2015年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Malawi_Country_Profile_2014_15页_1mb

Malawi Country Profile 2014: Enterprise Surveys Summary

Core Content

The Malawi Country Profile 2014 provides an overview of the business environment in Malawi, based on data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys, which assess the challenges faced by firms in the non-agricultural formal private economy. The surveys cover various aspects, including infrastructure, trade, regulations, corruption, crime and informality, finance, innovation, and workforce. These indicators are benchmarked against Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Low Income countries to provide comparative insights.

Main Topics and Key Findings

1. Business Environment Obstacles

• Top Constraints: The surveys highlight the main obstacles firms face in Malawi, including corruption, inefficient regulations, and delays in obtaining licenses and permits.
• Firm Size Differences: The most significant challenges vary by firm size, with small firms facing more issues with corruption and informal payments compared to large firms.
• Regional Comparison: Malawi's business environment is generally less favorable than the regional average in SSA, particularly in areas like corruption and regulatory inefficiencies.

2. Average Firm Characteristics

• Age of Firms: The average firm in Malawi is 18.3 years old, with small firms being younger (15.4 years) and large firms older (21.4 years).
• Gender Participation:
  • Only 14.2% of firms have a female top manager.
  • 28.1% of firms have female ownership.
• Ownership Structure:
  • Sole proprietorships dominate, accounting for 50.9% of firms.
  • Private domestic ownership is the most common, at 73.6%.
  • Private foreign ownership is 16.7%, while government/state ownership is minimal at 0.9%.

3. Infrastructure

• Electricity:
  • 6.7 power outages occur per month, with 5.1% of sales lost due to these outages.
  • Delays in obtaining electricity connections are significant, averaging 50.4 days.
• Water Supply:
  • 4.7 water shortages occur per month, with an average duration of 2.2 hours.
  • Delays in obtaining water connections average 14.4 days.
• Telephone Connections:
  • No data available for telephone connection delays in Malawi, while the regional average is 26.8 days.

4. Trade

• Export Activity:
  • 14.1% of firms in Malawi are exporters.
  • 76.8% of firms use foreign material inputs or supplies.
• Customs Delays:
  • 11.4 days are required to clear direct exports through customs.
  • 24.8 days are needed to clear imports through customs.
• Export Risks:
  • 0.2% of export sales are lost due to theft.
  • 1.4% of export sales are lost due to breakage or spoilage.

5. Regulations, Taxes, and Business Licensing

• Time to Obtain Licenses/Permits:
  • 13.8 days for an import license.
  • 36.2 days for a construction-related permit.
  • 19.0 days for an operating license.
• Government Interaction:
  • 5.0% of senior management time is spent on government regulation requirements.
  • 2.0 average visits with tax officials.
• Legal Forms:
  • Sole proprietorship is the most common legal form, at 50.9%.
  • Open shareholding companies are 7.2%, while closed shareholding companies are 9.6%.

6. Corruption

• Graft Index:
  • 20.3% of firms in Malawi reported being asked or expected to pay a bribe.
  • Small firms have the highest incidence of graft at 24.8%.
• Bribe Payments:
  • 18.3% of firms give gifts during meetings with tax inspectors.
  • 33.0% of firms expect to give gifts to secure a government contract.
  • 34.5% of firms expect to give gifts to obtain a construction permit.
  • 26.7% of firms expect to give gifts to get an import license.
  • 16.6% of firms expect to give gifts to obtain an operating license.

7. Crime and Informality

• Perception of Fair Courts:
  • 46.0% of firms believe the court system is fair, impartial, and uncorrupted.
• Security Costs:
  • 3.2% of sales are spent on security.
• Losses Due to Crime:
  • 2.2% of sales are lost due to theft, robbery, vandalism, and arson.
• Informality:
  • 90.3% of firms are formally registered when they started operations.

8. Finance

• Internal Finance:
  • 65.8% of firms rely on internal finance for investment.
• External Finance:
  • 13.8% use bank finance.
  • 7.4% use trade credit.
  • 7.7% use equity or sale of stock.
• Working Capital:
  • 30.0% of firms use external financing for working capital.
• Collateral Requirements:
  • 293.6% of the loan amount is required as collateral.
• Bank Access:
  • 26.7% of firms have bank loans or lines of credit.
  • 81.9% of firms have checking or savings accounts.

9. Innovation and Workforce

• Quality Certification:
  • 18.8% of firms have internationally recognized quality certification.
• Financial Audits:
  • 47.0% of firms have annual financial statements reviewed by external auditors.
• Website Usage:
  • 44.9% of firms use their own website.
• Email Usage:
  • 79.6% of firms use email to communicate with clients and suppliers.
• Workforce Composition:
  • 5.0 average temporary workers.
  • 45.9 average permanent, full-time workers.
  • 27.8% of firms have full-time female workers.

Key Information

• The Enterprise Surveys are conducted by the World Bank and its International Finance Corporation (IFC), focusing on non-agricultural formal private firms.
• The sample is stratified by industry, firm size, and region, allowing for cross-country comparisons.
• Data sources are based on firm responses and are used to assess business environment performance.
• The Graft Index is a composite measure of corruption, showing the proportion of firms that were asked to pay bribes.
• The corruption and informality issues are more pronounced in small firms.
• Infrastructure deficiencies and regulatory inefficiencies are major constraints to firm productivity and growth.
• Finance access is limited, with high collateral requirements and low external financing for working capital.
• Workforce diversity is limited, with male dominance and a low percentage of female top managers.

Summary Table

Conclusion

The Enterprise Surveys for Malawi reveal a challenging business environment characterized by high levels of corruption, inefficient regulations, and significant infrastructure delays. These issues are particularly pronounced for small firms, which face higher informal payments and greater administrative burdens. Despite this, Malawi's firms are relatively formally registered and have some access to financial services, though collateral requirements remain high. The workforce is largely male-dominated, with limited use of technology and innovation in operations. Overall, the business environment in Malawi is less favorable than the regional and income group averages, indicating a need for policy reforms to improve business efficiency, reduce corruption, and enhance infrastructure.