations.  And I just want to just continue to emphasize the fact that we are looking for ways of how to continue to work with all businesses, especially large, medium, and small, and that to end on saying that equity is a priority for us.  We proudly provide additional support for those critical businesses.  And so when we’re speaking about small business, we’re speaking about women entrepreneurship, we know that they have to overcome a number of challenges.  We know that access to capital is the number one thing to keep them from growing and expanding, and that’s why EXIM is proud to offer additional services to our U.S. exporters and to our foreign buyers and working with our small businesses as we continue to keep a spotlight on them.  And so we are offering the different products and services, and we stand ready to work with them whether it is through initial consultation, helping them as they analyze the opportunities, working – as we work alongside our Department of Commerce who is often leading number delegations that we participate in throughout the continent, and also working to assist small businesses and underserved populations and minority business with connections to resources.  We have a 20-year – five-year history of doing that work, and we have recently introduced some additional products that is going to go to the benefit of that community.  So we are really excited to have been able to have a few minutes to share with you our continued commitment to work on the continent.   MODERATOR:  All right, thank you very much.  And as I mentioned, our panelists’ time is limited, so I’d like to also ask Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Basu and also CEO Albright if they have any closing thoughts for us. MS BASU:  I will defer to CEO Albright first.  MS ALBRIGHT:  Thank you.  Just very, very briefly, we too at MCC are very committed to a very inclusive approach to economic growth.  We didn’t get to touch on it earlier, but we work in almost every country on either figuring out how to include women and women-owned businesses into our work or small and medium-sized businesses.  So this often takes the form of different reforms that are necessary to enable parts of the society that are typically not included to get included.  We’ve got some wonderful examples – one in Lesotho just recently where there were some laws that were changed to enable women to own – to inherit land.  We’ve got a terrific program that we’ve just closed out in Morocco that introduced opportunities to a range of people in that country.  We’ve got a wonderful program in Cote d’Ivoire, a partnership with Microsoft that is focusing on bringing digital skills to women entrepreneurs in Cote d’Ivoire.   So inclusive growth is very much a focus of our work, and I think we’re making good, slow, steady progress on it.  MODERATOR:  All right, thank you.  And finally for Deputy Assistant Secretary Basu.  MS BASU:  Happy to, and happy to quickly answer a couple of questions that were coming up earlier, one around the feedback that we’ve gotten.  The feedback has been for more.  Right, we want more U.S. companies, more trade.  The momentum is really great and we cannot let our feet off the pedal – our foot off the pedal when it comes to strengthening this economic partnership.   U.S. companies in Africa not only help raise standards, but the work that we do, as CEO Albright mentioned, really creates the enabling environment for all businesses to thrive – African businesses, multinational businesses, American businesses.  And we know the marketplace works better when there are more choices, and so we’re glad to be able to facilitate and foster that.  And so that’s the main feedback that we have heard across the last – that I’ve at last heard across the last few days, is for more, and a lot of excitement about momentum that’s been made so far.  There was also a question about AGOA, and I would defer to my colleagues in Congress, who really have the responsibility for reauthorizing AGOA since it is a law.  But I will emphasize that the Biden administration has expressed strong support for the reauthorization of AGOA and the modernization of AGOA.  We want to see it reauthorized in order to be – to continue to be the cornerstone of trade, but also to facilitate our utilization, and to be more impactful and more strategic.   And so we have had great conversations with our colleagues on the Hill, in Congress, and there is what we call bipartisan and bicameral support for AGOA, which I think really emphasizes that our Africa relationship is important across the United States.  However, we do need to see ways that that law will actually get signed, and so we are working closely with our partners in Congress to see what can be done.  My push to our African partners on the continent is to develop utilization strategies to increase their usage of AGOA, which is a really incredible unilateral program for African companies to export to the United States duty-free.  And we want to see more companies – small companies, large companies – take advantage of that.  And so my push to the African partners on the line is to increase awareness but also increase national strategies that will let small companies and large companies make the most of this benefit.  And that maybe leads to my final point, which is a push to all our journalists on the line, which is twofold.  One is to keep doing what you’re doing in bringing transparency to your local markets about what is happening, because that is what is required for economies to thrive, is that transparency and that information and accountability.  So thank you for the work you do there and the ways that enables democracy but also economic growth.  And so keep up that great work.   But also, help us to tell the good-news stories across Africa, but also across the U.S.-Africa business relationship.  I think in the last year there have been a lot of hard stories across Africa, and those are very important, and we are working as a U.S. Government to address the democratic backsliding and the incredible insecurity we’re seeing in many areas.  But one challenge in enabling U.S. businesses to come to Africa is the risk perception.  And so one thing our team does very closely is try to, on one hand, right-size that risk perception and tell the good-news stories of countries that are taking the right policy decisions, that do have the right enabling environments; and then, other side, working to actually reduce the risk of investing by helping shore up security, helping to foster democracy and reinforce democracy.   So I ask your partnership in both sides of that, both in bringing accountability where it’s required, but also in telling the good-news stories because we know there are so many incredible innovations and entrepreneurs, and the world needs those African entrepreneurs to solve the problems of the future, and you are an important conduit for making sure their stories are told.  So thank you. MODERATOR:  All right.  Well, that concludes today’s briefing.  I want to thank Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs Joy Basu, Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Alice Albright, and President of the EXIM Bank of the United States Reta Jo Lewis for joining us today.  Thank you also to all the journalists for participating.  As always, a recording and a transcript of today’s briefing will be distributed to participating journalists as soon as we can produce them.   If you have any questions about today’s briefing, you may contact us here at the Africa Regional Media Hub at AFMediaHub@state.gov.  I would also like to invite everyone to join us on Twitter, or X, at our handle @AfricaMediaHub.  Thank you very much and have a great day. # # # 
- Malawi HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices&#8230;Malawi				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Malawi																																					Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																																																																																							Download Report																																																							Translations																																																																 In this section										/																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																																													EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																															Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																																									a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																																											b. Disappearance																																																																											c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																																			Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																																																		d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																																			Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																																																		e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																																			Trial Procedures																																																								Political Prisoners and Detainees																																																																																																																		f. Transnational Repression																																																																											g. Property Seizure and Restitution																																																																											h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																																																	Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																																									a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																																			Internet Freedom																																																																																																																		b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																																			Freedom of Association																																																																																																																		c. Freedom of Religion																																																																											d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																																											e. Protection of Refugees																																																																																	Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																																									Elections and Political Participation																																																																																	Section 4. Corruption in Government																															Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																															Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses																																																									Women																																																																											Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination																																																																											Children																																																																											Antisemitism																																																																											Trafficking in Persons																																																																											Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics																																																																											Persons with Disabilities																																																																											Other Societal Violence or Discrimination																																																																																	Section 7. Worker Rights																																																									a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining																																																																											b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																																											c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																																											d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																																																											e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																																																																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Malawi during the year.Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists and enforcement of criminal libel laws to limit expression; serious government corruption; extensive-gender-based violence, including domestic or intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and child and early marriage; and laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, which were enforced.In some cases, the government took credible steps to identify and prosecute officials who may have committed human rights abuses.																														Section 1.													 Respect for the Integrity of the Person												    																																																a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings										There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings, during the year.																																				b. Disappearance										There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities.																																				c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses										The constitution prohibited the use of torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, but there were credible reports government officials employed these practices. Police sometimes used excessive force and other unlawful practices, including torture, to coerce confessions from detained suspects. A 2021 report by the government-chartered Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), the most recent available, stated torture was widespread in prisons. In August, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Center for Human Rights Education, Advice, and Assistance provided free legal assistance to 102 inmates who claimed to have been tortured in various detention centers.NGOs that assisted persons engaged in commercial sex reported police officers regularly demanded sexual favors from such individuals under the threat of arrest.Impunity was a widespread problem in the security forces, particularly the police. Perpetrators of abuses were occasionally punished administratively, but investigations often were delayed, abandoned, or remained inconclusive.																Prison and Detention Center Conditions						Prison conditions remained harsh and life threatening due to gross overcrowding, inadequate food and potable water, and unsanitary conditions.Abusive Physical Conditions: According to the prison inspectorate’s 2021 report, the most recent available, inspectors found recurring problems of serious overcrowding, poor sanitation, insufficient food and potable water, a lack of health care, and poor ventilation and lighting, and prisoner abuse. In 2022, the prison inspectorate reported a total prison population of 16,704 in a space with a designed holding capacity of 7,000. The MHRC and NGOs reported that such conditions continued during the year.Administration: Each prison had a designated welfare officer, some of whom had received specialized training, to receive prisoner complaints regarding conditions. The complaints process, however, was oral and informal, allowed for censorship, and provided little follow up.Prisoners sometimes had the opportunity to submit complaints to NGOs that recorded cases for inclusion in government advocacy and reports, but this rarely resulted in action on individual cases. From January to August, the MHRC received 11 complaints regarding the rights of prisoners. NGOs attributed the low number of submitted complaints to fear of retaliation by authorities.Independent Monitoring: The government permitted domestic and international NGOs and media to visit and monitor prison conditions.																										d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention										The constitution and law prohibited arbitrary arrest and detention, but the government did not always observe these prohibitions. The law provided for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of their arrest or detention but did not provide for compensation if the person was found to have been unlawfully detained. Lack of knowledge of statutes and of access to representation meant detainees rarely challenged the legality of their detention.																Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees						Police could arrest suspects without a warrant if they had reasonable grounds to believe a crime was being or had been committed, and most arrests were made without warrants. Only in cases involving corruption or white-collar crime were arrest warrants issued by a duly authorized official based on evidence presented. The law provided detainees the right to have access to legal counsel and be released from detention or informed of charges by a court within 48 hours of arrest, but authorities often ignored these rights. Police use of temporary remand warrants to circumvent the 48-hour rule was reportedly widespread. Police frequently demanded bribes to authorize bail. Bail was often granted to reduce overcrowding in jails, rather than because of legal merit. While relatives were sometimes denied access to detainees, there were no reports detainees were held incommunicado for extended periods of time.Detainees who could afford counsel were able to meet with counsel in a timely manner. While the law required the government to provide free legal services to indigent detainees through the Legal Aid Bureau, such aid was provided almost exclusively to suspects charged with homicide.Arbitrary Arrest: The constitution and law prohibited arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, and false arrest. Although police use of antivagrancy laws to justify arbitrary arrests was struck down as unconstitutional, there were reports police made arrests based on other provisions such as “conduct likely to cause breach of the peace” or “obstruction of a police officer.”Pretrial Detention: Lengthy pretrial detention was a problem and, despite a statutory 90-day limit on pretrial detention, the actual length of pretrial detention frequently equaled or exceeded the maximum sentence for the alleged crime. Authorities reportedly held most detainees charged with homicide for two to three years before trial. There was evidence some detainees charged with homicide remained in prison awaiting trial for even longer periods, but reliable information on the number and status of these detainees was unavailable. The judiciary’s administrative problems led to court backlogs that effectively denied expeditious trials for most defendants and kept some defendants in pretrial detention for long periods.																										e. Denial of Fair Public Trial										The constitution and law provided for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected judicial independence and impartiality. The judicial system, however, was reportedly inefficient and handicapped by corruption.																Trial Procedures						The constitution and law provided for the right to a fair public trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right.Defendants had the right to have an attorney, and, if indigent, an attorney was provided at state expense, but such assistance was usually limited to homicide cases. The law did not specify a length of time for the accused to prepare a defense. The slow pace of trials afforded defendants adequate time to prepare, but facilities to accommodate defendants awaiting final disposition of their cases were inadequate. All persons had the right of appeal; however, appeals were often delayed for years and sometimes never addressed by a higher court.						Political Prisoners and Detainees						There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees.																										f. Transnational Repression										Not applicable.																																				g. Property Seizure and Restitution										Not applicable.																																				h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence										The constitution and law prohibited such actions, but the government did not always respect these prohibitions.The law permitted police officers of the rank of subinspector or higher to conduct searches without a warrant if they had reasonable grounds to believe they could not otherwise obtain evidence needed for an investigation without undue delay. Before conducting a warrantless search, police procedures required the officer to write a reasonable-grounds justification and give a copy to the owner or occupant of the place to be searched. The Independent Complaints Commission, an independent body that investigated police misconduct, reported five complaints regarding unlawful police entry. In one such case, on July 26 police unlawfully entered a shop in Salima owned by a Rwandan national and allegedly stole money.																																					Section 2.													 Respect for Civil Liberties												    																																																a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media										The constitution and law provided for freedom of expression, including for members of the press and other media, and the government respected this right with some exceptions.Violence and Harassment: In February, police arrested Dorica Mtenje, a journalist for the online publication Maravi Post, regarding a story she did not write or publish. Police stated the detention followed a complaint from the national intelligence service director. Mtenje was detained for 12 hours and charged with offensive communication and defamation. The government did not pursue the case after her release from custody.Libel/Slander Laws: According to Freedom House, the law provided for criminal penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment for libel, although it noted most cases were prosecuted as civil matters or settled out of court. According to the NGO End Blasphemy Laws, the law made insulting the religion of another person a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment of up to a year. The NGO found no indication this law was enforced.Nongovernmental Impact: According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, on May 17 members of the ruling Malawi Congress Party (MCP) assaulted Francis Mzindiko, a photographer for the Times Group newspaper, as he covered a fistfight between members of the MCP and the United Transformation Movement in Blantyre. The MCP supporters demanded that Mzindiko delete his photographs; when he refused, they slapped him, stole a camera lens, and deleted the footage. On May 19, MCP officials and Minister of Information Moses Kikuyu each issued apologies regarding the incident.																