Leveraging private capital to achieve the global goals

Malawi, a beautiful and tranquil country located in Sub-Saharan Africa, is one of the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It has a youthful population of 20 million people, and an agro-based economy growing at 2.9 per cent per annum.

Alongside other countries, Malawi is pitching investment opportunities in their tourism and agriculture sectors to private investors at the SDG Investment Fair on 1-2 December. Such large-scale investments are poised to create decent jobs, reduce poverty, and increase export commodities. As such they are critical ingredients for countries to reach their SDG targets by 2030.

Scaling up private investment is crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries like Malawi, which face a financing gap in the trillions of dollars annually. Despite the rebound of the foreign direct investment in 2021, most of such investment was concentrated in developed economies. Private investment in infrastructure in developing countries continues to stay at low volumes relative to historical averages, whereas LDCs have the lowest rates of investment.

What are the challenges for the LDCs to attract more private capital? What are the kickstart investment opportunities available in these countries? What are the successful stories about private investment making a difference there?

At the 7th edition of the SDG Investment Fair, senior representatives from government, private sector and the international trade and development community, will come together to find out the answers, while also presenting bankable investment projects in other countries like Colombia, Armenia andEswatini.

Since its launch in 2018, the Fair has become the leading platform for boosting deal flow that can close the SDGs financing gap, with over US$10 billion worth of projects in infrastructure, green energy, and agribusiness presented so far. Twenty countries across all regions have been showcased as investment destinations. Don’t miss out!

Photo credit: FAO/Luis Tato