$19.5M to boost rural reproductive health; $12.3M for food programs

Aid targets cholera-hit system, drought-driven hunger affecting 5.7M people

Malawi and Norway have signed a grant agreement valued at 318 million Norwegian kroner ($31.8 million). The aid, announced by the Malawian government on Monday, November 3, 2025, is specifically targeted at reinforcing the country's health and food security sectors.

Of the total funding, $19.5 million is allocated to the Health Sector Joint Fund (HSJF) and dedicated to improving access to quality reproductive health services for women in remote areas. The remaining $12.3 million will finance food security programs.

"This grant will go a long way towards fulfilling the objectives of the Health Sector Strategic Plan III and strengthening public financial management systems," stated Joseph Mwanamvekha, Malawi’s Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, and Development.

Like many African nations, Malawi’s healthcare system struggles with insufficient staffing, inadequate infrastructure, and high vulnerability to epidemics, including a current cholera outbreak, according to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. Through its Health Sector Strategic Plan III (HSSP III), the East African nation aims to achieve universal health coverage goals by 2030, focusing on improved access, financial protection, and service quality.

Concurrently, Lilongwe faces cyclical food insecurity driven by climate shocks. The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that a prolonged drought caused by El Niño affected 44% of the country’s maize harvest in February 2024, pushing 5.7 million people into acute food insecurity. Malawian authorities issued an appeal for local and international aid in October.

Norway previously invested a total of $74 million in the Malawi Health Sector Joint Fund in 2015.

Lydie Mobio