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| Map: Malawi. Credit: CIA World Factbook. |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
The United States established diplomatic relations with Malawi in 1964, following its full independence from the United Kingdom. Malawi saw one-party rule from 1966 to 1994. The transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy in 1994 strengthened bilateral relations between the United States and Malawi. The two countries have worked together to advance health, education, agriculture, energy, and environmental projects. In 2012, the U.S. reinstated the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact partnership with Malawi following a number of reforms enacted by the Government of Malawi.
U.S. and Malawian views on the necessity of economic and political stability in southern Africa generally coincide. Through an assessment of its own national interests and foreign policy objectives, Malawi advocates peaceful solutions to the region's problems through negotiation. The country works to achieve these objectives in a variety of regional and international forums. The United States and Malawi engage in military-to-military programs. Malawi was the first southern African nation to receive peacekeeping training under the U.S.-sponsored African Crisis Response Force Initiative and has joined its successor, the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program.
U.S. Assistance to Malawi
U.S. assistance in Malawi seeks to promote food security and agriculture-based economic growth and poverty reduction; preserve Malawi’s unique biodiversity and its ability to mitigate climate change; strengthen public and private institutions for better delivery of social services; empower the private sector and civil society; and advance democracy, human rights, and good governance. U.S. partnerships with the Government of Malawi, civil society, and other donors aim to address weaknesses and gaps that constrain the government’s efforts to meet the basic needs of its citizens, support regional stability, and help the government remain a responsible actor on the international stage.
Bilateral Economic Relations
Malawi is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. U.S. exports to Malawi include wheat, low-value shipments, pharmaceutical products, baking-related products, and machinery. U.S. imports from Malawi include tobacco, apparel, tea, macadamia nuts, and sugars.
The United States has signed a trade and investment framework agreement with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, of which Malawi is a member.
Malawi's Membership in International Organizations
Malawi and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.
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| Malawi Locator Map. |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2005. MUTHARIKA was reelected to a second term in May 2009. As president, he oversaw some economic improvement. He died abruptly in April 2012 and was succeeded by his vice president, Joyce BANDA. Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.
