Certification is often viewed narrowly, as a safeguard to protect consumers from substandard products. But in Malawi, it is quietly evolving into something far more consequential.
This feature follows the journeys of small-scale entrepreneurs, from a coffee processor in Nkhata Bay to a peanut butter producer in Lilongwe and a paper manufacturer in Chiradzulu, to uncover how certification is transforming businesses once confined to survival-level operations.
Our reporter Georgia Mbaghugho Chirombo establishes that through a structured collaboration between the Malawi Bureau of Standards and enterprise development partners, these businesses are moving beyond informality into competitive enterprises with access to regional and international markets, including Zambia and Mozambique.
At the center of this shift is a simple but powerful outcome: Production is expanding, jobs are being created, and small firms are entering export markets, contributing to much-needed foreign exchange generation in an import-dependent economy.
The feature titled; Beyond Consumer Protection: How Certification Is Creating Jobs, Boosting Forex, Driving Exports and Formalizing Malawi’s Informal Economy, also tracks emerging gains in high-value export chains such as macadamia and sesame, where improved local testing capacity is unlocking access to distant markets like Japan.
What emerges is a broader argument, that certification, beyond compliance for consumer protection, is becoming a strategic tool for industrial growth, formalization, and economic transformation in line with Malawi 2063.
At Feck Farm in Nkhata Bay, farmer and processor Kondwani Nanchukwa inspects freshly packaged coffee, branded, sealed, and ready for regional markets.
The coffee branded Usingini Upland Coffee is now crossing borders, a milestone that, until recently, seemed far-fetched.
Not long ago, production was small with limited markets. But a single decision to pursue certification from the Malawi Bureau of Standards altered the trajectory of his business.
Through the certification process, Nanchukwa accessed technical training in quality control, processing, packaging, and distribution, alongside exposure visits to Kenya and Zambia.
For him; certification did not only validate his product it’s largely restructured how his business operates and the results are measurable.
Production has increased, market access expanded, and employment grown from one assistant to twelve workers.
His coffee is now stocked in Zambian supermarkets, with consignments reaching Mozambique and the business generating foreign exchange while extending Malawi’s export footprint.
Left: Usingini Upland Coffee in a local supermarket. Right: Nanchukwa carries the coffee.
This transformation speaks to a broader economic reality.
The World Bank suggests that each year, around 270,000 young Malawians enter the labor market, yet only about 40,000 formal jobs are created, hence certified small enterprises are emerging as critical engines of employment.
“Before we got the certification our market was narrow, targeting only individual clients and informal outlets. After certification, new markets opened across Malawi and into neighboring countries. Our monthly production has surged from under 200 kilograms to sometimes reaching as high as two metric tonnes.
We are supplying to ShopRite in Zambia, some buyers from South Africa and recently were have also been in touch with a distributor from the USA”, Nanchukwa said.
Nanchukwa’s experience is not isolated. It reflects a pattern where certification acts as both a quality benchmark and a gateway to markets.
Left: Jescal Peanut Butter in a supermarket. Right : a bottle of Jescal Peanut Butter
In Lilongwe, Lucy Mandala, managing director of Jescal Enterprise Limited, narrates a similar shift about her peanut butter business which started in 2014 without certification and relied on door-to-door sales.
Six years later, after achieving full certification in 2020, her business has transitioned into a structured enterprise with production scaling up, market access improving, and her workforce growing from two to eight employees.
This case highlights a deeper structural issue.
With about 85 percent of Malawi’s workforce operating in the informal sector, certification is proving to be a pathway toward formalization, enabling businesses to standardize operations, access larger markets, and create more stable jobs.
“The certification has helped me to secure new market. Before obtaining my MBS certificate I was only selling door-to-door but now I am selling in supermarkets. I started with just two employees, but now I have eight people assisting me. I am hopeful about expanding into international markets for export”, Mandala said.
In Chiradzulu, paper processor James White of Ndunde Achry echoes the same trajectory of certification boosting production, improving financial sustainability and improving product credibility.
He has also seen demand stabilizing and witness room for expansion and additional employment.
However, his experience also points to a constraint as compliance costs and technical requirements remain a barrier for many small enterprises.
“Before my products were certified by the Malawi Bureau of Standards, I used to sell only a few bottles, and this made it difficult to support my family. After I got certification, everything changed. My business began to grow, my revenue increased, and I am now able to support my family.
However, the challenge is that the Bureau applies the same regulations to everyone, without considering whether a business is small or large. This sometimes makes it difficult for small businesses to obtain certification easily.
