LILONGWE, MALAWI, 13 Jan. - (ANA) - Three months into Malawian President Peter Mutharika’s new term, the leader is facing a triple crisis: widespread food insecurity, soaring debt, and huge foreign aid cuts, 

 

With over four million Malawians – 22% of the population – facing the threat of acute malnutrition until the next harvest in March, Mutharika last month declared a nationwide state of disaster.

 

But the $119 million humanitarian response is underfunded. Although crucial to staving off the risk of hunger-related deaths, it has so far raised only $26 million from Malawi’s aid partners – roughly 21% of the amount required.

 

The trigger for Malawi’s food emergency has been a 20% drop in maize yields last year as a result of drought and localised flooding. The harvest failure hit small-scale farmers especially hard – the backbone of food production.

 

The problem is not just food availability, but also its affordability. Reduced farm output, a severe foreign exchange shortage, plus perennial fuel scarcities, have pushed Malawi’s inflation rate to around 28% – the highest in Africa.  

 

Malawi is heavily debt-distressed. Its total debt burden is around $9.25 billion – an unsustainable 86% of GDP. It also faces a looming debt service obligation of $1.8 billion.

 

This is the fifth time in a decade Malawi has declared a food-related state of disaster. It not only signifies a deepening cycle of climate volatility, but also reflects the deep structural issues around food security.

 

The agricultural sector is central to Malawi’s economy, accounting for almost a quarter of GDP and employing three quarters of the population – mostly through subsistence farming. But productivity gains have stagnated over the past decade, with an over-reliance on maize leading to soil degradation and micro-nutrient deficiencies in people’s diets.

 

Successive governments have implemented input subsidy programmes, providing cut-price fertiliser and seeds. But historically they have suffered from logistical bottlenecks leading to late input deliveries, as well as targeting problems, fraud, and political interference. - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/13 January 2026 - - -