Malawi has resolved differences in the selection of principal recipient (PR) for the $437.9 million (about K766 billion) Global Fund Grant Cycle 8 (GC8) for HIV and Aids, malaria and tuberculosis interventions.
Following the agreement reached after a stakeholder meeting in Lilongwe on Monday, World Vision International will remain the PR through the grant-ready pathway, but will act only as grant manager and not implement programmes.
Programme implementation will be handled by ActionAid Malawi, according to the agreement.
The resolutions followed an emergency meeting on Monday that National Aids Commission (NAC) convened. It was attended by NAC chief executive officer Beatrice Matanje, country coordinating mechanism (CCM) members, CCM leadership and secretariat, constituency leaders and NGO Regulatory Authority (Ngora) CEO Voice Mhone, who played the role of mediator.
Matanje. | Courtesy of NAC
Matanje, Mhone and CCM vice-chairperson Bishop Silent Mtambo subsequently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the matter.
Reads the MoU: “The dialogue meeting has considered the impasse to the submission of Global Grant Cycle 8 Funds Request and particularly resolved that the GC8 FR be signed by CCM by 5th October 2026 with the following conditions:
“The community PR should be a grant manager and not an implementer. The criteria to be used for SR should be guided by the CCM in consultative manner.”
A source who attended the meeting said the discussions were intense, which led to those available to strike a balance in assigning roles to the two institutions.
In a written response yesterday, Matanje said key issues raised by members included the need to strengthen communication among key stakeholders.
She said: “Need to build capacity at all levels to improve understanding of Global Fund processes; and the need for enhanced community engagement during implementation.
“Given the fast approaching October 5 2026 submission deadline, the members also agreed to maintain the grant-ready pathway on condition that the criteria for selecting Sub-Recipients (SRs) will be reviewed by the CCM.”
International Coalition on Health Financing Advocacy chairperson Maziko Matemba welcomed the resolution, saying it will keep the grant process alive.
“This is good news, looking at the closing for submission is close. I want to thank CCM members for coming back to their senses for ensuring that the grant is alive,” he said.
Since 2002, Malawi has accessed $2.8 billion (about K5 trillion) from the Global Fund, with 80 to 90 percent spent on procuring drugs for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
The funding currently at stake includes $339.6 million for HIV and Aids, $82.2 million for malaria and $16.1 million for TB, as well as support for resilient and sustainable systems for health.
The grant accounts for more than 60 percent of Malawi’s disease programme financing.
Malawi’s health sector remains heavily donor-dependent, with domestic health spending at about 10 percent of the national budget—below the 15 percent target under the Abuja Declaration—and per capita health spending well below World Health Organisation recommendations.
