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Karonga District Council

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Trade & Business

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Trade and Business Opportunities

Karonga District is ripe with trade and investment opportunities across agriculture, tourism, mining, and fisheries. The Council is actively promoting private sector engagement and offers support for cooperatives, SMEs, and individual entrepreneurs to thrive in local and regional markets.

  • Access to raw materials like rice, groundnuts, cassava, livestock, and fish.
  • Support for small-scale processing industries (e.g., peanut butter, soap, rice milling).
  • Linkages to national programs like AGCOM and the TRADE Project.
  • Investment in eco-tourism, crafts, mining, and cross-border trade with Tanzania.
  • Opportunities for export and regional trade via Songwe Border and Lake Malawi port.
Join a Cooperative Partner With Us

Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are vital to Karonga's economic landscape, providing employment and adding value in diverse sectors. Explore the key opportunities and challenges below:

  • World Bank’s FInES project offers business training
  • Fish landing facilities from SFAD-WM project
  • Financial support through FInES and NEEF
  • Loan access from banks and microfinance institutions
  • Rising Lake Malawi water levels and flooding
  • Inadequate infrastructure
  • Lack of business management skills
Learn More About SMEs

Trade Cooperatives in Karonga

Karonga has 28 registered cooperatives that actively contribute to local economic development. Explore the details below:

  • Rukulu Women Cooperative
  • Tikolelelane Women Rice Cooperative
  • Twitule Cooperative
  • Hara Rice Cooperative
  • Rice processing and packaging
  • Soap making
  • Bakery
  • Wine production
  • Charcoal from rice husks
  • Peanut butter processing
  • COMSIP: Capacity building, financial linkages, market access
  • Christian Aid: Training, technical assistance, financial connections
  • AGCOM: Training and financial support for productivity and market access
  • Limited market access
  • Extreme weather conditions affecting crops
  • Depreciation of Malawian Kwacha affecting operations
  • Participation in district and national trade fairs
  • Utilizing digital platforms like social media
Connect With Cooperatives

District Trade Office Support

  • Training through Cooperative Member Education (CME)
  • Facilitating general meetings to strengthen governance
  • Coordinating with COMSIP, Christian Aid, and others
  • Supporting acquisition of trade certificates
  • Supervising cooperatives and SMEs for growth
Get in Touch with the Trade Office