Malawi and Tanzania have announced plans to remove restrictions on movement and trade between the two nations.
The lifting of the barriers would allow the countries to mutually benefit from one another, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu has said.
Suluhu was recently in Malawi on a three-day state visit that culminated in her being the guest of honour during Malawi’s 59th anniversary of the country’s independence on July 6.
Through Tanzania’s State House Communications Director, Zuhura Yunus, said Suluhu has “emphasised the need to remove border restrictions between Tanzania and Malawi to spur trade.”
“President Suluhu and her Malawian counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera, have asked the relevant ministers from both countries to sit down and agree on how the border and trade restrictions would be lifted to realise the objectives of both governments,” Yunus said in a statement.
Low trading volume
On his part, President Chakwera decried low trading volume between Malawi and Tanzania, saying most of the goods destined for either nation “are lost through smuggling.”
“This robs the two countries of revenue,” Chakwera said on Friday during a press conference in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
He added that the planned removal of border restrictions would stop the smuggling of goods.
“Malawi and Tanzania are determined to use the warm neighbourliness in enhancing bilateral cooperation, and infrastructure interconnectivity for improved trade is a priority,” he said.
Trade data
Tanzania’s exports to Malawi was $60.74 million in 2022, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, with most of the goods being cleaning products, bedspreads and soap.
Malawi, on the other hand, exported to Tanzania goods worth at least $20 million, with the leading commodities being soybeans, wood fiberboard and soybean meal.
Suluhu welcomed Malawi’s move to introduce Kiswahili in the country’s syllabus, saying the language “will further unite the two nations.”
Malawi and Tanzania have also signed a cooperation agreement on technology.
