Government has called for strategic investment in childcare development as a key step towards achieving Malawi 2063 development aspirations.
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Mary Navicha, made the call during the opening of a two day childcare symposium in Blantyre organised by the World University Service of Canada under the Action for Paid Childcare Transformation Project.
Addressing stakeholders in the childcare sector, Navicha said investing in childcare services presents an opportunity for Malawi to unlock multiple social and economic benefits.
The minister added that improved access to quality childcare can increase female participation in the labour force, create jobs for childcare workers, improve child development outcomes and strengthen household incomes.
Navicha noted that evidence shows access to quality, affordable and reliable childcare is a strong driver of economic growth.
And further urged participants at the symposium to engage openly on key issues affecting the sector, including financing models for childcare, workforce development and training, quality assurance and regulation, public private partnerships, and the role of government in creating an enabling policy environment.
World University Service of Canada Country Director, Godfrey Mphande, said the organisation is working to empower young women to improve their economic and social wellbeing, noting that women make up a large proportion of workers in the childcare sector.
Mphande said Malawi is still at an early stage in providing structured support to childcare services, and the project aims to strengthen collaboration and coordination among organisations supporting childcare, with government involvement through the Ministry of Gender.
He added that the initiative also seeks to ensure childcare providers, most of whom are women, are better recognised through fair remuneration, improved working conditions and respect for their rights.
Action for Paid Childcare Transformation Project Director for Malawi and Kenya, Ruth Muendo, said investing in childcare is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty and ensuring that a child’s future is not determined by their place of birth.
Muendo said the project is focused on strengthening evidence, influencing policy and supporting practical solutions that position childcare as a critical part of economic infrastructure.
She said the symposium provides an opportunity for stakeholders to move beyond raising awareness and take concrete action to integrate childcare into national economic planning and investment priorities.
Several speakers on the first day of the symposium agreed that investing in childcare is not a luxury reserved for wealthy nations, but a strategic decision that countries can make when they prioritise the wellbeing and development of their people.