Internet Freedom						The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content.																										b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association										The constitution and law provided for freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and the government generally respected those rights.																Freedom of Association						The government required registration of all NGOs and political parties. A 2022 amendment to the NGO law required all NGOs to register with the NGO Regulatory Authority and provided this body the power to sanction and deregister NGOs deemed to be out of compliance with the law. Civil society groups expressed concern regarding a provision in the amendment that prohibited NGOs from engaging in “politicking” without defining the term, saying the provision could be used to hinder accountability organizations from monitoring good governance. The law also provided for potential imputed criminal liability for NGOs and their trustees, managers, and chief executives with penalties including fines and prison sentences of up to two years.																										c. Freedom of Religion										See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																				d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country										The constitution and law provided for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights.In-country Movement: Refugees and asylum seekers were subject to an encampment policy that restricted their movements.																																				e. Protection of Refugees										The government did not always cooperate with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in providing protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, asylum seekers, and other persons of concern.Access to Asylum: The law provided for the granting of refugee status. The government failed to review the cases of most asylum seekers.Citing legal prohibitions on same-sex conduct, the government continued to refuse registration of perceived lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) asylum seekers or granting refugee status based on sexual orientation or gender identity. UNHCR registered persons of concern in its database and conducted refugee status determinations for these applicants. According to UNHCR, 10 asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were arrested, detained by immigration authorities in Mzuzu, and later expelled for illegally entering the country in March. An additional 19 asylum seekers from the DRC, including 15 children, were also expelled without due process in September. In all these cases, the asylum seekers were expelled before undergoing refugee status determination.Abuse of Refugees and Asylum Seekers: The government forced all refugees and asylum seekers living outside the Dzaleka Refugee Camp to return to the camp beginning May 17. During the relocation process, refugees and asylum seekers reported abuse by police including physical violence, extortion, verbal abuse, and threats. Refugees were evicted from their homes without an opportunity to collect their personal belongings. There were reports of police officers stealing money and property from the refugees and asylum seekers. After being rounded up by police, they were held in criminal detention facilities before being transferred to the Dzaleka camp. Those subjected to detention included women (some pregnant or nursing), children, and those with chronic illnesses. Refugees and asylum seekers reported that, while detained, they were not given food or access to medication or medical attention. UNHCR was not allowed access to those detained at the beginning of the relocation process.The relocation was done without augmenting services at the Dzaleka camp, and the relocated refugees were left without food, shelter, or means of livelihood. Pressure for water, health care, and other services strained the already congested camp.Freedom of Movement: Refugees were subject to an encampment policy that restricted them to the Dzaleka camp, the only official designated refugee camp in the country. The camp, initially built for 10,000 occupants, held more than 55,000 persons of concern. Severe overcrowding increased a range of risks, including gender-based violence, the spread of communicable diseases, lack of adequate shelter, and over-burdened resources such as insufficient water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.The government stopped issuing Conventional Travel Documents to refugees during the year.Employment: The government did not allow refugees to seek employment or educational opportunities outside the Dzaleka camp. Most refugees were dependent on donor-funded humanitarian assistance. The prohibition on employment forced many refugees to work in the informal economy, placing them at risk of exploitation. Multiple NGOs reported some refugees engaged in commercial sex to obtain income to supplement food rations and other necessities.Access to Basic Services: While local laws and the justice system applied to refugees, inefficiencies and inadequate resources limited access to the system. Law enforcement capacity was extremely limited at the Dzaleka camp, with only 15 police officers who rotated positions frequently.																																					Section 3.													 Freedom to Participate in the Political Process												    																						The constitution and law provided citizens the ability to choose their government through free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage.																										Elections and Political Participation										Abuses or Irregularities in Recent Elections: National elections, last conducted in the 2020 presidential election that was judicially ordered after legal challenges to flawed 2019 polling, were widely reported to be fair and free of major abuses and irregularities.Participation of Women and Members of Marginalized or Vulnerable Groups: Cultural and traditional gender bias and lower levels of literacy, education, and economic empowerment prevented women from participating in the political process to the same extent as men. Women were largely rejected as candidates by political parties, and they reported harassment and intimidation when campaigning as independents. The law made no specific reference to LGBTQI+ participation in the political process but, because same-sex conduct was illegal under the law, there was a de facto exclusion of openly LGBTQI+ persons.																																					Section 4.													 Corruption in Government												    																						The law provided criminal penalties for corruption by officials, but the government did not implement the law effectively. Officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. There were numerous reports of government corruption during the year.Corruption: The government continued implementation of an action plan to pursue cases of corruption, review how past corruption scandals were perpetrated, and introduce internal controls and systems to prevent further occurrences. Due to deficits in professionalism within the civil service and lack of oversight and enforcement, progress on the action plan and the effectiveness of internal controls was limited and movement on investigations and promised reforms was slow. Reports of serious corruption implicated all branches of government.In December 2022, police arrested Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma on charges connected to a leaked audio recording of her private telephone conversation in which she discussed the challenges of investigating and prosecuting corruption cases tied to British businessman Zuneth Sattar. Public condemnation of Chizuma’s arrest was immediate. Civil society and anticorruption advocates noted the arrest took place just days after the ACB’s arrest of Vice President Saulos Chilima on corruption allegations and at a time when the ACB’s Sattar investigation into alleged bribetaking by Chilima and other key members of the existing government, including cabinet-level officials, had reached an advanced stage. A group of civil society organizations claimed Chizuma’s arrest was directly linked to her tough stance against corruption and was a deliberate attempt by “invisible forces” to sideline her and undermine ACB work. President Chakwera subsequently announced a commission of inquiry had been established to investigate the circumstances behind her arrest. In its January findings, however, the commission failed to explain who ordered her arrest. The commission’s recommendation that action be taken to deal with Chizuma’s conduct strengthened civil society’s perception that she was being deliberately undermined.For additional information concerning corruption in the country, please see the Department of State’s Investment Climate Statement for the country, and the Department of State’s International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which includes information on financial crimes.																											Section 5.													 Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights												    																						A variety of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction to monitor and investigate human rights conditions or cases and publish their findings on human rights cases. Government officials were somewhat cooperative and responsive to their views.Government Human Rights Bodies: The MHRC, an independent institution, was mandated by the constitution to promote and protect human rights and investigate human rights abuses. Although the MHRC was generally regarded as effective, limited capacity resulted in a backlog of cases, delayed production of reports, and little investigation of human rights abuses. The ombudsperson and the law commissioner were ex officio members of the MHRC.The Office of the Ombudsman was mandated to investigate cases of maladministration such as abuse of power, manifest injustice, oppressive conduct, and unfair treatment. Despite having a wide mandate under the constitution to investigate both public- and private-sector offenses, problems of limited capacity led the office to investigate only public officials and entities.																											Section 6.													 Discrimination and Societal Abuses												    																																																Women										Rape and Domestic Violence: The law criminalized rape of women and girls but not men, with a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment. A 2015 law expressly introduced the concept of spousal rape, but the law did not prescribe specific penalties and applied only to legally separated spouses. Spousal rape could be prosecuted under the rape provisions of the law. The government generally enforced the law effectively, and convicted rapists routinely received prison sentences.Media reporting of rape and defilement (statutory rape) arrests and convictions was an almost daily occurrence. Although rape could be punished by death, courts generally imposed lesser prison sentences. The maximum penalty for “indecent assault” on women and girls was 14 years’ imprisonment. A person convicted of “indecent assault” on a boy younger than age 14 could be imprisoned for up to seven years.The law provided a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for domestic violence and recognized that both men and women could be perpetrators as well as victims. Domestic violence, especially violence against women, was common, although survivors rarely sought legal recourse. Police routinely investigated cases of rape and sexual assault but usually did not intervene in domestic disputes. Police support units provided limited shelter for some abuse survivors. The Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare and donor-funded NGOs conducted public education campaigns to combat sexual harassment and gender-based violence.Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C): The law did not specifically prohibit FGM/C. There were no reports of FGM/C.Other Forms of Gender-based Violence or Harassment: In some areas, widows were sometimes forced to have sex with male in-laws or a designee as part of a culturally mandated “sexual cleansing” ritual following the death of the husband. In some cases, widows were “inherited” by a brother-in-law or other male relative. The government and NGOs sought to abolish such practices by raising public awareness of the inherent dangers of such behavior, including the risk of HIV transmission.Despite legal prohibitions, many abusive traditional practices, including the secret initiation of girls into socially prescribed roles of womanhood, continued. Such initiations were often aimed at preparing girls for marriage with emphasis on how to engage in sexual acts. In some traditional communities, girls as young as age 10 underwent kusasa fumbi, a “cleansing ritual” in which the girls were raped by men. According to a 2018 UN-sponsored study, more than 20 percent of girls in secondary school underwent a form of initiation that involved rape by an older man. Kupimbira, a practice that allowed poor families to receive a loan or livestock from men in exchange for pubescent daughters, reportedly existed in some areas.Although sexual harassment was believed to be widespread, there was no information on its prevalence.Discrimination: By law women had the same legal status and rights as men and could not be discriminated against based on gender or marital status, including in the workplace. Nevertheless, women had significantly lower levels of literacy and education, and lower rates of access to resources for farming. Widows often were victims of discriminatory and illegal inheritance practices in which most of an estate was taken by the deceased husband’s family. Although citizen men could sponsor their wives for naturalization, the law did not permit citizen women to sponsor their husbands for naturalization.The law provided for a minimum level of child support, widows’ rights, and maternity leave; however, few women and girls knew their rights or had access to the legal system and thus did not benefit from these protections.Despite the law against discrimination based on gender or marital status, women did not have opportunities equal to those available to men in formal and informal employment sectors. Few women participated in the limited formal labor market, and underrepresentation in the employment of women in managerial and administrative jobs was particularly apparent. Households headed by women were overrepresented in the lowest quarter of income distribution.Reproductive Rights: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities.Health-care clinics and local NGOs operated freely in disseminating information on family planning under the guidance of the Ministry of Health. According to the 2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS), the most recent data available, 58 percent of girls and women of reproductive age used modern methods to meet family planning needs. The government provided free childbirth services, but availability depended upon access to hospitals and other medical facilities in rural areas. The government provided access to sexual and reproductive health services for survivors of sexual violence at no charge in public facilities, and providers were trained in using a screening checklist for patients who sought care due to sexual violence. Emergency contraception as well as postexposure prophylaxis and other medications were generally available for the clinical management of rape, but the availability of contraceptives was often limited in rural areas.The MDHS estimated the maternal mortality rate was 439 deaths per 100,000 live births, and a woman’s lifetime risk of maternal death was one in 41. HIV and AIDS and adolescent pregnancy were factors in these high rates. Nurses and midwives were a critical component of prenatal and postnatal care due to a shortage of doctors. According to the National Statistical Office, skilled health care providers assisted in 90 percent of births in 2018. There was only limited access to emergency obstetric care, particularly in rural areas.Cultural beliefs regarding menstruation and lack of access to menstruation hygiene resources negatively impacted the ability of women and girls to participate equally in society and limited girls’ access to education. Cultural practices in some regions excluded menstruating women and girls from participation in social activities, such as forbidding them from talking to males or being present where food was being cooked. UNICEF reported increased availability of menstruation hygiene products such as reusable pads decreased absenteeism of women and girls in school and in the workplace, but it noted lack of access to potable water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities was a problem. In accordance with government policy, pregnant students were suspended from school for one year and could apply for readmission after this period only by sending requests to the Ministry of Education as well as the school. Many teachers were reportedly unaware of this policy or unsure how to implement it.																																				Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination										The constitution and law prohibited discrimination based on race or ethnic origin. The government generally enforced the law effectively and investigated, prosecuted, and punished persons involved in abuses. Despite the presence of numerous tribal groups with diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, cases of violence or discrimination due to tribal, ethnic, or racial differences were rare.																																				Children										Education: In a reversal of previous trends, girls outnumbered boys in primary school enrollment. Although initial secondary school enrollment rates for girls and boys were approximately the same, girls tended to drop out of secondary school at much higher rates and accounted for approximately 63 percent of all secondary school dropouts due to factors such as pregnancy, economic hardship, and marriage.Child Abuse: Child abuse remained a serious problem. The law prohibited subjecting a child to any social or customary practice harmful to health or general development. Prohibited practices included child trafficking, forced labor, early and forced marriage or betrothal, and use of children as security for loans or other debts. The government made some efforts to enforce the law.The Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare conducted activities to enhance protection and support of child victims including reuniting rescued victims of child labor with their parents and operating shelters for vulnerable children.Child, Early, and Forced Marriage: The law set the minimum age for marriage at 18, but the law was not enforced effectively. According to UNICEF, 46 percent of girls were married before age 18, and 9 percent of girls were married before 15. Some traditional leaders annulled early marriages and returned the girls involved to school. Public awareness messaging to prevent early marriage was carried out mainly by NGOs.Sexual Exploitation of Children: The law prohibited engaging in sexual activity with children younger than age 16, the minimum age for sexual consent. The law further prohibited “indecent practice” in the presence of or with a child and commercial sexual exploitation of children, including child pornography and using a child for public entertainment of an immoral or harmful nature. The law was not enforced effectively, although media reported arrests for rape, incest, sodomy, and defilement of children.																																				Antisemitism										The Jewish community was very small, and there were no known reports of antisemitic incidents.																																				Trafficking in Persons										See the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking in persons report/ https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/																																				Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics										Criminalization: The law criminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct or “unnatural offenses,” and was punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment, including hard labor. Attempting “unnatural offenses” was punishable by seven years’ imprisonment. The law also criminalized “indecent practices” between men and between women and provided for punishment of five years’ imprisonment if convicted. Same-sex sexual conduct could also be prosecuted as “conduct likely to cause breach of the peace” with a prescribed punishment of a fine and imprisonment of up to three months. Historically, the government did not actively enforce these laws, but arrests and prosecutions occasionally occurred.The Constitutional Court began to hear arguments in two cases that sought to challenge the constitutionality of the country’s laws criminalizing same-sex conduct. The cases were before the court at year’s end.In 2021, a court in Mangochi District convicted a transgender woman, Trizza Banda, of two counts of “obtaining by false pretense” based on presenting herself as a woman, and one count of “unnatural offense” for alleged same-sex sexual conduct. She was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment. A court heard her appeal in July and a decision was pending at year’s end.Violence and Harassment: The NGO Center for the Development of People documented numerous instances of abuse based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. The nature of the abuses fell into three broad categories: stigma, harassment, and violence. Although victims were willing to report abuses to the NGO, they did not want their orientation revealed to their families or the public, so no investigations or prosecutions resulted. Additionally, LGBTQI+ persons feared unequal treatment by police, noting cases where community members attempted to register complaints for burglary but were instead threatened with arrest.Discrimination: The law did not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. A report by the NGO Nyasa Rainbow Alliance found that LGBTQI+ persons faced routine discrimination in almost all aspects of their daily lives, limiting their access to health and social services and hindering their social and economic development. The government’s National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS (2020-25) included transgender persons and men who have sex with men as key populations whose engagement was necessary to achieve plan goals.The government continued to ban the registration of perceived LGBTQI+ asylum seekers and refused to grant refugee status based on sexual orientation or gender identity, citing legal prohibitions on same-sex conduct. LGBTQI+ refugees reported believing they were unsafe in the country.Availability of Legal Gender Recognition: Legal gender recognition was not available.Involuntary or Coercive Medical or Psychological Practices: Limited information was available regarding coercive medical or psychological practices that specifically targeted LGBTQI+ persons; however, the Nyasa Rainbow Alliance reported LGBTQI+ persons were at times categorized by police as “not of sound mind” and then subjected to forced psychological evaluations. The NGO also reported some LGBTQI+ persons were coerced by societal norms into opposite-sex marriages to avoid harassment, discrimination, and arbitrary arrest. There were no known reports that medically unnecessary “normalization” surgeries were performed on children or on nonconsenting adult intersex persons.Restrictions of Freedom of Expression, Association, or Peaceful Assembly: The government permitted peaceful assembly of LGBTQI+ persons, including permitting a Pride march in Lilongwe in June 2022. Freedom of association was somewhat restricted, as NGOs seeking to register as LGBTQI+ rights organizations continued to face government restrictions. In September 2022, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled NGO Nyasa Rainbow Alliance could proceed with a 2017 challenge to the government’s refusal to register it as an NGO. The case remained pending at year’s end. The organization was initially refused registration on the grounds that promoting the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons was akin to advocating illegality. The NGO then removed reference to LGBTQI+ rights, but the government refused to reconsider its decision.NGOs that supported the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons reported their senior officers were threatened and intimidated on social media, with users sharing their images and accusing them of undermining the country’s cultural values. There was no government response to the threats.																																				