This paper discusses the costs and benefits of Malawi's efforts to induce private investment, particularly the economic incentives that the government offers investors.

It begins with a brief overview of Malawi's economic and investment policies, explains the country's ambitions with respect to sustainable economic development, surveys the main investment incentives offered to investors, and discusses the risks and opportunities associated with investment incentives. It is beyond the scope of this brief to provide detailed insights into how Malawi's individual investment incentives are performing with respect to their policy objectives, although further research in this area is strongly required, as discussed in the concluding section of this paper.