Malawi is experiencing a wave of protests over surging prices, just months before the September elections, as the country grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.
In Lilongwe’s bustling Tsoka second-hand clothing market, traders like Steve Magombo, who heads the vendors’ association, are overwhelmed by rising inflation, which hit 30% year-on-year in February.
Frustrated by the skyrocketing cost of goods, Magombo led 5,000 vendors to march to parliament, marking the capital’s biggest demonstration in years.
Similar protests have erupted in at least four other cities, underscoring deep public dissatisfaction in a nation where nearly three-quarters of its 21 million people live in extreme poverty.
The crisis has hit food prices particularly hard, with inflation on staple items like maize reaching 38.5% in February.
The cost of a 50kg bag of maize has nearly tripled since December to 110,000 kwacha ($63), far exceeding the country’s monthly minimum wage of $52—or just $26 for domestic workers.
“For a net-importing country, the collapse of the kwacha has been catastrophic, fuelling import costs and further stoking inflation in a vicious cycle,” said UK-based policy expert James Woods.
The currency has lost over half its value since 2022 due to a series of sharp devaluations, while businesses struggle with foreign currency shortages that hinder imports and supply chains.
To address the crisis, the government has banned imports of certain goods—including Irish potatoes, maize flour, fresh milk, and meat products—to encourage local production. However, critics argue that authorities lack a clear strategy to stabilise the economy.
“The government seems to have no clue on how to bring the economy back on track,” said Gift Trapence, leader of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition, which organised the 2019 protests that ultimately led to President Lazarus Chakwera’s election.
Chakwera, 69, who won with 58% of the vote in 2020, now faces a tough re-election battle, with former president Peter Mutharika, 85, seeking a political comeback.
The worsening economic crisis has added to the mounting pressure on the government to act swiftly before voters head to the polls.