Persons with Disabilities										Persons with disabilities could not access education, health services, public buildings, and transportation on an equal basis with others. The law required such access, but the government did not enforce the law effectively. Government information and communication was provided in accessible formats. Social stigma related to disability and the lack of accessibility to public buildings and transportation negatively affected the ability of persons with disabilities to obtain services and find and maintain employment.The law prohibited discrimination in education, health care, the judicial system, social services, the workplace, housing, political life, and cultural and sporting activities for persons with disabilities, defined as a long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment. The law prohibited discrimination against persons with disabilities in political and public life and called for the government to take measures to provide access for them to transportation, information, and communication services. The law established a disability trust fund to support persons with disabilities, including improved access to both public and private facilities. Although the relevant law took effect in 2013, the government did not adopt standards and plans for its implementation and enforcement. The Ministry of Gender, Community Development, and Social Welfare was responsible for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities but did not do so. Discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment occurred. Some public and privately supported schools and training centers assisted persons with disabilities.																																				Other Societal Violence or Discrimination										Mobs and local citizens sometimes engaged in vigilante attacks, at times killing persons suspected of crimes such as theft.There were several attacks on persons with albinism driven by demand for body parts used in witchcraft rituals. Religious, traditional, civil society, and political leaders, including the president, denounced the attacks. In November 2022, an assailant broke into the house of a girl with albinism, age three, while she slept next to her grandmother, killed the girl, cut off her left arm, and absconded. Police arrested six suspects in connection with the girl’s killing; one of the suspects was granted bail and the other five remained in custody awaiting trial at year’s end.Societal discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS remained a problem, especially in rural areas. Many individuals preferred to keep silent regarding their health conditions rather than seek help and risk being ostracized. The National AIDS Commission stated discrimination was a problem in the public and private sectors. Public awareness campaigns by the government and NGOs to combat the stigma had some success.																																					Section 7.													 Worker Rights												    																																																a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining										The law allowed workers, except for military personnel and police, to form and join trade unions of their choice without previous authorization. The law required unions to register with the Registrar of Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations in the Ministry of Labour; registration requirements were not onerous, but failure to meet annual reporting requirements could result in cancellation of a union’s registration. The law prescribed the articles trade union constitutions had to include and limited certain individuals from holding union offices or positions of responsibility. The law placed some restrictions on the right to collectively bargain, including requirements of prior authorization by authorities, and bargaining status. The law provided for unions to conduct their activities without government interference. The law also prohibited antiunion discrimination and provided for remedial measures in cases of dismissal for union activity. The law did not specifically prohibit retaliation against strikers or actions against unregistered unions.The law required at least 20 percent of employees (excluding senior managerial staff) belong to a union before it could engage in collective bargaining at the enterprise (factory) level, and at least 15 percent of employees were required to be union members for collective bargaining at the sector (industry) level. The law provided for the establishment of industrial councils in the absence of collective agreements for sector-level bargaining. Industrial council functions included wage negotiation, dispute resolution, and industry-specific labor policy development.The law allowed members of a registered union to strike after going through a mandatory mediation process overseen by the Ministry of Labour. A strike could take place only after failure of a lengthy settlement procedure, including seven days’ notice of a strike and a 21-day conciliation process as set out in the law. An October 2022 amendment to the Employment Act and Labour Relations Act allowed employers to deduct wages from striking employees if they were on strike for more than three days per year. The law also required the labor minister to apply to the Industrial Relations Court to determine whether a strike involved an “essential service,” the interruption of which would endanger the life, health, or personal safety of part of the population. The law did not provide a specific list of essential services, but the October amendment authorized the labor minister to designate categories of workers deemed essential who were not allowed to strike. Before the amendment, members of a registered union in essential services had only a limited right to strike. There were no special laws or exemptions from regular labor laws in export-processing zones. The law did not apply to most workers who were in the informal sector without work contracts.The government did not effectively enforce applicable labor laws. Throughout the judicial system, lack of capacity resulted in delays of some labor cases. Small fines for most violations were less than those for other laws involving denials of civil rights. Provisions existed for punishment of up to two years’ imprisonment, but no convictions were reported. Penalties were never applied against violators.Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining were adequately respected for those in the formal sector. Union membership among workers was low due to the small percentage of the workforce in the formal sector.Arbitration rulings were legally enforceable; however, the Industrial Relations Court did not monitor cases or adequately enforce the laws. The October amendment restructured the Industrial Relations Court to require it to have permanent staff only, thus eliminating the requirement of employer and employee panelists.The law did not provide for the creation of trade unions for self-employed informal-sector workers, but approximately 15,000 of an estimated two million informal workers were organized in the Malawi Union for the Informal Sector (MUFIS), which was affiliated with the Congress of Trade Unions. MUFIS worked with district councils to address matters affecting informal workers due in part to a Ministry of Labour decision that MUFIS did not have sufficient standing to bargain collectively with employers.																																				b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor										See the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment										See the Department of Labor’s Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor at  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/findings/.  																																				d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																														e. Acceptable Conditions of Work										Wage and Hour Laws: The labor minister set the minimum wage rate for all formal sectors based on recommendations of the Tripartite Wage Advisory Board composed of representatives of labor, government, and employers. The minimum wage was set below the World Bank’s poverty income level.The legal workweek was 48 hours, with a mandatory weekly 24-hour rest period. The law required premium payment for overtime work and prohibited compulsory overtime.Occupational Safety and Health: The law established occupational safety and health (OSH) standards that were appropriate for the main industries in the country. Workers, particularly in industrial jobs, often worked without basic safety clothing and equipment. Workers harvesting tobacco leaves generally did not wear protective clothing and absorbed up to the equivalent of 50 cigarettes worth of dissolved nicotine daily through their skin. The government rarely identified in a proactive manner unsafe conditions or respond to workers’ OSH complaints.Workers had the right to remove themselves from dangerous work situations without jeopardy to continued employment. Workers dismissed for filing complaints regarding workplace conditions had the right to file a complaint at the Labour Office or sue the employer for wrongful dismissal; however, these processes were not widely publicized, and workers were unlikely to exercise these rights. Authorities did not effectively protect employees in this situation.Wage, Hour, and OSH Enforcement: The Ministry of Labour was responsible for enforcement of wage and hour laws. By law, labor inspectors had the authority to make unannounced inspections but lacked the authority to initiate sanctions. The government did not provide information on the number of labor inspectors nor on government actions during the year to prevent violations, particularly for vulnerable groups.The Ministry of Labour contained a Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health responsible for minimum standards, but the number of labor inspections was insufficient to enforce the law effectively. Inspectors had the authority to make unannounced inspections and initiate sanctions. The Ministry of Labour did not effectively enforce laws related to OSH, wages, or overtime. Workweek and annual leave standards were not effectively enforced, and employers frequently violated statuary time restrictions. Alleged violations of wage, hour, and overtime laws were believed to be widespread and, according to a 2017 Ministry of Labour report, were common across both the private and public sectors. The Ministry of Labour’s enforcement of health and safety standards was also poor. The law specified fines and imprisonment for violations, but these penalties were rarely applied against violators and, when applied, were less than those for similar crimes. No reports of jail terms were ever reported. The government rarely took actions to prevent violations, including for vulnerable populations.Migrant workers were entitled to the same legal protections, wages, and working conditions as citizens if they complied with immigration laws. Those persons not in compliance, however, lacked these protections and were subject to deportation.More than 88 percent of the workforce was engaged in the informal sector. A study by the Congress of Trade Unions found informal workers endured unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, but labor laws did not protect workers outside the formal sector or part-time workers.																																				    							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Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																							a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																						b. Disappearance																																																						c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																				Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																				d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																				Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																				e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																				Trial Procedures																																												Political Prisoners and Detainees																																																																																				f. Transnational Repression																																																						g. Property Seizure and Restitution																																																						h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																			Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																							a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																				Internet Freedom																																																																																				b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																				Freedom of Association																																																																																				c. Freedom of Religion																																																						d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																						e. Protection of Refugees																																																			Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																							Elections and Political Participation																																																			Section 4. Corruption in Government																Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																Section 6. 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Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																						c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																						d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																																						e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																									Tags																					Bureau of African Affairs																								Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																								Malawi
- Designation of Former Malawi Public Officials for Significant Corruption         Matthew Miller, Department SpokespersonThe Department of State announced today the public designations of former Solicitor General and Principal Secretary of Justice Reyneck Matemba, former Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Agency Director John Suzi-Banda, former Malawi Police Service Attorney Mwabi Kaluba, and former Inspector General of the Malawi Police Service George Kainja, as generally ineligible for entry into the United States, due to their involvement in significant corruption.  Matemba, Suzi-Banda, Kaluba, and Kainja abused their public positions by accepting bribes and other articles of value from a private businessperson in exchange for awarding a government procurement contract for the Malawi Police Service.The United States stands with Malawians working towards a more just and prosperous nation by promoting accountability for corrupt officials, including advocating for transparency and integrity in government procurement processes.  These designations reaffirm the United States’ commitment to counter corruption, which stifles economic growth and development, hinders investment, and erodes trust in government.These public designations are made under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div. F, P.L. 118-47).  The Department is also designating Matemba’s spouse, Rhoda Violet Matemba Maxwell; Suzi-Banda’s spouse, Mariana Ismael Suzi-Banda; Kaluba’s spouse, Bernadette Mwangosi; and Kainja’s spouse, Jacqueline de Silva Kainja, as generally ineligible for entry into the United States.    
- PEPFAR Launches Nursing Leadership Initiative Across Seven African Countries Office of the SpokespersonOn March 25, Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong – U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy, overseeing the Department’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy – will launch the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Nursing Leadership Initiative to sustain gains and accelerate progress toward ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Under the initiative, PEPFAR is providing $8 million in 2024 to support nurses at the forefront of the HIV/AIDS response in Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia.In these seven partner countries, the initiative invests in activities that will:Enhance nurses’ skillsets to lead planning and delivery of HIV/AIDS services to curb disruptions in access to essential HIV services;Help nurses to identify, advocate for, and leverage innovative digital solutions to enhance quality HIV service delivery;Protect nurses by enhancing their infection prevention and control skills, providing supportive work environments, and supporting mental health needs;Invest in the development, retention, and equitable distribution of the nursing workforce, aligned with each country’s national priorities, to ensure long-term sustainability of HIV service delivery; andEnhance nurses’ communication and leadership skillsets.PEPFAR implementing partners will also support partner nursing organizations in the seven initiative countries to undertake a needs assessment to guide initiative activities.For media inquiries, please contact GHSD_publicaffairs@state.gov.
- Addressing the Blind Spot in Achieving Epidemic Control in Malawi: Implementing “male-friendly” HIV services to increase access and uptake WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM? In Malawi, men living with HIV (MLHIV) are less likely than their female counterparts to be aware of their HIV status, to be on antiretroviral treatment (ART) and to be virally suppressed. As a result, men are more likely to die of HIV-related causes. Some of the barriers experienced by men relate to access to HIV services, which are typically provided during working hours in congested facilities, and insufficient information about the importance of knowing your status and initiating ART early. Additionally, men may have perceptions of stigma when accessing HIV testing services through maternal and child health service (MCH) platforms.FULL SOLUTIONWHAT IS THE SOLUTION? To address barriers that prevent men from accessing services, a differentiated service delivery model for men was designed and implemented as a demonstration project by the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). The demonstration project was conducted in referral hospitals located in rural settings. Male-friendly clinics provide integrated HIV, reproductive health, and non-communicable disease (NCD) services during times that are more suitable for men; in this case, on Saturdays from 7:30 am-2:00 pm. EGPAF designed “male-friendly” services with input from MLHIV with male clinicians providing the services. To minimize stigma, men reported that integrating services for NCDs (specifically hypertension and diabetes screening) was important. The Malawi Ministry of Health (MoH) already provide these services, so this represented a change in service flow rather than the introduction of new services.WHAT WAS THE IMPACT? At the three pilot male-friendly clinics, EGPAF supported health workers to offer provider-initiated testing and counseling (PITC) in addition to routine screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), hypertension, and diabetes on Saturdays. EGPAF reported that from May-December 2017, 1,827 men attended the male-friendly clinics at the three pilot sites, representing a mean of 228 male clients per month.Of the 1,827 male clients attending (May to December 2017)1,294 were eligible for testing.94 percent (1216/1294) of clients received HIV testing.61 new positives were identified, representing an HIV positivity rate of 5 percent.Ninety-five percent (95 percent) of the newly-identified HIV-positive clients were initiated on ART, with 56 percent (34/61) starting on ART on the same day. General health screenings identified that of the 1,827 male clients attending male-friendly clinics, 0.8 percent were diagnosed as new diabetics and 3.2 percent were newly identified as hypertensive. Of the male clients screened for STIs, an estimated 6 percent (104/ 1735) were new STI cases.There is variation across the districts in the HIV positivity rates of men tested at the male-friendly clinics. While the national average HIV positivity rate is 3.1 percent (MOH, 2017), the mean HIV positivity rate at male-friendly clinics is 5 percent. Figure 2 below also demonstrates the variability in yield among age groups, with men ages 35-39 having the highest HIV positivity rate of men tested at male-friendly clinics.Figure 2. High yields in target population of men over 25 years of age.HOW DOES IT WORK?INDIVIDUAL LEVELFrom literature reviews, some of the barriers experienced by men relate to access and acceptability of HIV service delivery:There is anecdotal evidence that services may not be provided in an environment that is conducive to men’s needs.Few health services that men routinely access are integrated with HIV testing. In contrast to men, women in the sexual and reproductive age group routinely access provider initiated testing and counselling through MCH service platforms at facility and community level.Men may not want to access HIV testing services through MCH platforms because they are embarrassed to be in a perceived “female space”.Due to limited contact with health services, men also may have lower health literacy levels in comparison to women who receive health education messages more frequently.Providers offer HIV services during working hours and clients may experience long waiting times at congested facilities.Male-friendly clinics are designed to address these barriers.