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Malaysia pivots to ‘strategic collaborator’ Africa for new supply chains, markets
While Africa may offer ‘long-term opportunities’, analysts say Malaysia can only gain traction by focusing on areas with clear strengths
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Malaysia is seeking a foothold in Africa’s fast-changing markets as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tours Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya this week, casting the continent as a “strategic collaborator” for new supply-chain routes and emerging consumer markets.
“Malaysia is deeply rooted in open markets, but we need reliable partners in a rapidly changing world,” Anwar told Ethiopian business leaders on Wednesday, according to local daily The Star.
The outreach comes as the Southeast Asian nation tries to recalibrate its trade dependencies. Slower orders from the United States and Europe, along with persistent supply-chain uncertainty, have pushed it to diversify its economic bets, with Africa emerging as a potential frontier.
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Malaysia exported 15.3 billion ringgit (US$3.5 billion) worth of goods to eight African states last year, mostly palm oil, petroleum products and machinery.
South Africa accounted for roughly half of that, recording 7.82 billion ringgit in bilateral trade in 2024.
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Analysts say Africa’s US$3 trillion economy, while growing, remains far below the scale needed to offset declines in Western demand.
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