There are nations in this world blessed with few natural resources, yet they maintain vibrant economies through strong export sectors. Their prosperity is built not on mineral wealth or fertile land, but on the ingenuity and enterprise of their people. Japan is a striking example. According to 2020 statistics, the country’s leading export earnings came from transport machinery, followed by industrial machinery, including nuclear reactors and boilers, while electrical and electronic equipment ranked third.
Together, these three categories generated an impressive US$346.82 billion in export revenue. By contrast, Malawi’s total exports for the same year amounted to a mere US$0.79 billion, much of it derived from raw commodities. This stark disparity highlights the need for us to raise our ambitions. Rather than relying on tobacco year after year, we must begin developing innovative products capable of competing on the global stage.
We need only look to our fellow African nations for inspiration. Across the continent, countries are strengthening their manufacturing capabilities to stem the outflow of foreign exchange through import substitution. Ghana and Nigeria, for instance, assemble their own vehicles, and closer to home, Uganda has made remarkable strides in the same direction.
A few years ago, the President of Uganda commissioned an infantry fighting vehicle designed and manufactured entirely within Uganda. It was aptly named Chui, the Swahili word for “leopard”. An earlier Ugandan-made infantry vehicle had been christened Nyoka, meaning “snake”.
Expressing his approval of the initiative, President Museveni reportedly stated that Uganda spends more than US$550 million annually importing vehicles from Japan and Europe, while virtually all the money earned from coffee exports finds its way back overseas through vehicle purchases. In his view, this cycle had to end.
At the launch of the Chui, President Museveni boldly declared that Uganda had become a “superpower”. While the claim may sound ambitious, it is not entirely without foundation. Indigenous technological innovations of this nature remain relatively rare on the African continent and represent significant milestones in industrial development.
Malawi, too, once appeared to be moving in the right direction when it ventured into local vehicle production. The Zonse vehicle, assembled by the Central African Transport Company (CATCO), was an encouraging initiative, though sadly short-lived. Many Malawians are unaware that locally assembled vehicles existed in the 1970s and would be astonished to learn that Malawi once produced its own motorcars.
Institutions such as the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) and the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) could play a pivotal role in reviving this vision and charting a path forward in vehicle manufacturing and other technological fields. Uganda’s automotive industry owes much of its progress to Makerere University’s Faculty of Engineering, which spearheaded the development of the Kiira vehicle.
Building upon the university’s pioneering efforts, Uganda subsequently established a commercial enterprise dedicated to vehicle manufacturing. Today, the company produces a growing range of vehicles, including the Kayoola Diesel Coach, Kayoola EVS, Kiira EV, Kiira EV SMACK, Kayoola Solar Bus and Kiira EVS.
The Kiira project itself was conceived at Makerere University under the leadership of former engineering lecturer Dr Musasizi, who now serves as Chief Executive Officer of Kiira Motors. Malawi is equally blessed with capable academics and engineers within the institutions I have mentioned. Many others not specifically named could also contribute meaningfully to any initiative aimed at establishing a vehicle manufacturing industry in Malawi.
I have visited the design studio at MUBAS on several occasions and have been consistently impressed by its capabilities. During my first visit in 2017, Malawi’s first 3D printer had only recently been installed. At the time, it was reportedly the only facility of its kind between South Africa and Kenya. In short, the MUBAS Design Studio possessed such an impressive array of equipment that asking its staff to design a vehicle would hardly have been asking for the impossible.
Admittedly, manufacturing vehicles in Malawi would not immediately generate significant foreign exchange earnings. However, it would help conserve the precious foreign currency we currently spend importing vehicles from Japan, Europe and China.Suppose, for a moment, that Malawi succeeded in designing and manufacturing its own vehicle. Inevitably, critics would dismiss it, pointing out that it falls short of the standards established by vehicles from Japan or Germany. Yet such comparisons would be unfair. Germany has been manufacturing motor vehicles for well over a century, while Japan has been refining its automotive expertise for many decades. Through experience, refinement and constructive feedback, quality improves over time. The critical issue is not whether our first attempt would be perfect, but whether we are willing to begin. Thus far, we have not taken that first step.