The Malawi Government has waived duty on the importation of goods for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 to fight the further spread of the pandemic in Malawi.
A Malawi Government Gazette Notice of 17 April 2020 indicates that the duty waiver applies to both direct imports and goods from bonded warehouses.
The duty waiver follows the amendment of the Customs and Excise (Tariffs) Order, which includes new Customs Procedure Codes (CPCs) and Special Transactions on COVID-19.
The new CPCs are 4000.405 for direct imports and 4071.405 for goods from bonded warehouses.
The new CPCs provide for waiver of duty on the importation of essential goods for the prevention, treatment and management of COVID 19.
Such goods include ventilators, oxygen concentrators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), hand sanitizers, soaps, water treatment chemicals and such other goods as the Commissioner General may approve.
Importers of these essential goods must apply for duty waiver to the Commissioner General and they should specify list of items they are importing, their costs and quantities.
As of Friday, May 15, 2020, Malawi had registered 63 COVID-19 cases including three fatalities.
The outbreak of the pandemic has adversely affected business and social life in Malawi following the introduction of strict measures to contain the spread of the disease.