&nbsp;The table below describes staffing at each male-friendly clinicCADREQUANTITYRESPONSIBILITYMale Clinician2Providing clinical Consultation.Male Nurse1Performing vital signs measurements.Male HTS Provider2Provide HIV testing services. Recording patient details in the male-friendly clinic register.Data Clerk1Documenting patient records in all relevant clinic registers (e.g. outpatient department, sexually transmitted infection register).Patient Attendant1Optimizing patient flow. Performing rapid tests for malaria and diabetes.SERVICE DELIVERY LEVELThe EGPAF intervention package was initially piloted in three district hospitals in Mchinji, Ntcheu, and Dedza. Although these three districts are rural, the district hospitals are located in areas with trading centers and hot spots for HIV transmission. Male-friendly clinics were open on Saturdays from 7:30 am – 2:00 pm. These services are exclusively for men and are also run by male providers. They include HIV testing services, ART and screening and management of STIs and NCD (hypertension and diabetes) leveraging existing programs. Health services are provided free of charge to the patient in these settings. To increase awareness of the services provided at male-friendly clinics, health education advice is provided during routine outpatient service delivery. EGPAF conducted sensitization and mobilization through local radio stations and community announcements so that men in the community were aware of the male-friendly clinics.The table below describes staffing at each male-friendly clinic.LOCAL ENVIRONMENTEGPAF obtained feedback from men attending routinely available services to refine components of the service delivery model. These included male clients attending other health services for various reasons prior to the implementation of the male-friendly clinics. EGPAF’s engagement with the District Health Management Team in each district shaped the male-friendly clinic’s design and enabled the integration of the services at MoH sites. Based on feedback from the male clients, integration of multi-disease screening services and the male-friendly environment seem to be critical components of the appeal of this service delivery model. Attending a clinic with male health care workers and with a waiting area exclusively for men has made men more open to the idea of seeking screening services at the hospital.NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAt a national level, the National Strategic Plan for HIV and TB promoted the need for innovating HIV case identification strategies that are tailored to serve the needs of men. MPHIA data further highlighted the need for testing and treatment approaches that address the bottlenecks limiting men’s access to HIV services. In response, the MOH’s HIV Department established a sub-committee to identify differentiated care models. This group is advocating for the scale-up of male-friendly health services. The scope of this sub-committee has since expanded to include the development of operational guidance. EGPAF’s experience with implementation will inform this guidance.SCALE UPMale-friendly services have been scaled up from an initial three pilot sites in May 2017 to 25 sites as of October 2018 in EGPAF-supported districts. The site selection is based on a facility’s physical space availability to run a dedicated clinic with HIV services and operational NCD programs supported through the MoH. No additional staff were recruited to provide services. Although the pilot sites were conducted in hospitals this model has also been rolled out to health centers.&nbsp;
- Joint Statement on the Principles of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations Office of the SpokespersonThe text of the following statement was released by the Governments of Canada, Costa Rica, Malawi, and the United States.Begin TextToday, endorsers of the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations gathered during High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly’s 78th session to reaffirm our pledge to enhance international cooperation and end the practice of arbitrary arrest, detention or sentencing aimed at exercising leverage over foreign governments.This High-Level Dialogue, co-hosted by Canada, Costa Rica, Malawi and the United States, reaffirms the international community’s commitment to addressing the urgent issue of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations.Recognizing that this issue transcends geographic boundaries, we stand in solidarity with the victims, survivors and families who have endured this disturbing practice, which flagrantly violates the human rights of all those affected.This practice also undermines international peace, security and trade. Threatening any citizen of any country who travels and works abroad is harmful to travel, trade and the principles that underpin friendly relations and cooperation between peoples and countries.This is also a matter of the rule of law. Arbitrary detention for diplomatic leverage subverts international human rights and the independence of judicial processes while undermining our shared values. As a global community, we must stand against it.As we approach the declaration’s third anniversary in February 2024, let us all be reminded to uphold our commitments and strengthen our partnership through multilateral and bilateral channels.Let us also remain committed to taking concerted and collective action to deter and prevent this unacceptable practice, to protect every citizen and to reinforce the rules-based international order.Support for the declaration and the global movement condemning the practice continues to grow. We invite countries who have not yet endorsed the declaration to join us in demonstrating a global commitment to strengthening the rule of law and the respect for human rights that form the basis of this important initiative.End Text
- Digital Press Briefing with Gen. Michael Langley, U.S. Africa Command and Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Sergeant Major Michael P. Woods Listen to or download the audio file here .MODERATOR:  Good afternoon to everyone from the U.S. Department of State’s Africa Regional Media Hub.  I welcome our participants dialing in from across the continent and thank all of you for joining this discussion.  Today, we are very pleased to be joined by General Michael Langley of U.S. Africa Command and Command Senior Enlisted Leader Sergeant Major Michael P. Woods.  General Langley and Sergeant Major Woods will provide an overview of the AFRICOM annual Senior Enlisted Leader Conference taking place September 10th through 13th, and discuss progress accomplished through mutual dialogue.  The speakers join us from Zambia, where the conference is being held.We will begin today’s call with opening remarks from General Michael Langley and Sergeant Major Michael P. Woods, and then we will turn to your questions.  We will try to get to as many of them as we can during the briefing.So as a reminder, today’s call is on the record, and with that, I will turn it over to General Michael Langley and Sergeant Major Michael P. Woods. GENERAL LANGLEY:  Thanks, Johann, and good afternoon, everyone.  Thanks for taking time to join us here today. It is an honor to be here in the Republic of Zambia for the fifth AFRICOM Senior Enlisted Leader Conference, and the first one held on the continent of Africa.  Now, in many ways, this conference mirrors the annual AFRICOM Chiefs of Defense Conference, where we listen to each other, we share best practices, and we continue to strengthen our relationships and mutual understanding.This conference here is designed to allow meaningful and practical discussions on how to better address our mutual challenges but, moreover, our opportunities.  That includes everything from crisis response, rule of law, protecting natural resources, and ways to mitigate the many factors that cause instability.A strong, professional non-commissioned officer corps is the true backbone of any military.Throughout my career I have relied on the candid feedback from senior enlisted leaders; that continues today.  There is a reason that Sergeant Major Woods is always by my side.  I value his perspective, and his efforts to make AFRICOM a better and more responsive partner.This week, Sergeant Major Woods is continuing AFRICOM’s mission, working with senior non-commissioned officers from African militaries.  Now, professional and empowered enlisted leaders strengthen our partner-led, U.S.-supported operations.  Now, this conference is another example of our efforts to coordinate and cooperate with our African partners.In the U.S., we have a whole-of-government approach that defense is in support of diplomacy and development.  And we – the military – remain committed to face our shared challenges together.With that, I’ll pass it on to Sergeant Major Woods to say a few opening remarks before I take your questions.SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  Thank you very much, sir.  And on behalf of the over 125 participants from 27 African nations attending this year’s Senior Enlisted Conference, we appreciate you attending and speaking at the ceremony.  Your presence spoke volumes.  Sir, we heard you loud and clear.  Can’t thank you enough.  And of course we’re all proud to say that this is our first Senior Enlisted Conference in Africa.So far, we’ve had a very productive conference and look forward to continuing the discussions.  This year’s theme is “Empower, Delegate, Trust,” which is woven throughout all of our discussions.  Some of the focused discussions include ethical standards and support to the rule of law, leading by example, building empowered teams, and the importance of mentoring.  These are common challenges that everyone in the military faces despite nationality or branch of service.  We all agree it’s the senior enlisted leader’s objective to ensure all of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are highly trained, disciplined, and fit for duty.  We do this by recruiting the best individuals and then training and developing them to share the future force.During this conference we’ve had the opportunity to hear the concerns and use our collective experience to share ideas and create a plan that offers multiple courses of action to enhance skill sets while tailoring to the exact need of that particular country and branch of service.  The bottom line is we are stronger together, and I’m very proud of the work that we’re doing here.  Thank you for that, sir.MODERATOR:  All right, thank you, General Langley and Sergeant Major Woods.  So we will now begin the question-and-answer portion of today’s briefing.  Once again, if you wish to ask a question live, please clearly identify yourself and your media outlet.  We ask that you limit yourself to one question related to the topic of today’s briefing, which is the 2023 Africa Senior Enlisted Conference.So for our first question, I’d like to go to Mr. Onishias Maamba of Zambia News and Information Services in Zambia.  So Mr. Maamba asks, “Following the opening of an AFRICOM office at the U.S. embassy in Lusaka, are there any plans to establish a base in Zambia in the near future?”GENERAL LANGLEY:  Well, the short answer to that is no, but let me elaborate what the Office of Security Cooperation is.  This is just an office with a desk with a very capable officer manning that desk.  His mission is to keep deepening our relationship, long-term bilateral security relationship between the United States and Zambia.  For example, he or she that mans that billet has a responsibility that will include help assistance to other government organizations or the civilian population, because we work through a 3D approach – diplomacy, development, and also defense.  So that’s just one example.So the answer to the question is no, there are no plans to establish a U.S. base in Zambia.MODERATOR:  All right, thank you for that.  And then also on the subject of Zambia – so with regard to the conference itself, Mr. Maamba asks, “What does the forthcoming conference seek to achieve and what influenced the selection of Zambia as the host for the conference?”SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  Thank you for that question.  First and foremost, one of the main reasons we are in Zambia is because the Zambian Defense Force invited us to be here for the 2023 Africa Senior Enlisted Leader Conference.  Even before I arrived at USAFRICOM, the command was planning to have the conference somewhere in Africa.  But Zambia’s willingness to host this multinational conference, along with our shared values and commitment to developing a professionalized non-commissioned officer corps, made it the obvious choice for our first Senior Enlisted Leader Conference held on the continent of Africa.  We’ve had large group discussions and have also done more focused breakout sessions where smaller groups can have in-depth discussions about what works, what doesn’t work, and how we can better support each other to train the next generation of competent and committed enlisted leaders.While professional military education is a worthy goal on its own, it’s also critical for supporting our national security interest.  Each nation faces many of the same security challenges – for example, countering violent extremist organizations, transnational crime, responding to a natural disaster, or any other type of crisis response.  These military missions are more complex than ever, and having a professional, empowered enlisted corps makes our militaries more effective.  The collaboration across multiple nations helps increase our ability to work together and address our shared security concerns.I hope that answers your question, sir.MODERATOR:  All right, yeah, very good.  Thank you very much, Sergeant Major.So moving on, we had a few questions about some of the geopolitical situations on the continent.  And so there was one from Ms. Lucia Blanco of EFE, Spain’s international news agency, based in Kenya.  And that question was, “After shifting the American forces based in Niger, what is the future of those troops?  Will they leave the country?  With the last developments in Gabon, a return of Ali Bongo to power seems less and less likely.  What is the U.S. take on the transition process?”GENERAL LANGLEY:  Okay, Johann, I would just – let me address Gabon first.  Now, Gabon is in a transition, if you will, but the State Department is monitoring that closely.  They have not reached out to DOD for any assistance – the country team.  Things are calm there.  So we’re letting that diplomatic process work out, so not just the U.S. but globally.So – but switching over to Niger, yes, we still have troops in Niger.  We plan on – as the diplomatic processes work within Niger, we are continuing to base troops there.  We’re moving around out of abundance of caution, per se, but for the most part, it’s still focused on our national security interests, and one of them is countering terrorism, to enable our freedom of action to continue that fight, which is good for the stability of West Africa writ large and across the Sahel.MODERATOR:  Okay, thank you very much.  Moving back to the conference, the ongoing conference, so Ms. Pearl Matibe of defenceWeb in South Africa has a question for both General Langley and for Sergeant Major Woods:  “I’ve been monitoring your enlisted conferences since you first launched in 2017 with 37 percent participation of African countries, followed by growth and engagement and even at times the plan agenda based on specific requests by African countries.  So what is different this year?  And could you provide some data which supports both growth in engagement and participation, in particular engagement by General Langley?”SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  So, sir, I can speak to that regarding the enlisted development side.  While I don’t have past statistics, I’ll tell you that this year 27 African partners participated in the conference, which is 50 percent of the 53 countries in our area of operations.  We continue to build on our best practices of including our State Partnership teammates, which is an amazing program, and, of course, all of our operations activities and investments as it pertains to enlisted leader development via our service components.As you mentioned, we build our agenda based on feedback and the request of our partner countries.  And we aim to be responsive partners, especially focused on course development for the new sergeant major academies and non-commissioned officer professional military development institutions and programs.  As far as General Langley’s participation goes, from my perspective – from our perspective in this conference – we have his full support.  He allowed us to plan, execute these conferences, and of course, equally important, engage in our enlisted development strategy across Africa.  And his presence here in Zambia, as I said before, speaks volumes.  We hear, our partners hear him loud and clear.  Bottom line is enlisted leadership is a game changer, and when General Langley says it, people hear him.GENERAL LANGLEY:  Thanks, Sergeant Major, and I’ll just add to that and sum it up with the three words which just happen to be the theme of your conference.  When I look at the staff NCO or the NCO corps being the backbone of our service militaries, it’s about leaders, officer leadership empowering staff NCOs, delegating tasks to staff NCOs and expectations, and extending trust.  So that sums everything up, so you guys picked the right theme this year to share our ideas and best practices with our African partners.SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  Thank you, sir.MODERATOR:  All right, thank you very much for those answers.So I have a request from a journalist in Malawi, John-Paul Kayuni, to ask a question live, so let’s see if we can get John-Paul’s microphone open.QUESTION:  Yeah, thank you for recognizing me.  I hope you can hear me.MODERATOR:  We hear you.QUESTION:  Yes.  I’m interested – thank you once again for allowing me to join this conference.  I’m just interested to know how – what is it in this for Malawi?  How will Malawi benefit from the conference this year?SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  So as it pertains to the conference, sir, in November and December of 2022, U.S. and Malawi army instructors met in Malawi to discuss courses to be offered at the Malawi Armed Forces College to provide foundational training for non-commissioned officers in your army.  Additionally, we’re proud of the progress Malawi has made in their sergeant major academy.  In their most recent course, they graduated 41 NCOs, 12 NCOs from eight different countries across Africa.  And they’ve also graduated their first female sergeant major, who is currently attending the U.S. Army Sergeant Major Academy in Fort Bliss, Texas.  They are a shining light, and frankly, everybody has seen them during this conference as being an example about how you can do this at a higher level, at the sergeant-major level, sir.  I hope that answers your question.MODERATOR:  Okay.  Thanks very much for taking that question.  So I do see that there’s a lively interest in asking questions, and I’m glad about that.  We do have until the – until half past the hour to take questions.  But just like to remind everybody to please identify yourself if you have an interest in asking a question.  The more you can tell us about yourself and what you’d like to ask about, the more likely it is we’ll call on you, so please do keep that in mind.So there was a question from Mr. Camille Tawil of Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper in the UK.  And he’s asking about Somalia.  He says: “Do you share the government’s optimism that al-Shabab is going to be defeated soon?”GENERAL LANGLEY:  Johann, thanks for that question.  I’ve made a few trips in – of late to Somalia.  And I had the pleasure of meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and he has a lot of optimism, and we collectively are cautiously optimistic, and here’s why.  It’s not – just not just the operations against al-Shabab.  It’s his whole of government operations of establishing his vision, reaching his vision.  So through his whole of government – we read about – in the papers – about his operations of clearing a building through the central region and going into the south, but he’s doing this not just by tactics.  He’s doing this by engagements, continuous engagements.  So what we don’t see a lot of times is him being able to continuously engage with the federal member states, and also engaging with al-Shabab.  And some members have put down their arms, have come back into the whole of government fold, as he calls it, into reaching Somalia’s vision as a nation.  So yes, I’m cautiously optimistic in their operations and his whole-of-government approach.  MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you very much for that answer.  So Nick Turse from The Intercept has a question about showing leadership and leading by example.  So Nick, your microphone is open. QUESTION:  Thanks very much.  And thank you for making yourself available today, General.  In my reporting on the continent, I’ve often run into a lack of transparency with the senior enlisted leaders.  Unfortunately, it’s also been the case at AFRICOM.  Over the last 15 years or so that I’ve covered your command, both public affairs and FOIA offices have consistently thwarted efforts to better inform the people of the United States and people of African nations about U.S. military operations.  I’m glad to see you doing this today; I think it’s an example of leading by example.  And I’d like to ask if you would publicly direct your FOIA and public affairs offices to embrace transparency and be more forthcoming with information.  Would you do that here today, General, lead by example? GENERAL LANGLEY:  Nick, absolutely.  QUESTION:  Excellent.MODERATOR:  All right.  