Both sectors have posted stagnant annual growth rates since 2023, averaging just 0.5 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively. Economists have attributed the stagnation to a mix of foreign exchange scarcity, energy constraints and high interest rates. University of Malawi economics lecturer Edward Lemani called the slowdown “concerning,” observing that the economy needs stronger industrial production and value addition. “In a developing economy, manufacturing should expand as a share of GDP to absorb agricultural labour and drive value addition. He said this has direct effects on manufacturing plants as they cannot maintain continuous assembly lines or thermal processes when national generation drops.