Malawi National Export Strategy (NES) 2013-2018.

The National Export Strategy (NES) is a national sectoral strategy applicable to the export sector during the 2013-2018 period. Its objectives are to: Develop three priority clusters in which Malawi can compete and that have strong economic spillovers, thus allowing for the diversification of exports. These clusters are oil seed products, sugar cane products and manufacturing. The aim is for these clusters to account for 13%, 15% and 18% of imports by 2027. Support existing export clusters (tobacco, mining, tea, tourism, services) such that their contribution to exports and to matching Malawi’s import bill can be maximised. Improve the enabling environment for the productive base such that investment growth may increase from 14% between 2001 and 2011 to 23% per year between 2012 and 2022. This investment will span both: Productive sectors, including domestic and foreign direct investment into the production of competitive goods and services for export. Enabling sectors, or those necessary to address supply-side constraints, such as energy, finance and transport. Develop supportive economic institutions necessary to allow the enabling environment to improve, and hence drive investment. Improve skills, competencies and knowledge to empower Malawians and support the productive base of the economy.
It will provide sector-specific measures to enhance key exporting industries, improve the bureaucratic processes for exporters, and strengthen a range of supporting services such as trade information and finance, export quality management, trade facilitation, branding, and trade promotion. The following are the main three goals of the Strategy: 1) achieving export-led growth; 2) improving export performance; 3) achieving global competitiveness. The priority sectors include agro-processing (food and beverages), aquaculture, coffee, minerals and mining. For the strategy to meet its objectives, it requires policy coherence and alignment, including: Agricultural policies shall build up the viability and competitiveness of the agriculture sector and facilitate its linkage to agri-industrial base; Favourable policies to MSMEs, cooperatives, farmer organisations, women’s groups, youths, rural businesses and export processing zones to boost rural and farm-based entrepreneurship in geographic areas matched to the NES priority cluster; Labour and industrial relations policies must recognise the inevitable industrial shifts that will occur in the effort to achieve international competitiveness.
The NES provides a complete roadmap for how to build the productive base, how to achieve competitive export growth and thus how to achieve sustainable long run growth and development. It sets a realistic plan for how the productive base of the economy can be developed in a way that ensures export competitiveness and economic empowerment of the poor, smallholder farmers, youths and women. The NES is a critical initiative that requires commitment and buy-in from the highest level of all stakeholder groups. Its success requires appropriate balancing and alignment between welfare and the expansion of the productive base of the economy. It is a critical component of the MGDS II. Since it has been developed as a holistic roadmap to build the productive base of the economy, it contributes to all six thematic areas of the MGDS II: sustainable economic growth, social development, social support and disaster risk management, infrastructure development, improved governance and gender and capacity development.