The Malawi Government has launched a Sustainable Financing Strategy for Social Protection aimed at securing long-term funding for social protection programmes amid declining donor support.
Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha said the strategy would help Government identify reliable domestic sources of funding while strengthening collaboration with development partners and the private sector.
Speaking in Lilongwe during the launch, Mwanamvekha said Malawi could no longer rely heavily on external support to finance social protection programmes.
“Over time, we have been dependent on donor support, and this support is declining. So, as a country, we need to find a sustainable way in which we can raise domestic resources and support the sector,” said Mwanamvekha.
Mwanamvekha further said the strategy would also help improve the country’s response to economic and climate-related shocks, which disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, including older people, orphans and persons with disabilities.
In her remarks Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Mary Navicha, said Government had increased its financial contribution to the Social Cash Transfer Programme by more than 40 percent in the 2026/27 financial year.
She said the increased funding had enabled the programme to expand to four additional districts, but warned that significant financing gaps remained.
“Donor support cannot remain the sole pillar of our social protection system. The expected decline in external financing compels us to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, reprioritise existing expenditures, and explore innovative financing options,” said Navicha.
The strategy proposes several financing options, including tax-base rationalisation, revenue restructuring, improved pension compliance, climate financing and greater private-sector participation.
World Bank Country Manager for Malawi Abdu Muwonge said social protection should not be limited to cash transfers, but should also equip vulnerable households with the skills and opportunities needed to become more resilient and escape poverty.
“Social protection should not be seen merely as cash. Social protection, in terms of cash, together with the necessary training, should help people transition out of poverty,” said Muwonge.
The strategy also seeks to improve coordination among Government, development partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders involved in social protection.
The launch comes as Malawi faces increasing demand for social protection against a backdrop of constrained fiscal space and declining traditional donor support.
Government says the strategy will provide a framework for building a nationally owned and sustainably financed social protection system capable of supporting vulnerable Malawians beyond 2030.
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