Despite being one of the top recipients of international financing for renewable energy among least developed countries (LDCs), Malawi remains one of the world’s least electrified countries, published data show.
The data, contained in a joint report, show that Malawi received $245 million (about K429 billion) in international public financing for renewable energy in 2024, one of the largest recipients among LDCs.
access by 2030. | Nation
The data is contained in the UN Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 jointly published by the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the World Bank and the World Health Organisation.
The report indicates that only 16 percent of the country’s population has access to electricity, making the country the third-lowest rate globally after Chad at 13 percent and South Sudan at five percent.
Among least developed countries, only Angola ($787 million) and Ethiopia ($491 million) received more renewable energy funding than Malawi in 2024 out of the $3.7 billion international public financial flows to least developed countries.
In a joint statement, the SDG 7 custodian agencies observed that progress in sub-Saharan Africa, including Malawi, has slowed significantly and the pace of electrification must triple to achieve universal access by 2030.
Said World Bank Group vice-president for infrastructure Valerie Levkov: “We have the solutions to accelerate progress proven technologies, effective financing models, and strong partnerships, but constrained public budgets mean we must also mobilise much greater private sector investment.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Renewable Energy Industries Association of Malawi president Brave Mhone observed that the gap between financing and access to the grid stems from the fact that much of the financing is directed towards maintaining the country’s ageing electricity grid rather than expanding it, while a growing share also supports off-grid energy solutions.
“We can talk of a lot of money in value, but the output will be limited because the majority is not going into new generation or expanding the grid, but maintaining what we already have,” he said, adding that Malawi needs substantial investment to modernise its grid so it can absorb more electricity.
Mhone said Malawi’s overall energy access has risen to about 25.9 percent when off-grid solutions are included, with 14.6 percent energy access through off grid solutions. arguing that affordability, wider grid connectivity and implementation of policies and mini-grid projects remain key challenges.
World Bank data show that only about 25.9 percent of the population has access to electricity, including grid and off-grid, with rural access much lower, against the Government of Malawi’s 70 percent target by 2030 in line with Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term strategy which seeks to transform Malawi into a lower middle-income economy by 2030 and upper middle-income status by 2063.
Malawi’s energy sector continues to be haunted by financial gaps, undermining efforts to expand electricity access and accelerate rural electrification nationwide, with data showing that in the 2025/26 financial year, the sector had a financing gap of about K447 billion as Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation only allocated K21 billion against a requirement of K468 billion to make a huge impact.
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi Limited former chief executive officer Kandi Padambo said in an interview on Tuesday that the financing gap threatens progress, observing that achieving the target will require annual electricity access growth of about 12 percent over the next four years.
Electricity Generation Company (Egenco) officials earlier told the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances and Public Reforms that the power system is under pressure from equipment breakdowns, fuel shortages and rising demand.
Currently, Egenco generates 444 megawatts (MW) to the national grid, which includes 390MW from hydro, 53MW from diesel generators and 1.3MW from solar.
