The World Bank Group has described Malawi’s Social Cash Transfer Programme as a model for social protection, saying it demonstrate how the initiative can help vulnerable households withstand shocks and promote long-term resilience.
World Bank Group director for climate Jamie Fergusson said in a statement that the programme has provided emergency support to nearly 300 000 households affected by recurring droughts, helping families have food security, recover from disasters and strengthen their ability to cope with future climate-related challenges.
“In Malawi, a social cash transfer programme has helped to protect food security and speed recovery from shocks,” he said.
Fergusson said climate-smart development requires investments in sectors such as agriculture, transport, healthcare and infrastructure that not only meet immediate needs, but also build resilience and deliver long-term benefits.
He noted that the World Bank Group provided $50.8 million (about K90 billion) in development financing with climate co-benefits during the last fiscal year, including $33 million (about K58 billion) for projects aimed at reducing emissions across various sectors.
The Bretton Woods institution said its active projects worldwide by June 2025 had strengthened climate resilience for 136 million people, improved food security for 208.8 million, expanded energy access to 214 million, and were expected to reduce carbon emissions by 331.8 million tonnes annually.
Minister of Information and Communications Technology Shadric Namalomba, in an interview, commended the World Bank for its continued support to Malawi’s development programmes.
He said the partnership has contributed to improving livelihoods and strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to climate-related challenges.
“We highly appreciate the World Bank for its continued support to Malawi through various development programmes that are improving the lives of our people,” said Namalomba.
The minister said that the government remains committed to implementing programmes under its national development agenda and called on development partners to continue supporting efforts aimed at achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation data show that on average, Malawi Government has been contributing five percent to the funding of the Social Cash Transfer Programme since 2016/17 fiscal year, with 36 percent of resources coming from the World Bank, 27 percent from Germany, 23 percent from the European Union, seven percent from Irish Aid and one percent technical support from United Nations’ Children Fund.
At the same time, the government’s contribution to the programme covers only one district, with the other 27 districts funded through donor support.
