Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over 118,484 km2 (45,747 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 22,224,282 (as of July 2025). Lilongwe is the capital and largest city, while the next three largest cities are Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Zomba, the former capital. The currency of Malawi is the Malawian Kwacha (MWK). The official language is English, widely used in business and government, which facilitates communication for international investors. Chewa (Chichewa) is also a widely spoken national language.

Doing business in Malawi has over the past few years become relatively easier, and the system is still improving itself through numerous process re-engineering and streamlining procedures that Government is continuously undertaking. Malawi is ranked 109 among the 190 economies in the ease of doing business, according to the latest World Bank annual rating.

The Malawi Invest investment and Trade Center (MITC) is mandated by Government to promote investment sector that will have a transformation impact on national production, value addition, export capacity, import-substitution and labour intensity. However, it is not mandated to promote trading activities such as shops which rather fall under the Business Licensing Act which is administered under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. Nonetheless, if a trading activity provided significant justification because of its potential economic impact, such as mega-stores and malls MITC, gets involved.