That’s an inspiring example of transparency right there.  All right.  Thanks very much for that Q&amp;A.  GENERAL LANGLEY:  Hey, yeah, I just wanted to give a follow-up, just back to Nick Turse.  MODERATOR:  Of course.  GENERAL LANGLEY:  Yeah.  Yes.  And I – he accepted my one-word answer, but yes, absolutely.  And I need to be fully transparent.  As my travels on the continent, I extend out to you, Mr. Turse, to meet us where we’re going, and I’ll – and we want to be transparent.  We want to make the assessment of the same thing.  Okay? MODERATOR:  Okay.  Thanks very much.  Thanks very much, General Langley. GENERAL LANGLEY:  Okay.  Thanks.MODERATOR:  Okay, so let’s see, we’ve had very patient Michael Phillips from The Wall Street Journal in Nairobi.  Michael, would you like to open your mike and ask your question?  You did type your question in, so I could ask it, but if your mike is open, feel free to go ahead and speak your question. QUESTION:  Yes, thank you.  Can you hear me? MODERATOR:  We got you. QUESTION:  Okay.  General Langley, thanks for taking time to talk to us.  To what extent do you think that Africa is again becoming absorbed by the military, economic, and political competition among the world’s great powers, which now include the U.S., Russia, and China?GENERAL LANGLEY:  If I’m understanding your question, so what degree does strategic competition play in the African countries being able to reach their goals of stability and security?  QUESTION:  Sure. GENERAL LANGLEY:  Yes, yes.  And here’s my approach – and here’s, from what I’ve seen, the department’s approach.  This is – as we try to establish security and stability across the many challenges they have, whether it be from climate change or whether it be from violent extremist organizations, collectively we try to bolster the African partners’ capability and capacity to address these challenges.  We do not come to it from a position of hey, we should be the partner of choice exclusively.  We don’t give them an ultimatum.  We just give them a value proposition and they make their choices.  But we want to have it African-led and also U.S.-enabled to achieve those – their established goals, which are in common values with the United States.  Thank you. MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you, General, for that answer.  So just in general, we did have a submitted question which I think goes to a lot of the interest on the part of the journalists that are here with us today.  And just in general the question is:  What activities is AFRICOM conducting on the continent and what benefits are accruing to both the U.S. and Africa because of these activities?  So maybe we could just step back to a 10,000-foot view and see if you can give us some information about that. GENERAL LANGLEY:  Yeah, Johann.  So yeah, at the 10,000-foot view, yes, there’s a number of activities that we do, but it’s along the theme as I stipulated.  Our African partners, they have their prescribed national goals.  There’s 53 countries with my AOR and all of them have different goals and sets, but those that we extend out to and work in partnership to address their challenges and also be able to leverage opportunities.  There are a number of things that, that are in sync with our national security interests from the United States.  So building strategic partnerships with our African partners is also at the forefront of our planning and working together and building partnership and capacity, and is institutionalized in their militaries, and then also in the realm of deterring threats.  So a number of opportunities that build capacity, whether it be through exercises, joint combined exchange trainings, or security force assistance, are a number of ways that we achieve these activities of working collectively together to reach our common goals based on our common values.  Sergeant Major, you have anything?  SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  I could certainly talk to the conference, sir.  During the Africa Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference, we’ve had really deep robust conversations, discussions about hard leadership choices and the importance of ethical leadership, mentoring and delegation strategies that make better military leaders.  This is just one of the military conferences that focused on specific topics, like the maritime domain, land forces, air forces, and intelligence sharing.  Each conference increases our mutual understanding and improves our relationships.  And speaking of long-lasting relationships, I want to highlight that we also have members from the U.S. State Partnership Program, who are paired with African nations that participated in this conference and often attend our other military conferences.  These state partnerships in Africa are as old or older than USAFRICOM.  This means that the same people get to work together, year after year during training events and exercises and see each other at conferences.  That long-term interaction is truly unique.  People can build more personal relationships than what you can build during an annual exercise with rotational forces.  Both types of training are valuable, and those friendships are very special, sir.  And Malawi was also selected for the State Partnership Program.MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you very much, gentlemen, for those answers.  So we do have to be mindful of our speakers’ time today, as they do have a conference to get back to.  However, I think we might have – since we’re moving pretty briskly here, we might have the chance for one more question.  So I did see that Gerald Koinyeneh from FrontPage Africa Newspaper in Liberia had a question.  Gerald, if you can unmute yourself and ask a question really quick.QUESTION:  Hello?  MODERATOR:  We hear you. QUESTION:  Yeah, my name – thank you.  I was asking, Liberia’s army is developing; what has been some of the benefits from AFRICOM, and how will this upcoming conference benefit the Liberian army? MODERATOR:  Thank you for that. GENERAL LANGLEY:  You got it?  SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  I got it.  Well, a recent example, and this is specifically for Liberia – and I apologize – my last sentence about Malawi in the State Partnership Program – I didn’t realize that we had shifted back to Zambia, so I’ll make a correction on that.  But going back to Liberia, sir, a recent example of training with the Armed Forces of Liberia occurred from March to April earlier this year at the request of the Liberian army.  The U.S. Security Assistance Training Management Organization conducted drill instructor training at Edward Binhai Kesley barracks in Liberia.  Twenty-four soldiers from the Armed Forces of Liberia, from private to first sergeant, received training on instructional techniques, tactical combat, casualty care, land navigation, physical readiness, training and drill.  They then built, prepared instructors, and briefed plans for the Liberian soldiers, and are using them as instructors at the Liberian basic leader course.  The Michigan State Partnership Program has partnered with the Liberian armed forces, and they’re also enhancing leader development and a number of military skills.MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you very much for that answer, Sergeant Major Woods.  So this has been a really lively and highly interesting conversation.  I hope everybody’s gotten a lot out of it.  We do have to let our speakers go back to their conference.  However, I wanted to ask if General Langley or Sergeant Major Woods have any final words to share with us before they go. GENERAL LANGLEY:  Sergeant Major.  SERGEANT MAJOR WOODS:  Thank you, sir.  Thank you for this opportunity.  I’m never going to not take the opportunity to talk about this year’s theme, which is: empower, delegate, and trust.  I believe it is the ready, aim, fire of leadership, empowerment being the investment in the individual noncommissioned officer; setting conditions to learn, to be evaluated, even to fail, to be remediated, before you’ve got the experience and the knowledge to have responsibility delegated to you.  And of course, the gold standard is trust.  All of this is to develop trust, trust from the led in the noncommissioned officer and the officers in the commander in the noncommissioned officer.  So I appreciate the opportunity to talk about my perspective of enlisted leadership and this year’s theme and what we’re focused on here in Zambia, 2023, sir.GENERAL LANGLEY:  Johann, Sergeant Major said it all.  If you look at officers that lead militaries, we use our right-hand advisors, that senior military, that senior enlisted.  Empower, delegate, and trust is what we will continuously – these are the best practices that we extend to our staff noncommissioned officers.  And I want to reiterate that strong empowered Noncommissioned Officer Corps is truly the backbone of any military.  I learned this firsthand growing up, as my father proudly served as a senior enlisted leader in the United States Air Force.  I learned from him and then learn from every noncommissioned officer that I work with. I’m proud of the work being done here at this conference, and with the senior enlisted conference, the sharing of ideas is going to set the path forward across our African partners and their respective militaries.  And I look forward to working with every one of these leaders in the future.  Thank you.MODERATOR:  Okay.  Well, that definitely brings us to the end of our time.  We’re a little bit over time.  So thank you very much, General Michael Langley and Sergeant Major Michael P. Woods, for joining us.  Thanks also to all the journalists for participating and for your lively participation and for your questions.  A recording and transcript of today’s briefing will be distributed to participants on this call as soon as we can get them out.  If you have any questions about today’s briefing, you may contact the Africa Regional Media Hub at AFMediaHub@state.gov.  I would also like everyone to follow us on X at our handle @AfricaMediaHub and our hashtag, #AFHubPress.  So thank you very much, and have a great day.# # #
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- Malawi HomeReportsBureau of Economic and Business Affairs2023 Investment Climate Statements&#8230;Malawi				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2023 Investment Climate Statements: Malawi																																																																																												 In this section										/																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																																													EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																															1. Openness To, and Restrictions Upon, Foreign Investment																																																									Policies Towards Foreign Direct Investment																																																																											Limits on Foreign Control and Right to Private Ownership and Establishment																																																																											Other Investment Policy Reviews																																																																											Business Facilitation																																																																											Outward Investment																																																																																	2. Bilateral Investment and Taxation Treaties																															3. Legal Regime																																																									Transparency of the Regulatory System																																																																											International Regulatory Considerations																																																																											Legal System and Judicial Independence																																																																											Laws and Regulations on Foreign Direct Investment																																																																											Recently implemented relevant policy/law reforms:																																																																											Competition and Antitrust Laws																																																																											Expropriation and Compensation																																																																											Dispute Settlement																																																																			ICSID Convention and New York Convention																																																																																																																		Investor-State Dispute Settlement																																																																											International Commercial Arbitration and Foreign Courts																																																																											Bankruptcy Regulations																																																																																	4. Industrial Policies																																																									Investment Incentives																																																																											Foreign Trade Zones/Free Ports/Trade Facilitation																																																																											Performance and Data Localization Requirements																																																																																	5. Protection of Property Rights																																																									Real Property																																																																											Intellectual Property Rights																																																																																	6. Financial Sector																																																									Capital Markets and Portfolio Investment																																																																											Money and Banking System																																																																											Foreign Exchange and Remittances																																																																			Foreign Exchange																																																								Remittance Policies																																																																																																																		Sovereign Wealth Funds																																																																																	7. State-Owned Enterprises																																																									Privatization Program																																																																																	8. Responsible Business Conduct																																																									Additional Resources																																																																											Climate Issues																																																																																	9. Corruption																																																									Resources to Report Corruption																																																																																	10. Political and Security Environment																															11. Labor Policies and Practices																															12. U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and Other Investment Insurance or Development Finance Programs																															13. Foreign Direct Investment Statistics																															14. Contact for More Information																																																					EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				The government of Malawi is working with the IMF to meet the requirements of an Extended Credit Facility (ECF); however, the negotiations remain ongoing and inconclusive. Fiscal deficits continue to expand, and revenue mobilization remains a challenge. A growing trade imbalance, dwindling foreign reserves and persistent inflation compound economic pressures. Government fraud and corruption scandals have led to dwindling donor support over the last few years. Gross domestic product growth slowed to 1.2 percent in 2022, down from 4.6 percent in 2021. The economy was hit hard by COVID-19, resulting in a near recession growth level of 0.8 percent in 2020. The government forecasts slight economic growth at 2.7 percent in 2023 but is cautious about the macroeconomic and fiscal challenges. The government’s heavy debt burden and persistent fiscal deficits are likely to restrain economic expansion that outpaces population growth. Tropical cyclone Freddy impacted southern Malawi in March 2023, leaving a wide swath of damage and destruction to energy and road infrastructure, homes, cultivated fields, and a heavy toll on human lives with more than 500,000 people displaced and 500 fatalities.The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) devalued the currency by 25 percent in May 2022, subsequent poor agricultural harvests in 2022 resulted in food shortages both of which ultimately sharp increases in food and non-food inflation. Overall Inflation jumped from 9.1 percent in 2021 to 20.9 percent in 2022 and is forecasted to remain high at 18.2 percent in 2023. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and is particularly vulnerable to climate related shocks. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has worsened agricultural prospects through disruptions to the supply chain and shortages of fertilizers. The price of imported raw and finished materials is also significantly impacted by supply chain disruptions, further driving up prices of domestic goods and services.The Government of Malawi is eager to attract foreign direct investment. Investment opportunities exist in agricultural, mining, health, transportation, information technology, and energy. Transportation is a potential growth sector as the government works to improve infrastructure, the road network, and rehabilitate railway lines connecting Malawi to Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania. Public-Private Partnership opportunities are likely to open in aviation, energy, and road networks. Corruption remains a major problem at all levels of the public and private sectors. There is a scarcity of skilled and semi-skilled labor. Political risk in Malawi is manageable and tribal, religious, regional, ethnic, or racial tensions are minimal.The Malawi Investment and Trade Center assists investors and businesses by providing insight and local knowledge to help navigate the myriad regulations, processes, and procedures required to operate a business. Malawi’s legal system is generally unbiased but is notoriously slow. Investors have the right to establish, acquire, and dispose of interests in business enterprises. Government enacted amendments to the land laws in 2022 which include clauses that negatively affect foreign ownership and investment in land-based enterprises.Scarcity of foreign exchange (forex) remains a challenge and negatively affects investors. The government aims to maintain a three-month supply of forex, but often falls short of that goal. Forex rationing has led to several months wait for business to remit foreign investment funds. Despite the long wait times, there are currently no restrictions on remittance of foreign investment funds if the capital and loans initially came from foreign sources and were registered with the RBM. The government is expected to pass a new foreign exchange bill during the April 2023 session of Parliament. The new act will impose strict controls and restrictions on forex transactions, bank accounts, and holding or traveling out of Malawi with foreign currency.Malawi is a land-locked country and the road network connecting to ports in neighboring countries is limited. Investment in infrastructure overall has been limited. Formal and informal trade boundaries may restrict imports and exports, and import tariffs tend to be high. Malawi is one of the least electrified countries in the world; approximately 12 percent of households have access to the national grid, and less than 7 percent have access to electricity from standalone solar photovoltaic systems. Impacts from tropical cyclones in 2022 knocked approximately 30 percent of the country’s electricity generating capacity offline; repairs remain in-progress. A key government development target is for universal access to clean and affordable energy by 2030; 30 percent from grid and 70 percent off-grid, solar islands, however this is unlikely to be met. Internet is unreliable, and expensive. These challenges present opportunities for investment.The government is committed to addressing climate change through climate smart policies and programs. The Environmental Management Act provides details on environmental requirements for investors and Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Climate change issues are integrated across the public service and national development plans. The government established the national climate change fund with seed capital of $500,000 for its operationalization. Limited resources and issues related to poverty continue to impede the government’s ability to implement climate adaptation and resilience programs and initiatives.Malawi’s borders are open to local and international travelers. In February 2023, government removed all COVID-19 requirements for travelers. Travelers are no longer required to present negative COVID-19 test results and certificate of COVID-19 vaccination.Table 1: Key Metrics and RankingsMeasureYearIndex/RankWebsite AddressTI Corruption Perceptions Index2022110 of 180http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/overviewGlobal Innovation Index2021107 of 132https://www.globalinnovationindex.org/analysis-indicatorU.S. FDI in partner country ($M USD, historical stock positions)2021USD 180 millionhttps://apps.bea.gov/international/factsheet/World Bank GNI per capita2021USD 620http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD&nbsp;																																					1. Openness To, and Restrictions Upon, Foreign Investment						    																																																Policies Towards Foreign Direct Investment										Malawi is open to foreign and domestic investment. Foreign investors may invest in any sector and may access government investment incentives. There are no restrictions on ownership, size of investment, source of funds, investment sector, or whether the products are destined for export or for domestic markets. An investor can disinvest 100 percent, make international payments, and cannot be forced into local partnerships. For all initial public offering (IPO), the Malawi Stock Exchange limits an individual foreign investor to 10 percent and limits total foreign investors’ shares uptake to 49 percent of total issued shares in a company but no limitations for secondary market.In an effort to boost private sector engagement and support the ailing economy, the President appointed a 16-member presidential private sector council in January 2023. A similar group, the Cabinet Committee on Public Private Partnership was established in 2020. The government also utilizes the Malawi Investment and Trade Center ( MITC ), Ministry of Trade and Industry, Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), RBM, and the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) to interface with foreign investors. The Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( MCCCI ) represents all sectors of the economy and has successfully lobbied the government on various private sector issues in the past. Malawi’s Annual Investment Forums &amp; Trade Fairs serve as a platform for marketing the country.In February 2023, the government disclosed plans to develop a national investment policy and review the national industrial policy. The Ministry of Trade and Industry drafted the investment and export promotion bill, which will go under review in 2023. The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) bill is undergoing scrutiny. Through these policies and bills, the government hopes to promote, facilitate, and improve trade and investment in the country.																																				