During my stint at Blantyre Print and Packaging in the vibrant 1980s, Lever Brothers—now known as Unilever—was our star client. Their bustling factory in Limbe kept us on our toes as we churned out a cascade of their colorful packaging: Surf and Vim cartons, Lifebuoy and Sunlight wrappers, and an array of other wrappers for their iconic products. Beyond their soap empire, Lever Brothers also dominated the cooking oil market with household names like Covo and Kazinga. As if that was not enough, they ventured into the world of cosmetics, introducing the famous Fair and Lovely Lotion, adding a touch of elegance to their already diverse portfolio.
The once-thriving Unilever factory, a hub of activity in its heyday, now houses a different company, as all manufacturing has come to a standstill. Unilever no longer produces locally, opting instead to import all their merchandise. The same fate has befallen Bata and countless other local companies, signaling a worrisome shift from homegrown production to wholesale reliance on imports. What was once a testament to Malawian industry now stands as a stark reminder of a fading era of local manufacturing.
There was a time when Malawi boasted a robust manufacturing base, a pride of the nation’s economy. I recall Blantyre Print and Packaging supplying labels to Shire Clothing, a trailblazing company in Lilongwe that specialized in crafting garments and beddings exclusively for export. This was during the era of export processing zones, a bold government initiative designed to promote international trade. These zones operated under strict rules—no product was to be sold locally, ensuring their output remained firmly focused on foreign markets. It was a time of innovation and ambition, when Malawi dared to stake its claim on the global stage.
The economy back then, though challenging by global standards, was far healthier than what we face today. The currency had remarkable strength. I vividly remember my first family road trip from Blantyre to Lilongwe, sometime around 1992. With just K200 worth of fuel, I not only made the journey but also managed some local errands in Lilongwe. Fast forward to today—if someone tried to buy K200 worth of fuel, the attendant would likely assume they’d lost their mind. It’s a stark reflection of how far our economy has deteriorated over the years.
We have transformed into a nation of retailers. Once proud manufacturers like Unilever and Bata have abandoned production entirely, reduced to importing goods from abroad and selling them locally. The wheels of industry have ground to a halt, leaving production out of the equation altogether. Without fully realizing it, we’ve forfeited a critical pillar of trade—production itself—a cornerstone of economic resilience and self-reliance. What remains is a sobering picture of dependence, with little left to show for our former industrial might.
Wealth is born of production. Retailing and banking, while undeniably vital, are mere facilitators—they do not create wealth; they simply redistribute it. By losing our grip on production, we have inadvertently undermined our capacity to generate real prosperity. The result is a nation that is, in essence, poorer than it once was, no longer building wealth but merely shifting what little remains from one pocket to another.
Hetherwick Press, once a cornerstone of the Blantyre Synod, shut its doors years ago, joining the ranks of other pioneering church-affiliated print shops that have faded into history. Today, only Nkhoma Press clings to survival, but it, too, lies in the intensive care unit. What were once vibrant centers of production and communication have become relics of a bygone era.
British American Tobacco (BAT) once thrived in Malawi, producing a range of cigarette brands from their factory right across the road from the MUBAS main campus. Today, that industrial yard has been transformed into a sleek, glamorous shopping mall. But the irony is hard to miss—the dominant business within its walls is none other than retailing. A space once devoted to production now merely facilitates the exchange of imported goods.
In his book MRP II: Unlocking America’s Production Potential, Oliver Wright aptly stated, “Production is the goose that laid the golden egg.” Tragically, we have not only strangled but slaughtered this goose, all the while expecting golden eggs to keep appearing. Is it any wonder, then, that Malawi ranks among the poorest nations on earth? What’s baffling is that this decline has befallen a country that has never been at war. It is an unpalatable truth, yet an undeniable reality.
Contrast this with Rwanda—a nation that rose from the ashes of a horrific genocide just a few decades ago. Rwanda’s story reminds us that with vision and determination, transformation is possible. For Malawi, the question remains: when will we find our turning point?