Small Business Owners in Malawi Learn Easy Online Skills and Smart AI Tools to Grow Profits

A group of small business owners in northern Malawi has received hands-on practical training on how to use modern computer programs and simple artificial intelligence software to improve their daily work.

The specialized workshop was organized to teach men and women running small enterprises how simple mobile tools can save time, track store money, and find more customers in their local communities.

By helping small trade owners master online tools, the project aims to help small family shops and local services earn more income and stay strong.

The interactive training event brought together 24 business owners from Nkhotakota, Rumphi, Karonga, and Mzuzu. They all gathered at the Mzuzu University Tourism Incubation Centre on August 17, 2026, to participate in the second AI and Digital Solutions Lab.

This meeting builds on an earlier workshop held in Lilongwe where over 70 women business owners learned similar practical skills. Organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, widely known as GIZ, the learning sessions received strong support from the German Embassy and the European Union.

Many small business owners struggle to grow because they spend long hours writing down cash sales by hand, making paper signs, or trying to reach new buyers. Modern artificial intelligence tools on mobile phones can now do these routine chores automatically in just a few seconds.

The workshop focused on showing shop owners how smartphone tools can design simple advertisements, write quick customer messages, and calculate daily expenses without needing expensive software or complex technical knowledge.

Explaining the importance of helping small businesses grow through technology, the training organization stated that “for participating entrepreneurs, the training provides an opportunity to move from awareness of AI to practical adoption”.

This means that instead of just hearing about smart computers on the radio or news, business owners are now holding phone tools in their own hands to solve real everyday work problems.

The opening ceremony was led by Dr. Andreas Hartmann, Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Malawi, who personally visited the venue to show international support for local business growth. O

fficials noted that giving small enterprise owners simple online skills helps young businesses thrive, especially those led by women or focused on eco friendly projects.

Following the successful training lab in Mzuzu, the project organizers are getting ready to bring the same simple computer lessons to business owners in Blantyre as part of a countrywide tour.

By bringing free, easy to understand technology lessons directly to local towns, international partners are making sure that ordinary shopkeepers, traders, and craft workers across Malawi can use modern tools to build stronger livelihoods for their families.