National Urban Policy.

The National Urban Policy (NUP) is a national sectoral policy of Malawi for the period starting on 2016 whose overall goal is to "Achieve inclusive, competitive, sustainable, resilient cities and other human settlements". In other words, its main purpose is to create an enabling environment for the attainment of sustainable urbanization so as to foster national economic development.
The objectives of the National Urban Policy are to: i. Strengthen positive linkages between rural and urban areas; ii. Improve stakeholder coordination mechanisms; iii. Enhance capacity for inclusive, participatory and integrated land use and sustainable human settlements planning and development; iv. Promote equitable infrastructure services delivery; v. Create a conducive environment for investment; vi. Increase resilience to natural and man-made disaster; vii. Promote socially inclusive urban development, and viii. Improve resource mobilization for urban development.
The policy prioritises the following eight key areas to address urbanisation challenges to ensure a conducive environment to foster sustainable urban development; 1. Spatially balanced and integrated hierarchy of urban centres and human settlements. 2. Urban governance and coordinated urban development. 3. Planned and integrated urban development. 4. Shelter, infrastructure and services. 5. Competitive and inclusive urban economic development. 6. Urban resilience, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. 7. Socially Inclusive urban development. 8. Resource mobilization for urban development.
The policy will be reviewed after a period of five years from the date of its approval, after the key milestones and targets have been monitored and evaluated. Its coordination will be done by the Department of Urban Development within the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.