[7] In the 1920s, its location at the junction of several major roadways increased its importance as an agricultural market centre for the fertile Central Region Plateau.

[9] After gaining independence, it increasingly developed into an important trading centre in Malawi's central region.

[11] Development projects of the 1970s and 1980s included the construction of Lilongwe International Airport, which serves the city; rail connections to Salima to the east and the Zambian border to the west; industrial areas in the northern part of the city; and an agricultural program for the fertile tobacco lands of the Central Region Plateau.

It was prepared in order to elaborate the broad recommendations of the Master Plan and amend those aspects which the Government thought were inappropriate.

The Lilongwe Outline Zoning plan guided the early development of the capital city.

A liner, multi-centred urban form was adopted in order to avoid the congestion problems that can arise with a single centre.

The aim was to cluster residential, employment, and service areas around each centre, so as to reduce the need to travel long distances.

From the beginning there was a concern to create a high-quality environment with spacious living standards, as befits a capital city.By the mid-1970s, it was felt that there should be a new, up-dated plan which would take a wider look at the development of the city.

The 1986 Outline Zoning Scheme was intended to promote regulated urban development and appropriate land use for transport and other purposes.

The Scheme was effective until 2000, but it was not updated after the year 2000 due to financial, technical and human resource constraints.

In response to the official request of the Government of Malawi (GoM), the Government of Japan (GoJ) decided to conduct a "Study of Urban Development Master Plan for Lilongwe", which was entrusted to the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), in accordance with the Agreement on Technical Co-operation between the GoM and the GoJ, signed on 15 November 2008.

The Project for Urban Plan and Development Management of Lilongwe City has been in the process of implementation since November 2012, with support from JICA.

JICA experts assisted Lilongwe City Council with revisions of the Urban Structure Plan.

Some areas have problems of illegal settlers occupying land designated for industrial development and public use.

According to the 2018 census, 42.28% of Lilongwe City were Chewa who made up the largest ethnic group.

The former hosts hotels, embassies, governmental institutions, and offices while the latter has markets, bus stations, cafes and restaurants.

In order to achieve compact land use and to make the city centre more efficient and attractive, the Master Plan has added another category called "High-Rise Commercial", where multi-story buildings are concentrated.

The Master Plan accorded a specific category to such land where governmental institutions are concentrated in the future.

The urban expansion axis is now extending to the south, southeast, southwest and to the west since most residential areas are closely linked to the economic centres.

Housing development and urban sprawl are very active in Lilongwe City and particularly in the southern region.

Urban expansion axis is now extending mainly to southeast, and to the west to a limited degree.

Lilongwe features a short monsoon season that runs from December to March, a lengthy dry winter that covers April to August, and a warm summer that lasts from September to November.

[citation needed] While Blantyre is the commercial Capital of Malawi, Lilongwe's economy is dominated by the government and public institutions.

Finance, banking, retail trade, construction, transport, public administration, tourism, and tobacco manufacturing are the main economic activities in the city.

The outer ring road serves industry-related traffic and avoids passing through the main built-up area of the city.

A new national stadium with a capacity of 40,000 has been constructed with the help of a $70 million loan from the Government of the People's Republic of China.

Big teams in Lilongwe are Silver Strikers, Civo Sporting, Blue Eagles and Kamuzu Barracks.

Basketball is played at African Bible College, Civo Court, Don Bosco, and other private institutions.

Other sporting disciplines in Lilongwe include Netball played at Gateway Mall, Don Bosco, Nankhaka and ABC.