IPOR was contracted to carry out a study on behalf of the Commission for UNESCO in Malawi. The project aimed to find the contributions of artistic industries to national development. Phone interviews were conducted in addition to a desk review. Artistic groups were invited to participate in the study, and some union/association presidents were part of the key informants.

The role of IPOR was to facilitate the entire study, including developing questionnaires, data collection tools, and conducting desk reviews, data cleaning, and data analysis. IPOR provided the findings in a report and blog, which were submitted to the Commission for UNESCO in Malawi for review and necessary actions.

The study found that for artistic industries to be as effective as possible, certain things need to be done, namely: the government should establish the National Arts and Heritage Council, the Copyright Society of Malawi should work with unions/associations to hasten the protection of copyright material, the government must review and fully implement the Malawi Cultural Policy, and the government must ensure public awareness campaigns for policies.