Limits on Foreign Control and Right to Private Ownership and Establishment										The government does not impose restrictions on the ownership or location of investments. Foreign investment is permitted in all sectors of the economy except those that are deemed to pose a danger to health, the environment, or national security. There are no restrictions on funding sources, destinations, or final products. All companies are required to have at least two Malawian residents as directors. The 2022 amendment of Land related laws contain provisions which limit land ownership and ability to transfer land to descendants. Additional provisions of note: expired leasehold land reverts to public land and part of the land to be managed by MITC; foreign investors may use land for investment as identified by MITC, but if the land is not developed within the two years, the land reverts to the government; land may never to be granted or sold to a person who is not a citizen of Malawi; the change of use of agricultural land to urban use is on condition that the owner surrender 50 percent of the rezoned land to government and government will compensate for the surrendered land; and, allocation of customary estates is limited to indigenous Malawians only.Malawian nationals receive preferential treatment during the privatization of government assets; this can include discounted share prices and subsidized credit. The 2017 amendment to the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) Act calls for “the prioritization of all bids submitted to give 60 percent preference to indigenous black Malawians.” In 2020, the government drafted Indigenous Black Malawian (IBM) Preference regulations but not gazetted due to concerns from non-indigenous populations. The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Participation Order restricts government MDAs to allocate procurements below certain thresholds to MSMEs ( PPDA Legal Instruments ).Prior to establishing or conducting business in Malawi, all foreign investors are required to obtain an investment certificate from  MITC . As part of the certification process, investors must register with the  Registrar General&#8217;s office  and  RBM  , and have a minimum of $50,000 to invest ( MITC Investment Procedures ). In 2019,  MITC  announced plans to revise the threshold for capital requirements but provided no concrete timeline for completion. The proposed thresholds differ by sectors and may go as high as $500,000, if implemented. Registration of borrowed invested funds with RBM allows investors to externalize profits to pay back loans contracted abroad and repatriate funds when disinvesting.																																				Other Investment Policy Reviews										The most recent Trade Policy Review of Malawi was conducted by the WTO in 2016. The full report is available at  WTO TPR . The OECD and UNCTAD have not conducted investment policy reviews for Malawi. UNCTAD conducted Malawi’s Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessment in 2020, the report is available at  UNCTAD Report.No recent policy recommendations by civil society organizations based on reviews of investment policy related concerns.																																				Business Facilitation										The MITC offers business facilitation services to any foreign or domestic investor through their One Stop Center. The center houses representatives from  Registrar General ,  MRA ,  Department of Immigration , and  Ministry of Lands . Information can also be found on MITC’s main website, the  iGuides , and its online trade portal  Trade MITC ; and  Trade Portal .To operate in Malawi, a business must register with the Registrar General, MRA, and the Ministry or regulatory body overseeing their sector. Businesses can register online through the Registrar General; however, the online process can be cumbersome and inefficient due to technical constraints. Registering in person is preferred and generally less time consuming. Businesses must also obtain business licenses from the city assembly, register the worksite with the Ministry of Labor, and allow health officials to carry out periodic inspections of the company premises ( MITC ). Business registration details and steps available on  MITC  website.																																				Outward Investment										Malawi does not incentivize or promote outward investment. The Pension Act and accompanying regulations prohibit domestic investors from investing pension funds or umbrella funds in foreign schemes. There are no other prohibitions on domestic investors investing abroad. MITC is responsible for promotion and facilitation of trade and investment, and offers services to both local and foreign investors, for both inward and outward facing investments. In practice, most MITC services are for domestic investing and business development.																																												2. Bilateral Investment and Taxation Treaties						    																						The Government of Malawi has bilateral investment treaties in force with Egypt, Italy, and the Netherlands, and other treaties signed but not in force with Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brazil. Information on Malawi’s investment treaties can be found at the UNCTAD Investment Policy hub ( Malawi Investment Agreements ) and at the ICSID database for  Bilateral-Investment-Treaties .Malawi is a member of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Customs Union, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Free Trade Area, and the African Continental Free Trade Area. Malawi has tax agreements with South Africa, Norway, Zambia, and the U.K. Malawi does not have a trade agreement or a bilateral tax treaty with the U.S. and is not a member of OECD Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting ( BEPS ).																																		3. Legal Regime						    																																																Transparency of the Regulatory System										The government continues to work on policy reforms to support business development and investment. The legal, regulatory, and accounting systems are partially transparent and consistent with international norms. Almost all proposed laws, regulations, and policies (including investment laws) are subject to public consultation before approval by Parliament. However, public consultation notices are often posted late, such that only insiders are aware of and able to participate in the consultation process. Enforcement of laws and regulations varies by location and sector and is limited by government resources and capacity.All regulations follow the same approximate process. The relevant government Ministry Department or Agency (MDA) develops technical regulations and forward them to Ministry of Justice for review and gazetting. All regulations are set at the national level with input from relevant stakeholders. Regulations and enforcement actions are legally reviewable in the national court system. The Ministry of Justice provides oversight or enforcement mechanisms to ensure MDAs follow administrative processes for developing and implementing regulations. Private individuals may raise issue with the appropriate MDA, Parliament, or Ombudsman if they feel the procedures were not followed. There are no specific regulatory guidelines for reviewing regulations or conducting impact assessments, including scientific or data-driven assessments. There are no specific criteria for determining which proposed regulations are subject to an impact assessment nor is there a specialized government body tasked with reviewing and monitoring regulatory impact assessments conducted by other MDAs.The government uses a mix of fiscal, financial, and regulatory instruments to administer business and economic policies across multiple MDAs. Tax and revenue policy is overseen by the Treasury department under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.  MRA  is responsible for implementation of all tax laws.  RBM  administers monetary policy, exchange rate policy, as well as exchange controls to allow free flow of capital and earnings, and repatriation of dividends, profits, and royalties. The Immigration department administers the Employment of Expatriates Policy, Temporary Employment Permits (TEPs), and business residence permit. The Ministry of Lands is responsible for land policy administration. The  Malawi Bureau of Standards  is responsible for metrology, standardization, and quality assurance. The  Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority  administers the communications act. The MITC is responsible for approving business plans and providing investment certificates.The National Construction Industry Council, Malawi Law Society, Malawi Accountants Board, Medical Council of Malawi, and the Employers Consultative Association of Malawi have sectoral rule-making authority, similar to regulatory power. Among the rules established by these associations is the required use of local labor, local contractors, or other means to achieve localization or skills transfer to Malawians. The sector-specific rule-making process is not transparent and can be confusing for firms that are new to the Malawi market. More information on the rule making process can be found at:  Rulemaking World Bank .The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (ICAM) adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a common global language in 2001. The Companies Act stipulates that all companies must use IFRS or IFRS accounting standards for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). All public interest entities are required to use full IFRS standards. The government encourages, but does not require environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure. The Environmental Management Act provides the authority to the relevant ministry to require environmental and social impact assessment of projects prior to implementation which may significantly impact timelines and limit the use of environment or natural resources.The government does not maintain a public, central repository for technical regulations. Copies of Acts and Laws are available at the National Library and High Court libraries and be purchased from the Government Printing Office. Some laws are also available online at  https://malawilii.org/ . MDAs manage and publish their respective Acts and regulations in the Government Gazette and on their websites. MDAs may also provide documents, upon request.Transparency of public finances and debt is inconsistent. Publicly available draft budget documents detail Malawi’s proposed or estimated revenue, and includes natural resources revenues, off-budget donor support, and detailed expenditure lines. Actual revenue and expenditures are included in the end of year financial statements. Information about government debt obligations is available in the financial statement and annual debt report. Ministry of Finance occasionally produces the consolidated report for SOEs which contain SOEs financial performance, debt, fiscal flows, arrears, and other cross-cutting issues. These documents are available at  Ministry of Finance . Financial information and contingent liabilities for most State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are generally unknown to the public. Some SOE operations data is not transparent nor made public. The IMF currently considers Malawi’s debt to be unsustainable. Additional information on Malawi’s debt can be found in the IMF’s publicly available reports.																																				International Regulatory Considerations										Malawi is a member of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), COMESA Customs Union, and the SADC Free Trade Area. The government develops all new regulations roughly in line with the regulatory policy provisions set out by AfCFTA, COMESA, and SADC but national regulations take precedence if there is a conflict. As a member, Malawi is bound by their respective norms and standards. Details on the respective standards can be found at each organization’s website:  SADC Standards;  COMESA Competition ; and  AfCFTA .There are no records of Malawi providing notification on draft technical regulations to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade. Malawi submitted a statement on implementation and administration of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade in 2007 and signed the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) on July 12, 2017. Malawi has made progress on implementing the TFA provisions through the launch of a trade information portal at  TradePortal . As of March 2023, Malawi implemented 66 percent of the  TFA Commitments .																																				Legal System and Judicial Independence										Malawi’s legal system is based on English Common Law. The judiciary consists of local courts and a local appeals court in every district. The higher tiers consist of the Supreme Court of Appeal, the High Court, and the Magistrates’ Courts. Judges of the High Court are appointed by the President and posted to one of the six divisions on the high court: civil, commercial, criminal, family and probate, revenue, and financial and economic crimes. Following August 2022 amendment to the courts act, the government set up the Financial and Economic Crimes Division, a sixth division of the high court to be dealing exclusively with corruption and financial crimes. The High Court has judicial authority over all civil and criminal cases and hears appeals from the Magistrates’ Courts; the Supreme Court of Appeal in Blantyre hears appeals arising from the High Court. Magistrates’ Courts are located throughout the country. In 2022, there were 43 seated High Court judges, and 11 Supreme Court judges. The Commercial Division of the High Court deals exclusively with commercial or business disputes; the Revenue Division deals with any revenue or tax related matter. There are also four subordinate courts: industrial relations court, magistrate courts, child justice courts, and local courts. The Industrial Relations Court handles labor disputes and issues relating to employment. More information on the judicial system can be found at the  Judiciary  website.The government does not have written commercial or contractual laws but instead relies on legislation that governs commercial transactions. Some of these legislations include Sale of Goods Act, Companies Act, Employment Act, Hire Purchase Act, Insolvency Act, Control of Goods Act, Labor Relations Act, Business Licensing Act, Taxation Act, Consumer Protection Act, Copyright Act, Patents Act, and Financial Services Act. Mediation is often used to facilitate agreements prior to court proceedings. Enforcement of judgments can be extremely slow. Foreign and domestic investors have access to Malawi&#8217;s legal system, which is generally unbiased but notoriously slow. The legal process is slowed by heavy caseloads, staffing limitations, and inadequate funding. Court injunctions contribute significantly to backlogs and delays. The judicial system is independent of the executive branch. Regulations and enforcement actions are appealable and adjudicated in the national court system. In the financial sector, regulations and enforcement actions are appealable through the Financial Services Appeals Committee. Investors can seek judicial review at High Court’s Commercial Division.																																				Laws and Regulations on Foreign Direct Investment										The legal system supports local and foreign investments. The MITC operates a One Stop Center to assist any investor to navigate relevant government regulations and procedures.  MITC  and  MCCCI  both offer websites with relevant information on doing business in Malawi.																																				Recently implemented relevant policy/law reforms:										In 2022 several land related laws were amended: Lands Act, the Physical Planning Act, the Customary Land Act, the Land Survey Act, the Registered Land Act, and the Lands Acquisition and Compensation Act. The Public Finance Management Act which provides for improved regulatory, conduct, transparency, and enforcement in public finance management was also amended. The Public-Private Partnership Act and Pension Act were amended/repealed. Plans are underway to develop a national investment policy, review the national industrial policy, develop a national cooperative development policy, and a national economic empowerment policy in 2023. Bills expected to be tabled during the 2023 sessions of parliament include: the foreign exchange bill, mining regulatory authority bill, special economic zones bill, and tobacco industry bill.																																				Competition and Antitrust Laws										The government established the Competition and Fair-Trading Commission ( CFTC ) in 2005 to promote fair and transparent business procedures. The CFTC is responsible for regulation, monitoring, protecting consumers, and prevention of activities likely to impact competition or fair trade in Malawi. CFTC decisions may be appealed at the Commercial Court level.  COMESA Competition Commission , based in Malawi, is responsible for mergers and acquisitions across the COMESA block. It promotes and encourages competition by identifying and preventing restrictive business practices that may impede efficient market operations.																																				Expropriation and Compensation										According to Malawi’s constitution, Section 44, expropriation of property is only permitted when done for public utility and with adequate notification and compensation. Land is generally only expropriated for government development projects, such as road construction. Affected individuals may obtain an independent assessment of the land value and have the right to appeal in court. The land laws of 2016 were amended in 2022 to allow land for investment to be allocated to investors by MITC and conversely be withdrawn from investors if not developed within 2 years; the minister responsible for land is mandated to prescribe land ownership ceilings and prohibits concentration of land in a few individuals; the minister responsible for lands can re-claim any undeveloped freehold land if development is not commenced within 2 years; and change in land use from agricultural land to urban use is only done if the owner surrenders 50 percent of the rezoned land to the government and will be compensated for the surrendered land.																																				Dispute Settlement																										ICSID Convention and New York Convention						Malawi ratified the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID) in 1966 and the  New York Convention  on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York Convention) in March 2021. As a member of ICSID, Malawi accepts binding international arbitration for investment disputes between foreign investors and the government. Investment Disputes Act of 1966 makes provision for enforcement in Malawi of awards of the Tribunal of the ICSID. Malawi applies the New York Convention principals only to activities or decisions made after ascension in March 2021.																										Investor-State Dispute Settlement										The government is a signatory to the New York Convention. Malawi does not have a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) or Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with any investment chapter in the United States. There have been no known investment disputes in the courts involving U.S. companies over the past 10 years. The court system in Malawi accepts and enforces foreign court judgments registered in accordance with established legal procedure. There are reciprocal agreements among Commonwealth countries to enforce judgments without this registration obligation. There is no such agreement between Malawi and United States, but judgments involving the two countries can still be enforced if the judgment is registered in Malawi. Recently, no known extrajudicial actions have been taken against foreign investors.																																				International Commercial Arbitration and Foreign Courts										Mediation is the first step in any case from the High Court or subordinate court if the defendant indicates their intentions to defend. The High Court’s Assistant Registrar maintains a list of approved mediators and experts. If the matter cannot be resolved during mediation, the action proceeds to the appropriate court. Malawi does not have an arbitration body. In August 2022, the government of Malawi and Malawi Law Society (MLS) signed a memorandum of understanding with Arbitration Foundation for Southern Africa as part of the constructive engagement towards the establishment of the Malawi International Commercial Arbitration Centre.  MLS  is spearheading the establishment of a center in partnership with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Lawyers Association. There are no statutory requirements for parties who have contractually agreed to arbitration to go through mediation. Parties are only required to go through mediation before proceeding to arbitration if their agreement stipulates it. In investor-state dispute settlements, the court accepts and enforces foreign court judgments only if the dispute is registered locally. Court processes do not favor or discriminate against SOE’s. Statistics and information on investment disputes involving SOEs are not readily available.																																				Bankruptcy Regulations										Commercial courts govern all bankruptcies under the provision of the consolidated  Insolvency Act of 2016  which replaced the Bankruptcy Act. Insolvency Rules (2017) and Insolvency Practitioners (2017) accompany the act. The Act encourages the use of receivership or reorganization as an alternative to bankruptcy. Secured creditors are given priority over other creditors. Monetary judgments are usually made in the investor’s currency. Cross-border provisions of the Insolvency Act are modeled after UN Commission on International Trade Law models.																																												