This is being championed by the Ministry of
Industry and Trade (MoIT), through MITC. So
far, MITC intends to develop several areas into
SEZs and these include; the Agro-processing
Special Economic Zone (AP-SEZ), possibly
along Zalewa, an Industrial Park at Chigumula
Blantyre where 27.3 ha of land has already
been set aside for this purpose, an Industrial
Park in Lilongwe and another at Chintheche,
Nkhata-Bay.
With support from the Enhanced Integrated
Framework (EIF) project, the institution (MITC)
is at an advanced stage in the procurement of
a consultant to conduct a feasibility study and
develop a roadmap for the establishment of an
AP-SEZ.
Export Processing Zones
The Export Processing Zones (EPZs) regime
was established to attract export-orientated
industries, by offering them especially
favourable investment incentives as compared
to the remainder of the manufacturing sector
in the country.
The Export Processing Zones Act came
into force in 1995. All companies engaged
exclusively in manufacturing for export may
32 • INDIA-MALAWI • 2019
apply for EPZ status, as Government accords
EPZ status only to fi rms (foreign or domestic)
that produce exclusively for export.
There are no specifi c zones dedicated to
export processing in Malawi, rather it is fi rms
which are designated the status of EPZs and
are located in areas of choice and convenience
to the investor. The Ministry of Industry and
Trade administers the Export Processing
Zones Regime in Malawi assisted by the EPZ
Monitoring and Evaluation Committee as
stipulated in the Act.
An Export Enterprise Certifi cate is valid for
a period of fi ve years and may, thereafter, be
renewed for successive periods of two years and
companies can choose to graduate or not from
the scheme. The law requires all exporters to
repatriate back to Malawi 100 percent of export
proceeds and register the same with the Reserve
Bank of Malawi within 6 months of export.
Traditional industries such as tobacco, tea,
coff ee, and cotton are excluded from the EPZ
Regime. Currently, the fi rms operating under
the EPZ status are in three categories of export
products namely, (a) natural rubber and wood
products; (b) macadamia and coff ee; and (c)
textile.