Malawi workforce identified as key to attracting Chinese investment

Professor He Wenping of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has highlighted Malawi’s professional workforce as a primary asset for attracting Chinese investment and boosting manufacturing. Speaking at Renmin University of China, Wenping noted that Malawi’s labor pool provides a competitive edge for locating factories compared to some regional neighbors.

To support industrialization, Wenping emphasized the role of the Belt and Road Initiative in addressing Africa’s annual $170 billion infrastructure funding gap through the development of roads, railways, and factories. For landlocked Malawi, such connectivity is vital for accessing global markets. She also suggested leveraging the country’s energy potential from solar, wind, and the Shire River to reduce import reliance and urged a shift from exporting raw materials to producing finished goods.