4. Industrial Policies						    																																																Investment Incentives										The government offers tax and non-tax incentives in various sectors. Incentives may vary by year, sector, and are available to both domestic and foreign investors. In recent years, the government has offered incentives in manufacturing, construction, energy, agriculture, and mining sectors. The current list of investment incentives can be found on the  MITC  and  MRA  websites. Firms must negotiate to establish their eligibility with the relevant government entity. Long delays in accessing incentives and accrued benefits are common. The government occasionally issues guarantees and joint financing on foreign direct investment projects of national importance. To support clean energy investment, government recently removed import duty, import excise and value added tax (VAT) on most imported renewable energy products like gas appliances. Energy generation is also designated priority industry and may have special incentives.																																				Foreign Trade Zones/Free Ports/Trade Facilitation										Regulations to enable export processing zones (EPZs) were established in 1995. The original program was limited to companies strictly engaged in manufacturing for export. In 2020, the EPZ program was amended to allow export processing firms to sell up to 20 percent of their product on the local market. There are 13 companies operating under the EPZ, of which 11 are foreign owned. The law does not discriminate on ownership. In 2021 the government began the process to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and identified four sites across the country. The SEZs will have broader coverage than EPZs and include a mix of commercial activities and services. The draft SEZ bill is drafted and is await tabling in parliament for approval.																																				Performance and Data Localization Requirements										Malawi does not follow “forced localization” or use geographic requirements for goods or financing, nor set performance requirements for establishing, maintaining, or expanding an investment. Legal restrictions on foreign investment are based on environmental, health, biosafety, and national security concerns. The primary sectors subject to restrictions are firearms and ammunition, chemical and biological weapons, explosives, and manufacturing involving hazardous waste treatment/disposal or radioactive material. All business ventures in Malawi must navigate complex and often confusing bureaucratic processes. Minimum requirements include, business license, tax registration number, temporary employment permit, business residency permits, and land use permits. Depending on the sector additional licensing or permits may be required and can be time consuming and an impediment to investment.Currently there are no requirements for foreign IT providers to turn over source code or provide access to encryption to prevent free transmission of customer or other business-related data outside the country’s territory, or a mandate for local data storage within the country.  MACRA  and the Ministry of Information are responsible for IT issues. MACRA is guided by the Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act plus the Communication Act of 2016. The draft Data Protection Bill was published for public comment in early 2021 and seeks to repeal the data protection provisions in the Act and designate MACRA as the authority which would regulate personal data protection in Malawi. The Ministry of Information in coordination with MACRA drafted the data protection bill which is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon.																																												5. Protection of Property Rights						    																																																Real Property										The government utilizes various laws and regulations to govern the acquisition, disposition, recording, and protection of all physical property rights regardless of gender. The land ownership registry is centralized, and record keeping is inefficient and often inaccurate. Financing options in the housing sector are extremely limited. Most households finance their homes through savings or non-mortgage credit. Mortgage availability is inefficient to meet demand and recent mortgage interest rates hover at a minimum of 20.6 percent.The Land laws of 2016 were amended in 2022. The amendments allow: MITC can allocated land to an investor for development, if not developed within two years, the government may reclaim the land; expired leasehold land reverts to public land and shall be managed by MITC and/or the government; any currently vacant leasehold or freehold land may not be purchased by any individual; the minister responsible for lands is mandated to prescribe land ownership limits and prohibits the concentration of land ownership by a few individuals; lands shall not be granted or sold to a person who is not a citizen of Malawi; minister responsible for lands can re-enter any undeveloped freehold land if development is not commenced within two years; change of use from agricultural land to urban uses shall be on condition that the owner surrenders 50 percent of the rezoned land to government and government will be compensate for the surrendered land; and, customary land cannot be allocated to a partnership or corporate body whose members or shareholders are not indigenous Malawians. The Office of Commissioner of Lands administers and manages all land issues, grants, leases, and other dispositions. There is no reliable data on the proportion of land without clear titles, but it is likely much higher than ten percent. Despite the Land Laws of 2016 giving power to government to repossess land if it lays idle for more than two years, there are no records of land being reclaimed or repossessed from a developer in the recent past.The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s second compact will be in force 2024-2029. One of the key projects for Malawi aims to increase land productivity. The compact will meet this goal through support for improved land services, better functioning land markets, and increased investment in land through revenue-oriented investments to increase adequate funding and support institutional change in the sector.																																				Intellectual Property Rights										Malawi recognizes the importance of intellectual property protection but lacks enforcement capacity. The Registrar General administers the Patent and Trademarks Act, which protects industrial Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Malawi. The Registrar General maintains a public registry of patents and patent licenses. Patents must be registered. Trademarks are registered publicly following advertisement and a period of no objection. Enforcement of IPR is inadequate. General awareness of importance of protecting IPR in all forms has improved. The Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) administers the Copyright Act of 2016, which protects copyrights and “neighboring” rights. The government approved copyright regulations and levies on storage devices in 2018. COSOMA and MRA enforces a five percent levy on all media storage devices. The funds are for compensation of rights holders. The Trademarks Act of 2018 and National Intellectual Property Policy of 2019 acknowledge the challenges to IPR and provide a framework to foster the generation and protection of IPR. Enforcement officials routinely seize counterfeit goods, but there is no systematic approach to track and report on seizures. Malawi is not listed on USTR’s Special 301 Report or Notorious Market Report.For additional information about national laws and points of contact for local IP offices, please see WIPO’s country profiles at  http://www.wipo.int/directory/en/. 																																												6. Financial Sector						    																																																Capital Markets and Portfolio Investment										The Malawi Stock Exchange ( MSE ) is open to foreign portfolio investment. As February 2023, the MSE hosted 16 listed companies with a total equity market capitalization of $3.74 billion and debt market capitalization of $198.76 billion. The demand and supply of shares for listed companies is limited. The stock exchange is licensed under the Financial Services Act 2010 and operates under the Securities Act 2010 and the Companies Act 2013. Other governing regulations are the Capital Market Development Act 1990, and Capital Market Development Regulations. Trading can be done by the stockholder or through one of three registered  MSE Brokers . A secondary market offers government securities and is also open to local and foreign investors. Malawi respects the obligations under IMF article VIII since 1995. There are no restrictions on making payments or transfers for international transactions and no discriminatory currency arrangements or multiple currency practices undertaken without IMF approval. Credit is generally allocated on market terms though the cost of credit is generally high. Foreign investors may utilize domestic credit, but any proceeds from investments made using local resources are not remittable.																																				Money and Banking System										According to a  World Bank Report , only 40 percent of the adult population in Malawi use financial services. Access to and the cost of credit remains one of the biggest challenges for businesses and particularly SMEs. The reference lending rate in March 2023 was 17.3 percent. Mobile banking technology has the potential to increase access to local banking but is nascent and its implementation is limited by access to reliable electricity and IT infrastructure.  RBM reports  indicate an increase in electronic transactions in recent years, but mobile banking is still not widely used. The Banking Act provides a supervisory mandate to the RBM. The RBM has supervisory authority over all financial institutions and is responsible for ensuring the efficiency, reliability, and integrity of the financial system. There are no additional restrictions placed on foreign banks in Malawi. Four of the eight banks are foreign owned. The RBM and the major commercial banks maintain correspondent banking relationships with other central banks and major banks in foreign countries. To open a bank account locally, a foreigner must first present a temporary employment permit or business residency permit.The banking sector is generally sound. The sector is overseen and regulated by the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM). There are eight full-service commercial banks with approximately 116 branches, 498 auto-teller machines, and 8494 banking agents. The banking sector remained profitable and stable with adequate liquidity and capital positions throughout 2022. Prudential regulations have limited net forex exposure and the non-performing loan (NPL) rates hovers around six to seven percent and spreads remain high. The top three NPLs sectors in 2022 were wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels, and community social and personal services. The sector is highly concentrated and heavily invested in domestic government debt, which is a systemic risk. Total assets as of December 2022 were $3.52 billion of which at least a third are government securities. National Bank of Malawi and Standard Bank Malawi account for 46.6 percent of assets, 46.7 percent of deposits, 61 percent of equity, and 50 percent of loans.																																				Foreign Exchange and Remittances																										Foreign Exchange						There are no restrictions or limitations placed on foreign investors in converting, transferring, or repatriating funds associated with an investment. Forex for business transactions and remittances is generally permissible, although wait times to access forex may be several months long. Commercial banks may operate as currency dealers. Investors may access forex to pay for imports and to transfer financial payments abroad. There are no licensing requirements to import forex and full repatriation of profits, dividends, investment capital, and interest and principal payments for international loans is permitted if the loan and/or investment is registered with the RBM. Malawian investors seeking foreign financing must seek permission from the RBM before acquiring an international loan. The  RBM Website  provides more information.The Malawi Kwacha (K) is convertible into major world currencies. The K began floating against major world currency in 2012, with the RBM intervening periodically to avoid sharp fluctuations. The K/USD rate lost approximately 11 percent between June 2020 and February 2022 before a 25 percent devaluation in May 2022. The RBM sets rules on the requirements to obtain forex from commercial banks and authorized dealers. Malawi’s official forex reserve is rated in terms of import coverage, with a threshold goal of three months, with one month equivalent to $250 million. Throughout 2022, the coverage remained below the three-month threshold. Forex scarcity is delaying USD remittances and wait times for forex can be several months long. Forex scarcity is impacting the availability of some essential commodities. The government drafted a foreign exchange bill which will repeal the exchange control act once gazetted. The bill is expected to pass Parliament during the April 2023 session. The bill provides for more restrictions and gives the RBM more powers on all foreign exchange transactions/matters.						Remittance Policies						Investment remittance policies in Malawi have not changed in the past year. There are no restrictions on remittance of foreign investment funds, including capital, profits, loan repayments, and lease repayments if the capital and loans were obtained from foreign sources and registered with the RBM. However, the terms and conditions of international loans, management contracts, licensing and royalty arrangements, and transfers require prior RBM approval. The RBM grants approval according to prevailing international standards; subsequent remittances do not require further approval. All commercial banks are authorized by the RBM to approve remittances, and approvals are automatic if the applicant&#8217;s accounts have been audited and sufficient forex is available. Currently there are no time limitations on remittances.																										Sovereign Wealth Funds										Malawi does not have a Sovereign Wealth Fund or similar entity.																																												7. State-Owned Enterprises						    																						Malawi has 71 public enterprises, 20 of which are SOEs. A full list SOEs is available by request from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC). The government sometimes publishes the list in the media or online through the  Public Enterprises Unit , but there is no established schedule for providing the information. The government has bailed out several SOEs when they incurred heavy financial losses. SOE finance and operations data is opaque and mostly not available to the public. The Public Enterprises Unit under Ministry of Finance periodically publishes some SOE finance and operations data, but the information is not readily available. Malawi’s SOEs are not required to adhere to the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of SOEs. Corporate governance for the various SOEs is mandated by the law that established the entity. All public enterprises report to their sector-related line ministry, to the Department of Statutory Corporations in the OPC, and must have a chairperson and board of directors. The President appoints the board of directors, usually politicians, religious and traditional leaders, and professionals. Boards also include senior government officials as ex-officio members. The participation of members as ex-officio/non-voting members, and of politicians as directors, creates a perceived or real conflict of interest.Public and private enterprises are subject to the same terms and conditions, and must compete for access to markets, credit, and business opportunities. Public enterprises are given special preference by the government in the case of public projects. Personal relationships play a significant role in influencing business decision-making. Public enterprises in agriculture, education, and health sectors spend more on research and development than the private sector. Local firms tend to be capital-constrained and highly skilled labor is scarce. There is no strong tradition of private sector-led research and development. SOEs operate in a competitive market environment though government may subsidize products and services offered by SOEs. SOEs provide non-discriminatory treatment in their purchase and sale of goods or services. Currently, there is no verifiable information that any SOE in Malawi has investments in the United States.																										Privatization Program										There are no immediate plans for privatization of government resources or services. Previous privatizations were open to both foreign and domestic investors. The Public Private Partnership Act (PPPA) of 2022 empowers the Public Private Partnership Commission ( PPPC ) to handle any privatization of government entities. The law empowers PPPC to divestiture through public offering of shares, private sales of share negotiated or competitive bids, and any other methods which PPPC may consider appropriate. Through PPPC is focused on public-private partnerships and attracting strategic investors rather than outright privatization.																																												8. Responsible Business Conduct						    																						Corporate entities in Malawi have a well-developed sense of responsible business conduct (RBC) and incorporate corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their business practices. Corporate entities publicize their CSR activities in the local media. There are no established laws or regulations governing RBC or CSR. There are several civil society organizations that monitor and advocate freely for CSR and RBC in Malawi. Malawi does not adhere to OECD Guidelines for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Afflicted and High-Risk Areas. There are no domestic requirements for due diligence by companies engaged in the supply chain of minerals that may originate from conflict-affected areas.There are a variety of laws and regulations to protect the environment and waste disposal for producers and consumers. All foreign and domestic enterprises are expected to adhere to the national and local laws and regulations regarding employment and compensation, the work environment, industrial safety, age limits, and minimum wages. However, there is a lack of resources for meaningful enforcement of laws and regulations and no comprehensive reporting mechanism to track violations. There is no history of any laws or regulations being waived to attract investment, nor of the government factoring in RBC practices into its procurement decisions. There are no verified reports of high profile or controversial instances of any private sector entity impacting human rights or related resolutions. There is a general lack of government enforcement and reporting on human rights, labor rights, environment protections because of budget and capacity constraints.The private sector is required to adhere to international accounting standards. Executive compensation requirements are not defined. The law requires all Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE) listed companies to publish their annual audited accounts in local newspapers. Listed companies are also required to publicly declare profits, dividends, planned takeovers, major portfolio investments, and all relevant information for shareholders to make informed decisions.As part of the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), the government is promoting RBC in the mining sector. In 2022, Malawi went through second validation test under the  EITI . Malawi’s initial validation assessment occurred in 2018 and COVID-19 delayed the second validation. During the second validation, Malawi received a moderate score of 80 out of 100; transparency component scored 70; Outcomes and Impact scored 84; and Stakeholder Engagement scored 86.5. The  EITI Board  requested Malawi improve on systematic disclosures by ensuring routine and timely extractive industry disclosures. Malawi will undergo a third validation in January 2025 and is expected to correct any low-scoring issues in the interim.																										Additional Resources										Department of StateCountry Reports on Human Rights Practices ( Reports on Human Rights Practices)Trafficking in Persons Report ( https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/)Guidance on Implementing the &#8220;UN Guiding Principles&#8221; for Transactions Linked to Foreign Government End-Users for Products or Services with Surveillance Capabilities ( Due-diligence Guidance)U.S. National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises ( U.S POCs for OECED Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises)Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory ( Supply Chain Business Advisory)Department of the TreasuryOFAC Recent Actions ( OFAC Financial Sanctions-Recent Actions )Department of LaborFindings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor Report ( Child Labor Findings )List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor ( Child Labor_ List of Goods )Sweat &amp; Toil: Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking Around the World ( https://www.dol.gov/general/apps/ilab )Comply Chain ( https://www.dol.gov/ilab/complychain/ )																																				Climate Issues										Malawi is vulnerable to climate change impacts due to deep-rooted poverty, over-dependence on rainfed agriculture, overexploitation of natural resources, and rapid population growth. The government offers incentives in several sectors as part of efforts to address climate resilience and adaptation. The Environmental Management Act provides details on adherence to environmental requirements for MDAs and general business investors, including foreigners. Climate related issues are integrated throughout public service and national development plans, adherence and enforcement suffer from a lack of funding and capacity. The government submitted its first nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, which provides strategic goals and objectives for Malawi through 2040 and updated the document in 2021. The update includes an unconditional target of six percent carbon emission reductions and a combined conditional and unconditional reduction of 51 percent carbon emission reductions by 2040—contingent upon additional external support and full NDC implementation. The Department of  Environmental Affairs  in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change is the secretariat of all climate change related issues in the country.The Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), National Climate Change Response Framework (NCCRF), and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) provide details on the government’s commitment to addressing climate change. The 2016 National Climate Change Management Policy (NCCMP) provides an overview of the country&#8217;s climate change intervention priorities. The National REDD+ Strategy, National Charcoal Strategy, and National Forest Landscape Restoration Strategy provide guidelines and strategies to manage emissions from forestry and land-use sectors. National strategies, Malawi 2063, the National Meteorological policy, the National Climate Change Investment Plan, the National Climate Change Resilience Strategy, and the Malawi Strategy on Climate Change Learning provide long term development and growth strategies. Implementation of these documents is stymied by budget and resource constraints.																																												