Stories of Change in Nutrition: Funding for Nutrition: Malawi

Malawi has strong policies and frameworks for nutrition but insufficient funding to implement
them. Analyses of government budgets at national level and in 10 districts from financial
years 2016/17 to 2022/23, found that domestic budget allocations for nutrition are still well
below the 5% of national budget target set by the government. At district level, they ranged from
0.2% to 1.6%, with only one district, in one financial year, exceeding the 1.5% target for
district level nutrition budget allocations. Over 95% of nutrition activities in Malawi are
currently funded by external donors. The absence of sufficient, consistent and dedicated
domestic budget for nutrition at national and district level, means nutrition policies and
plans will continue to be driven by, and dependent on, externally funded pilot-scale projects
without national reach or ownership. This is one of four Malawi Stories of Change in Nutrition unpacking the drivers of Nutrition change in the country.