Trade in Malawi is liberalized with import and export license only required for very few products that have a bearing on security, health, food self-sufficiency, and the preservation of infant industries.

Malawi is a member of COMESA (Common Market For Eastern and Southern Africa); SADC (Southern African Development Community) ACP/SU Cotonou Agreement and the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as a beneficiary of the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) and Everything But Arms (EBA) Agreement. Bilateral Agreements exist with South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Further agreements are currently under consideration with Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. These, alongside other initiatives such as the Growth Triangle and Spatial Development Initiative, offer considerable opportunities for increasing trade and investment in the region and stimulating growth.