9. Corruption						    																						Corruption, fraud, bribery of public officials, illicit payments, misuse of funds, and conflicts of interest are not uncommon in Malawi. Several high-profile government scandals have occurred during all recent presidential administrations. Corruption in all forms is illegal in Malawi but enforcement is insufficient and slow. The Corrupt Practices Act established the independent Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) but is consistently under-staffed and under-resourced. The ACB encourages private sector companies and institutions to develop and implement corruption prevention policies as a way of mainstreaming anti-corruption initiatives into their operations. Some companies employ their own fraud controls, but to date fraud identified through internal controls has failed to result in any high-level prosecutions. The definition of corruption includes offences for abuse of office and possession of unexplained wealth. The Act also provides protection for whistleblowers. In 2022, the Act was amended to deal with delays in the prosecution of corruption cases, the ACB is able to prosecute cases without seeking consent from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). The amendment also created an economic and financial crimes court to expedite financial trials.Malawian law requires all public officials from all levels of government to declare their assets and business interests. However, access to view or obtaining copies of the declarations is difficult at best and the law does not extend to family members. The Political Parties Act requires all political parties to disclose sources of funds. If corruption evidence implicates family members or members of a political party, the ACB has the power to build a case against accomplices and bring them to court. All public officials are required to disclose any conflict of interest and to recuse themselves from any deliberation or decision-making process in relation to the conflict. However, there is no clear definition of what constitutes conflict of interest. In practice, the requirements for public asset declarations, political party financial reporting, and conflict of interest disclosures are rarely enforced, and noncompliance is high.Malawi is party to the UN Convention Against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. According to Malawi law, citizens have a right to form NGOs focused on anti-corruption or good governance and these NGOs are free to accept funding from any domestic or foreign sources. Malawi’s civil society and the media play an important and visible role in fighting corruption, investigating, and uncovering cases of corruption. Specific firms with U.S. affiliations have noted irregularities in tender processes and mining licensing but have nonetheless continued to pursue business opportunities. Although some progress has been made, corruption remains a major obstacle to businesses in Malawi.																										Resources to Report Corruption										Contact at the government agency or agencies that are responsible for combating corruption:Director General,Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)Mulanje House, P.O Box 2437, Lilongwe, MalawiTel: +(265) 1 770 166 / +265 (0) 888 208 963E-mail:  reportcentre-ll@acbmw.org Website:  https://acbmw.org/ The ChairpersonNational Anti-Corruption Alliance (NACA)Phone Numbers: 0881 02 22 12 and 099 86 57 18Email Address:  mosesmkandawire@yahoo.co.uk 																																												10. Political and Security Environment						    																						Malawi continues to enjoy a stable and democratic government system. Since the end of one-party rule in 1994, the country has had seven peaceful presidential and six parliamentary elections. In 2020, Malawians voted for a new government in a court sanctioned presidential re-run, ousting the then ruling party. Although political divisions exist, Malawi has no significant tribal, religious, regional, ethnic, or racial tensions that might lead to widespread violence. Incidents of labor unrest occasionally occur but are usually non-violent. Despite instances of political uncertainty there are no nascent insurrections or politically motivated activities of major concern to investors. Democratic processes are well established, and destabilizing unrest is unlikely.																																		11. Labor Policies and Practices						    																						Most working-age individuals in Malawi live in rural areas and are involved in the informal sector and subsistence agriculture. The informal economy covers 89 percent of the labor force. Informal employment is primarily small-scale, minimally capitalized, and relies on household members for labor. Across all age groups, more males are employed than females. Informal employment is usually easier to get, is less stable, and usually pays far less than minimum wage ($48.26 per month as of March 2023). The COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions due to Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, combined with other domestic economic challenges like energy shortfalls, and wave of tropical cyclones, have negatively affected both formal and informal sectors employment and economic growth.A 2015 Child Labor Survey found 38 percent of children aged 5-17 were active in child labor. In November 2019, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency issued a Withhold Release Order against tobacco from Malawi due to child and forced labor concerns. As of March 2023, three companies were granted waivers enabling them to export tobacco to the U.S. Due to capital requirements, all foreign investors are categorized in the formal sector. Labor laws cut across all sectors and the courts may get involved in any labor dispute. Skilled and semi-skilled labor is scarce and skilled employment opportunities are extremely limited. Despite the Gender Equality Act in 2013, discrimination against women is pervasive, and women still have lower literacy and education levels and less access to employment opportunities. Malawi has six public universities that provide bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in several fields including accountancy, law, economics, engineering, medicine, ICT, education, agriculture, and administration. The government is also expanding its network of vocational schools. The University of Malawi and the privately owned Catholic University are accredited to offer law degrees. PhD programs in economics, health, agriculture, and education usually enroll a few candidates each year.Employment, immigration laws, and regulations require that any local or foreign investor prioritize hiring of nationals except in cases where the needed skills are not available locally. There are no restrictions on employers adjusting employment to respond to fluctuating market conditions so long as such adjustments comply with employment laws and regulations. There are also no social safety net programs for workers laid off due to economic reasons nor are employers required to have employment insurance for their employees. There are no provisions for labor laws to be waived to attract or retain investment in Malawi nor are there additional or different labor law provisions in Export Processing and Special Economic zones for purpose of promoting exports. The pension act mandates all employers provide pension schemes to employees through the registered pension fund managers.Aside from military or police personnel, all workers are legally permitted to form and join trade unions without previous authorization or excessive requirements. Unions must register with Registrar of Trade Unions and Employers’ Organizations in the Ministry of Labor. There are about 46 trade unions, mostly are affiliated with the umbrella body Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU) approximately covering 300,000 workers. Despite the membership size, the MCTU Unions power is limited and weak. The government is a signatory to the ILO Convention protecting worker rights, ratified all the fundamental International Labor Conventions, and the Forced Labor Protocol to fast-track implementation of Target 8.7, but enforcement is weak due to labor inspector shortage and resource constraints. Government designated labor officers, police officers and immigration officers as trafficking in persons (TIP) enforcement officers.The Industrial Relations Court (IRC) has jurisdiction over labor disputes and other issues relating to employment. An aggrieved party may appeal the decision of the IRC to the High Court of Malawi but only on matters of law or jurisdiction, the IRC decision is final and binding on all other matters. The Labor Relations Act (LRA) governs labor-relations management in Malawi’s formal sector. Employers, labor unions, and the government lack sophistication regarding labor relations/disputes. Government of Malawi enacted the workers compensation act in 2000 but the workers compensation fund was operationalized in 2022. There have not been any major strikes that posed any serious investment risk since 2012. In October 2021, government amended LRA and the Employment Act. The LRA amendment allows an employer to deduct wages from an employee who strikes for more than three days per annum and authorizes the Minister of Labor to designate categories of workers as essential, thereby prohibiting them from striking or lockdowns. The LRA removed the requirement of employer and employee panelists in the IRC, thereby loosening the bottleneck at the IRC. Amendments to the Employment Act prohibits forced and tenancy labor, provides special working conditions for pregnant and breastfeeding female employees, provides for paternity leave, and makes provisions for deduction of wages for the period an employee is absent from work due to participation in a strike. In 2022, there were no amendments to existing labor laws or new laws.																																		12. U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and Other Investment Insurance or Development Finance Programs						    																						The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding several projects in Malawi. In 2022 the DFC issued a $25 million financing arrangement to Golomoti JCM Solar Corporation Limited to build and operate the 20-megawatt solar photovoltaic and 5-megawatt battery storage facility. Between 2019 and 2020, DFC issued approximately $52.5 million in support of solar projects. In 2018, DFC provided Ecobank Malawi $5 million to support loans to small and medium sized agribusinesses; and in 2016 $2.4 million to support loans to woman or youth-owned businesses and the agriculture sector. Malawi has maintained an OPIC (DFC) investment guarantee agreement since 1967. https://www.dfc.gov/sites/default/files/media/documents/DFC_Partner_Guide.pdf  .																																		13. Foreign Direct Investment Statistics						    																						Table 2: Key Macroeconomic Data, U.S. FDI in Host Country/EconomyHost Country Statistical source*USG or international statistical sourceUSG or International Source of Data:  BEA; IMF; Eurostat; UNCTAD, OtherEconomic DataYearAmountYearAmountHost Country Gross Domestic Product (GDP at constant prices) ($M USD)2022$7.4 billion2022$11.31 billionwww.worldbank.org/en/countryForeign Direct InvestmentHost Country Statistical source*USG or international statistical sourceUSG or international Source of data:  BEA; IMF; Eurostat; UNCTAD, OtherU.S. FDI in partner country ($M USD, stock positions)N/AN/A2021$180 millionBEA data available at https://apps.bea.gov/international/factsheet/Host country’s FDI in the United States ($M USD, stock positions)N/AN/A2021$0 millionBEA data available at https://apps.bea.gov/international/factsheet/Total inbound stock of FDI as % host GDPN/AN/A20220.6%UNCTAD data available athttps://unctad.org/topic/investment/world-investment-report   * Source for Host Country Data: Ministry of Finance, 2023 Annual Economic Report.  Table 3: Sources and Destination of FDIDirect Investment from/in Counterpart Economy DataFrom Top Five Sources/To Top Five Destinations (US Dollars, Millions)Inward Direct InvestmentOutward Direct InvestmentTotal Inward$999 million100%Total Outward$220 million100%Mauritius$331 million33.1%South Africa$118 million53.6%United States$180 million18%Mozambique$46 million20.9%China$177 million17.7%Mauritius$35 million15.9%South Africa$118 million11.8%Zambia$13 million5.9%United Kingdom$81 million8.1%Netherlands$6 million2.7%&#8220;0&#8221; reflects amounts rounded to +/- USD 500,000.Data sourced from  IMF CDIS  and reflect status as of end 2021. Data for 2022 and 2023 not yet compiled on the IMF Coordinated Direct Investment Survey (CDIS) website. The data is as reported by the counterpart economy and cannot determine consistent with Malawi data as currently there are no verifiable Malawi government sources for the data.																																		14. Contact for More Information						    																						U.S. EmbassyPOL-ECON Section, Economic Office40/24 Kenyatta Drive, Lilongwe, MalawiPhone: +265-1-773-166Email:  LilongweECON@state.gov 																										    							View report by:																				Albania											Algeria											Andorra											Angola											Antigua and Barbuda											Argentina											Armenia											Australia											Austria											The Bahamas											Azerbaijan											Bahrain											Bangladesh											Barbados											Belarus											Belgium											Belize											Benin											Bolivia											Bosnia and Herzegovina											Botswana											Brazil											Brunei											Bulgaria											Burkina Faso											Burma											Burundi											Cabo Verde											Cambodia											Cameroon											Canada											Chile											China											Colombia											Costa Rica											Côte d’Ivoire											Croatia											Cyprus											Czechia											Democratic Republic of the Congo											Denmark											Djibouti											Dominica											Dominican Republic											Ecuador											Egypt											El Salvador											Equatorial Guinea											Eritrea											Estonia											Eswatini											Ethiopia											Fiji											Finland											France and Monaco											The Gambia											Gabon											Georgia											Germany											Ghana											Greece											Grenada											Guatemala											Guinea											Guyana											Haiti											Honduras											Hong Kong											Hungary											Iceland											India											Indonesia											Iraq											Ireland											Israel											Italy											Jamaica											Japan											Jordan											Kazakhstan											Kenya											Kosovo											Kyrgyz Republic											Laos											Latvia											Lebanon											Lesotho											Liberia											Libya											Lithuania											Luxembourg											Macau											Madagascar											Malawi											Malaysia											Maldives											Mali											Malta											Marshall Islands											Mauritania											Mauritius											Mexico											Micronesia											Moldova											Mongolia											Montenegro											Morocco											Mozambique											Namibia											Nepal											Netherlands											New Zealand											Nicaragua											Niger											Nigeria											North Macedonia											Norway											Oman											Pakistan											Palau											Panama											Papua New Guinea											Paraguay											Philippines											Peru											Poland											Portugal											Qatar											Republic of the Congo											Romania											Rwanda											Saint Kitts and Nevis											Saint Lucia											Saint Vincent and the Grenadines											Samoa											Sao Tome and Principe											Saudi Arabia											Senegal											Serbia											Seychelles											Sierra Leone											Singapore											Slovakia											Slovenia											Somalia											South Africa											South Korea											South Sudan											Spain											Sri Lanka											Suriname											Sweden											Switzerland											Taiwan											Tajikistan											Tanzania											Thailand											Timor-Leste											Togo											Trinidad and Tobago											Tunisia											Türkiye											United Arab Emirates											Uganda											Ukraine											United Kingdom											Uruguay											Uzbekistan											Vietnam											West Bank and Gaza											Zambia											Zimbabwe															Build A Custom Report																						On This Page				search													>																										EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																1. Openness To, and Restrictions Upon, Foreign Investment																																							Policies Towards Foreign Direct Investment																																																						Limits on Foreign Control and Right to Private Ownership and Establishment																																																						Other Investment Policy Reviews																																																						Business Facilitation																																																						Outward Investment																																																			2. Bilateral Investment and Taxation Treaties																3. Legal Regime																																							Transparency of the Regulatory System																																																						International Regulatory Considerations																																																						Legal System and Judicial Independence																																																						Laws and Regulations on Foreign Direct Investment																																																						Recently implemented relevant policy/law reforms:																																																						Competition and Antitrust Laws																																																						Expropriation and Compensation																																																						Dispute Settlement																																																				ICSID Convention and New York Convention																																																																																				Investor-State Dispute Settlement																																																						International Commercial Arbitration and Foreign Courts																																																						Bankruptcy Regulations																																																			4. Industrial Policies																																							Investment Incentives																																																						Foreign Trade Zones/Free Ports/Trade Facilitation																																																						Performance and Data Localization Requirements																																																			5. Protection of Property Rights																																							Real Property																																																						Intellectual Property Rights																																																			6. Financial Sector																																							Capital Markets and Portfolio Investment																																																						Money and Banking System																																																						Foreign Exchange and Remittances																																																				Foreign Exchange																																												Remittance Policies																																																																																				Sovereign Wealth Funds																																																			7. State-Owned Enterprises																																							Privatization Program																																																			8. Responsible Business Conduct																																							Additional Resources																																																						Climate Issues																																																			9. Corruption																																							Resources to Report Corruption																																																			10. Political and Security Environment																11. Labor Policies and Practices																12. U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and Other Investment Insurance or Development Finance Programs																13. Foreign Direct Investment Statistics																14. Contact for More Information																						Tags																					Bureau of African Affairs																								Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs																								Malawi
- Malawi Independence Day Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateOn behalf of the United States of America, please accept my best wishes as the people of Malawi commemorate Independence Day on July 6.The U.S.-Malawi partnership is an anchor for peace and stability, rooted in shared democratic values and a commitment to a healthier, more prosperous future. Malawi has shown remarkable resolve and tireless international leadership in the face of global challenges. The United States looks forward to continuing our close cooperation with Malawi on empowering sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, defending human rights, responding to climate change, and delivering on commitments outlined at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.The people of the United States wish Malawians everywhere a very happy 59th Independence Day.