I therefore appeal to the Bureau to review the regulations and consider flexible requirements that can better support small-scale entrepreneurs while still maintaining quality standards”, White said.
Ndunde Achry on store shelves.
These outcomes are being driven by a coordinated support system involving the Malawi Bureau of Standards and enterprise development partners like Nasme and Smedi.
Such collaboration is training SMEs and upgrading production processes, improving packaging, and meeting compliance thresholds.
William Mwale – Nasme boss describes this as a structural intervention lowering entry barriers to formal markets while enabling SMEs to scale production and employment.
“We are excited that many more SMEs and cooperatives now understand why their products must be tested and certified. Certification is like a silent sales person, so obtaining it is a major achievement. The issue of costs raised by SMEs regarding certification has been brought to the bureaus attention.
“However it must be understood that the Malawi bureau of standards does not receive much financial support from the government. They have been tasked with being self-sufficient to cover their own costs; therefore the fees charged to SMEs are for cost recovery, not for commercial profit”, Mwale said.
On the other hand; Smedi reports that over 1,000 businesses have already benefited from standards training and subsidized certification, a significant milestone in an economy where only about 6 percent of firms export their products, limiting foreign exchange generation.
Smedi training manager Francis Mwamadi rates this an opportunity in reducing the cost of doing business for small enterprises, hence certification, in this sense, hasn’t just been a technical requirement rather an export enabler.
“This is a deliberate program to reduce the cost of certification. Under this partnership, there is a provision for SMEs to receive a 50% discount on their certification fees. This includes the cost of both certification and inspection, and it is designed to ensure this is done to ensure that more small enterprises are able to get certified”, Mwamadi said.
Yet gaps remain. Some enterprises treat certification as a one-off milestone rather than a continuous process, while others enter production without understanding compliance requirements undermining sustainability.
At the policy level, efforts are also targeting systemic constraints. In partnership with TradeMark Africa and the World Food Program, the bureau has strengthened laboratory capacity to meet international accreditation standards.
Case to mind comes macadamia, mango, and sesame value chains, collectively valued at around 25 million US dollars who earlier relied on foreign laboratories and endured high costs and delayed market access.
However, local capacity now allows testing of up to 77,000 samples in a year, whilst certification timelines have also reduced to approximately ten days.
The bureau says this intervention directly addresses Malawi’s trade imbalance, where imports significantly exceed exports according to Fred Sikwese director of standards development.
“Trademark Africa has assisted us in capacity development of our laboratories, and training of personal so that we attain accreditation of our testing services. This is vital for Malawian exporters particularly of Mango, macadamia, nut and Tea – who can now test their products locally at Malawi Bureau of standards where we offer tests as low as 10 thousand Kwacha.
“This is economically good for the country as it saves forex; these exporters will be paying in local currency rather than paying US dollars to foreign companies to test their products”, Sikwese said.
Meanwhile, exporters are already seeing the impact. Macadamia producers report reduced turnaround times, while sesame exporters are accessing high-value markets such as Japan — strengthening Malawi’s foreign exchange position as being attested by Noel Sangole – programs’ manager.
“Through our partnership the bureau has been accredited by the Southern African development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS). This is a game changer because it will cut down on the time and cost of trade; local certification takes much less time than foreign alternatives.
“It has also reduced costs as exporters will be paying in kwacha, which improves their competiveness. As the World’s third-largest producer of macadamia nuts, this industry brings between 30 and 49 million US dollars into Malawi. While we may not replace tobacco as the major forex earner immediately, macadamia is filling critical gaps in our foreign exchange”, Sangole said.
And the WFP deputy country director Simon Denhere agrees, he says local testing is also supporting sesame exports, with markets far-and-wide and expecting to boost foreign exchange earnings for Malawi.
“The idea is to capacitate and equip the Malawi Bureau of Standards with the technical knowledge and equipment needed to perform analysis and improve food quality and safety for the sesame. This will make the crop tradable to our buyers in Japan. There is a huge shortage of forex, and we believe increasing exports is one of the best ways to bring foreign exchange into the country”, Denhere said.
From coffee processors in Nkhata Bay to peanut butter producers in Lilongwe and exporters targeting global markets, a pattern is emerging.
Certification is no longer just about consumer protection. It is functioning as an economic lever driving formalization, enabling exports, creating jobs, and improving competitiveness.
In a country seeking to industrialize and reduce import dependence, these outcomes position certification as a strategic tool one that could help shift Malawi closer toward its long-term development ambitions under Malawi 2063.