Dear Readers,
We start our conversation in the New Year by reflecting on the comment from the African Development Bank, World Bank, and IMF that the Malawi Government should work urgently to fix the ailing economy. We sympathize with Malawians, particularly youth, women, and children, regarding the economic woes we are facing.
However, we sometimes wonder how the Malawi Government will fix this economy while remaining a consuming country. We note that two structures meant to support production, National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) and Mega farms, were suspended over alleged resource abuse.
The time it is taking to operationalize these institutions leaves a lot to be desired. We need action on this matter. It is clear that Malawi cannot end hunger (Goal 2) with imported food, nor can we end poverty (Goal 1) with a consuming economy. We need to shift towards becoming a production economy.
There are many misplaced priorities that we, as a country, need to address. Social protection systems demand that we support the ultra-poor, but we also need a timeline for such engagement. We have noted how the Agricultural Input Programme (AIP) is being abused and wasted through what is referred to as targeting. We give coupons to either people with no capacity to redeem the affordable inputs or those who do not have land to cultivate.
As a result, we end up seeing the affordable inputs sold, and unfortunately, as Malawians, we are at the forefront of buying this fertilizer. We therefore need to seriously reflect on these matters and sustainable development, considering that there are unconfirmed rumours that our development partners may not continue beyond 2027. We need to think of other strategies.
Looking ahead to 2025, it is potentially a year of mixed outcomes. Politically, it is a year where we have seen Malawians being decisive. It is also a year where we observed some institutions, like the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), not just being seen as independent, but practically independent. We congratulate the MEC Chair and the commissioners. A lot was said about the MEC Chair historically, but we believe that the team performed exceptionally well and has raised the bar. We appreciate their efforts.
We also observed that imposing candidates by political parties was a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, we saw how we misled our political leadership. We therefore want to emphasize the need to respect the will of the people. We again congratulate those who literally took the seats from sitting Members of Parliament (MPs). On the other hand, we commend those who lost and accepted defeat honourably. Above all, we congratulate Malawians for the peaceful nature of the elections. Bravo, Malawians, and let us keep it up.
On matters concerning children, we have not done well especially on child sexual abuse. We continue to receive an increasing number of cases of violence against children in schools and communities. The helpline and our district offices are continuously being flooded with these cases. While the number of cases is on the rise, access to justice for children is being challenged by inadequate resources, poor coordination and negative attitudes among duty bearers. Court proceedings are taking far too long to conclude, forcing children to continue living in trauma.
We have police that have inadequate resources to investigate cases involving vulnerable children, yet they have ample resources to deploy heavily armed officers to arrest a politician, while the same resources could be used to apprehend a perpetrator of abuse. We need a serious re-evaluation of our approaches to children’s access to justice.
We have also observed an increase in the number of children in conflict with the law, who are being held in police cells due to delays in assisting the children to access justice or a lack of support to help them move to reformatory centres. These children in police cells are being silently exposed to serious criminal issues.
Meanwhile, in 2025, children in reformatory centres were not being properly supported due to limited budgets. It is evident, therefore, that true reform may not be occurring. How can we effect reforms in facilities that lack adequate resources and materials? Remember, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop, and this must be considered. We conclude this segment by addressing the incomplete provision of services for children suffering from abuse and violence. We recognize that children are traumatized, yet no further support is provided once their cases are concluded. Our assumption that parents and guardians will assume this responsibility is misguided. We therefore advocate for systematic and coordinated post-crisis counselling services for victimized women and children.
As we conclude our reflections for 2025, we turn our attention to developments in the youth sector. The much-touted youth service has not materialized, leaving us feeling sidelined. Essentially, Malawi remains a country without a robust youth programme. It is not surprising that our young people are growing up without a sense of direction, displaying violence, abusing drugs, and exhibiting limited productivity.
We are sitting on a ticking time bomb concerning youth development. We can debate the youth policy, but without a tangible youth programme, it leaves much to be desired. At our recent technical working group on youth in Lilongwe, district youth officers raised concerns that young people who have completed their secondary education are no longer interested in youth clubs and groups. Volunteerism for personal development is no longer an incentive. We are uncertain why this is the case, but it negatively impacts the type of young people we are raising. We need to reflect seriously on this issue.
With all of this in mind, we welcome you to 2026 and invite you to consider how we can improve. How do we enhance democracy and consolidate human rights? How will we promote youth development and ensure proper protection for children? Who is responsible for safeguarding children at all levels? Is it the Minister of Gender’s responsibility? Welcome to Child Protection in 2026, which will see Malawi hosting the Regional Conference of Child Helplines in Africa and the Helpline Leadership Forum in the last quarter of 2026. We appreciate the Government’s commitment to hosting the Regional Conference.
Enjoy your reading!
