National Social Protection Policy 2024 - 2029.

The National Social Protection Policy is a multisectoral framework developed by the Government to guide stakeholders in designing and implementing social protection interventions to ensure the well-being of all citizens. The Policy seeks to empower individuals to participate in and benefit from the social and economic transformation envisioned under Malawi 2063. Building on the 2012 National Social Support Policy, its overarching objective is to reduce poverty and vulnerability while enabling individuals to overcome deprivation and exclusion. The Policy places particular emphasis on lifecycle-based protection and on strengthening resilience across all stages of life. It also aims to harmonise implementation and enhance coordination across social protection interventions, thereby minimising lifecycle risks and promoting inclusive development. In doing so, it supports individuals in contributing meaningfully to both personal and national development. The change in terminology from the National Social Support Policy (NSSP) to the National Social Protection Policy reflects an expanded scope, moving beyond basic social assistance to a more comprehensive protection framework. Accordingly, social protection encompasses social assistance, social insurance, social welfare services, labour market policies, as well as a range of public and private instruments designed to eradicate poverty, address vulnerability, and reduce social exclusion.
The specific objectives of the Policy are to (i) provide welfare support to the poorest and most vulnerable populations to improve their standard of living; (ii) complement welfare support with broader productive livelihood interventions that help at risk populations with stand shocks and build sustainable livelihoods; (iii) establish the foundations for a comprehensive, adequate, and sustainable social security or protection system that aligns with international standards, including provisions for those working in the informal sector; (iv) strengthen the systems and capacities of stakeholders to effectively manage social protection programmes; (v) safeguard long-term income generating potential for the poor and vulnerable.
The Policy identifies six priority areas aimed at reducing poverty, strengthening resilience, and enhancing the effectiveness of social protection systems in Malawi, namely (1) Social Safety Nets, which focus on providing immediate support to poor and vulnerable households through cash or in-kind transfers designed to meet basic needs and reduce extreme poverty. The Policy emphasises: (i) improving targeting mechanisms through harmonised systems, such as unified beneficiary registries, to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need; and (ii) strengthening delivery systems to ensure that support is provided in a timely and predictable manner. The Policy further promotes community participation and accountability to enhance transparency in beneficiary selection processes, while recognising the importance of increasing awareness of and access to social assistance programmes to enable eligible populations to benefit effectively from available support; (2) Resilient Livelihoods, which seek to strengthen households’ capacity to generate sustainable income and withstand economic, environmental, and social shocks. This objective is pursued through the integration of social assistance programmes with complementary interventions, including skills development, agricultural support, and improved market access. The Policy places particular emphasis on expanding access to productive assets, vocational training, and capacity-building opportunities that enable households to diversify their sources of income. It also promotes climate-resilient and diversified livelihood strategies to reduce vulnerability to environmental shocks. Financial inclusion constitutes a key component of this pillar, with measures aimed at expanding access to credit, savings, and loan facilities; (3) Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection, which integrates nutrition objectives into broader social protection interventions to address malnutrition and improve health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women. The Policy promotes: (i) the development of nutrition-sensitive value chains and food systems that improve both the availability of and access to nutritious foods; and (ii) integrated homestead farming as a means of enhancing household nutrition and food security. It further encourages households to diversify food production and consumption patterns to improve dietary quality. Nutrition considerations are also incorporated into shock-response interventions, while coordination between the nutrition and social protection sectors is strengthened. In addition, the Policy emphasises awareness-raising on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices and healthy dietary behaviours as essential elements of improved nutritional outcomes; (4) Shock-Sensitive Social Protection, which focuses on building systems capable of anticipating, responding to, and mitigating the impacts of a wide range of shocks, including climate-related disasters, economic crises, and public health emergencies. The Policy prioritises: (i) the development of scalable programmes capable of rapidly expanding support in response to shocks; and (ii) the establishment of predictable, multi-year assistance mechanisms that provide stability during periods of crisis. The approach further promotes linking vulnerable households to complementary services, such as agricultural inputs and productive support measures, to facilitate recovery and strengthen resilience; (5) Social Security, which seeks to expand access to income protection and social insurance mechanisms throughout the life cycle, with particular emphasis on extending coverage beyond the formal employment sector. The Policy promotes the development of innovative and affordable schemes tailored to the needs of workers in the informal economy. Strengthening institutional and legal frameworks is identified as a key requirement for improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability of social security delivery. The Policy also encourages stronger linkages between employment creation initiatives and social insurance systems to expand coverage, while supporting public awareness campaigns to improve understanding of available benefits and entitlements; (6) Enabling Environment for Social Protection Systems, which aims to establish robust institutional, financial, and legal frameworks that ensure social protection systems are effective, coordinated, accountable, and sustainable. The Policy promotes participatory approaches that actively involve communities and stakeholders in programme design and implementation. It also underscores the importance of strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as accountability mechanisms, to enhance transparency, improve governance, and ensure the long-term sustainability of social protection interventions.