Malawi is being urged to look beyond its domestic market and build stronger agricultural value chains with neighbouring countries as it seeks to turn farming into a driver of economic growth, jobs and regional trade.

The proposal was discussed at the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, where stakeholders argued that Malawi does not need to produce every agricultural product itself. Instead, the country could focus on commodities it can produce competitively while partnering with neighbouring economies for processing, inputs and access to wider markets.

Malawi’s Minister of Industry, Business, Trade and Tourism, Simon Itaye, highlighted potential cooperation with Tanzania. Malawi could supply agricultural raw materials to Tanzania for processing into animal feed, which could then be exported back to Malawi to support poultry production, with poultry products eventually sold into the Tanzanian market.

The model reflects a growing emphasis on complementary regional agricultural industries rather than countries competing to produce the same commodities. Malawi and Tanzania are also working to facilitate small-scale cross-border trade through a Simplified Trade Regime designed to reduce customs barriers and ease the movement of selected goods through the Kasumulu-Songwe border.

However, stakeholders stressed that trade infrastructure and agreements alone will not be enough. Chris Isaac, chief investment officer at agricultural investment firm AgDevCo, said successful food corridors must be built around farmers who can produce profitably and have reliable markets.

That requires an ecosystem covering improved seed, fertiliser, mechanisation, agronomic services, finance, storage, aggregation and market access. Isaac also highlighted the need for patient capital, noting that building successful agricultural businesses often takes longer than conventional five- or six-year investment cycles.

Agriculture contributes more than a quarter of Malawi’s GDP and remains central to employment, food security and export earnings. Opportunities are increasingly emerging in areas such as agro-processing, irrigation, horticulture, livestock and fisheries, alongside primary agricultural production.

Nigerian agribusiness entrepreneur Oluyemi Iranloye, whose Psaltry International expanded from working with 17 farmers to supplying cassava products to multinational manufacturers, said African countries could replicate successful agricultural business models across borders by specialising according to their comparative advantages.

For Malawi, stronger regional value chains could create a pathway from primary production to processing, manufacturing and exports. Harmonised policies, easier border procedures, better market connections and access to finance will be critical to making that model work.

If governments, banks, regional institutions and businesses can establish the right foundations, stakeholders believe investment will increasingly follow commercially viable agricultural opportunities, allowing Malawi to use regional trade as a catalyst for agricultural transformation.