Malawi- Business TravelMalawi- Business Travel

Business Customs

Malawians are characteristically helpful in both personal and business dealings.  Business travelers to Malawi seeking appointments with U.S. Embassy Lilongwe should contact the economic and commercial section in advance at +265-1-773-166 extensions 3406 and 3253, or by email to LilongweECON@state.gov.

Attire
Malawi business attire is relatively formal.  Business suits are recommended.

Food
A variety of food is normally available in Malawi's urban areas.  Expatriates patronize a handful of restaurants in both Lilongwe and Blantyre.  Rural areas have very few restaurants, almost none of which attract foreigners.  The U.S. Embassy recommends drinking only boiled, bottled, or distilled water.  Raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables should be avoided.

Housing
Short-term visitors to Malawi would most likely stay in tourist-class hotels, which are located in major urban areas and lakeside resorts.  Accommodations in rural areas are generally not recommended.  Expatriate residents in Malawi generally live in modern housing in the major urban centers.  Power and water are generally available in major cities, but supply interruptions are common.  The housing markets in Lilongwe and Blantyre are tight.  Local real estate agents are available to help locate housing.

Travel Advisory

Check the Department of State Consular Information Sheet for Malawi.

Visa Requirements

A passport with at least two blank pages, a visa or entry permit, return ticket, and adequate funds are required for entry into Malawi.  U.S. citizens traveling to Malawi for tourism, transit, or business obtain entry visas upon arrival at either of Malawi’s international airports and all official border crossing points.  Even though Malawi has informed the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that visas may be obtained by U.S. travelers upon arrival, some airlines may require travelers to have a Malawian visa before boarding connecting flights to Malawi.  U.S. citizens can also obtain a visa prior to arrival at Malawi’s Embassy and consulates.

U.S. business travelers should contact the Malawi Embassy in Washington, DC for the latest information on visa requirements,

U.S. companies that require travel of foreign businesspersons to the United States should go to the following links for information on the visa process:

State Department Visa Website
U.S. Embassy Lilongwe Website

Currency

The local currency is called the Malawi kwacha (MK).  It is easily convertible to other currencies at banks and forex bureaus in Malawi.  Banks tend to have U.S. dollars, South African rand, British pounds, and Euros.  Most places offering money exchange will only accept large recent U.S. dollar bills ($20 and above).

Most ATMs will give you Malawi kwacha on your Visa or MasterCard, provided the credit, debit, or ATM card is compatible.  Travelers checks are acceptable to most banks and forex bureaus, but the exchange rates used for travelers checks are generally disadvantageous to the traveler compared to those for cash.

You can pay using your Visa (occasionally MasterCard) at most major shops, tourist-oriented businesses (tourist-class hotels, travel agents, rental car agencies) and a few restaurants in Lilongwe and Blantyre.  Most smaller shops do not accept debit and credit cards.

Telecommunications/Electronics

Malawi's telecommunications infrastructure is functional but sometimes overburdened.  Mobile telephone service is expanding rapidly and more than 50% of households now own a mobile phone.  Two companies (Malawi Telecom Limited (MTL) and Access Communications) were originally licensed to provide fixed line telephone service.  However, both are also providing mobile phone services.  Four companies (Telekom Network Malawi (TNM), Airtel Malawi, MTL, and Access Communications) offer cellular telephone service.  Malawi has well-established GSM (TNM and Airtel) and emerging CDMA (Access) mobile networks.  Most corporate offices and tourist-class hotels have telephones and faxes.  The international country code for Malawi is 265.

There are two internet gateway providers and several internet service providers.  According to the International Telecommunication Union, approximately 9% of Malawians used the Internet in 2017.  Internet is widely accessible, though congested, in the major cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu, and Zomba, but only about 15% of the population lives in urban areas.  Internet is not widely available in rural areas.  Wireless access to the internet is improving and some access, particularly over 3G mobile phone networks, is now available in rural areas located along major transportation corridors with adequate communications tower coverage.  Some isolated tourist resorts have satellite internet links.

Malawi’s electricity is 220 volts, 50-60 Hertz, though voltage quality is unreliable.  Surge protectors are recommended for sensitive or valuable electronics.  A variety of plug types are in use, but the most common is the UK-standard square 3-prong plug.

Transportation

Ground Transportation
Paved, two-lane roads connect Malawi's major cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mzuzu, and Zomba.  Paved roads also connect the lakeshore communities of Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bay, Salima, and Mangochi with Lilongwe, Mzuzu, and Zomba.  Paved roads extend from Blantyre to the borders of Mozambique, from Lilongwe to the Zambian border, and from Karonga to the Tanzanian border.  Inadequate drainage often contributes to the premature break-up of road surfaces that are subject to washouts during the rainy season.  Many dirt roads are not passable during the rainy season (roughly November to April).

Rental cars are available for hire in Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu.  Driving at night outside urban areas is unsafe.  Malawi has an extensive network of buses, but only the best class bus service connecting Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu is normally considered acceptable for business travel.

Air Transportation
Airports on the outskirts of Lilongwe and Blantyre handle international air traffic.  There are daily scheduled flights to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; and Johannesburg, South Africa.  Connections can be made from these points to Asia, Europe, and North America.  There are also reliable flights from Malawi to Lusaka, Zambia; Harare, Zimbabwe; and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.  There are daily flights between Blantyre and Lilongwe.

Rail Transportation
The Central East African Railways Company (CEAR) operates limited passenger services between Limbe, Balaka, and Nayuchi (border with Mozambique), and freight service between Lilongwe, Blantyre, and the Mozambican port of Nacala.  A track extension connects Malawi’s network to the Zambian network, but there is not yet any scheduled service to Zambia.
Vale, a Brazilian mining company, began construction and rehabilitation of the new rail line from Tete/Moatize in Mozambique through Malawi to the port of Nacala in 2013.  The new rail line was completed in early 2015 and coal trains started using the line in December 2015.

Water Transportation
Limited freight and passenger services are offered on Lake Malawi.  There is a shipyard and workshops at Monkey Bay, and seven vessels (of which four are operational).  The vessels have capacity to transport containers, petroleum products, and passengers through the ports of Chilumba and Chipoka on Lake Malawi, including stops in Tanzania and Mozambique.  Concessionaire Mota-Engil now manages both lake services and ports.

Language

English, the official language of Malawi, generally suffices for business communication, although few rural Malawians speak it.  The most common vernacular languages include Chichewa (spoken throughout the country), Chitumbuka (spoken primarily in the North), and Chiyao and Lomwe (spoken primarily in the South).

Health

Malawi's health facilities are far below Western standards.  Malaria and other tropical diseases are prevalent throughout the country.  The HIV/AIDS rate is high (10.6%), particularly in urban areas.  Much of Lake Malawi and the country’s river network is infested with schistosomiasis (bilharzia).  Malaria prophylaxis is recommended while in Malawi, as is a comprehensive immunization regime before entering the country.  The U.S. Embassy recommends drinking only boiled, bottled, or distilled water.  Raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables should be avoided.
For more information please visit Centers for Disease Control website.  

Local Time, Business Hours and Holidays

Malawi is on GMT+2.  There is no system of daylight savings time during any part of the year.  Official government business hours are 07:30 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:30 Monday to Friday.  Some businesses choose to open on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, usually for limited hours.

Malawi's official holidays for 2018 are:

Temporary Entry of Materials or Personal Belongings

Under Malawi law, the Controller of Customs and Excise is authorized to allow the temporary importation of goods.  The Controller may impose conditions on temporary importation -- such as mandatory re-export -- and may allow entry "for such period as he thinks fit" and "for such purposes as he may approve."  Temporary entry is customarily authorized when goods are in transit to other countries, or when goods are accompanying tourists.

Travel Related Web Resources

• Department of State Consular Information Sheet:  
• State Department Visa Website
• United States Embassy Lilongwe Internet Website
• Malawi Tourism Guide
• Lonely Planet Malawi
• Malawi telephone directory  or Africa Phone Books