The numbers are getting better on paper, but Malawians are not feeling richer.
Inflation has fallen sharply over the past year, yet households are still struggling to afford the goods and services they need, according to the National Advocacy Platform (NAP).
In its assessment of President Arthur Peter Mutharika’s first year in office, NAP says headline inflation dropped from 28.2 percent in August 2025 to 20 percent in August 2026, while food inflation fell to 13.4 percent.
But NAP says the figures alone do not tell the full story of how Malawians are living.
The organisation says non-food inflation remains high at 31.8 percent, meaning households continue to face significant pressure from the cost of essential goods and services.
NAP says the real test for the administration’s second year should therefore be whether economic stabilisation begins to improve people’s purchasing power, create jobs, attract investment and make everyday life more affordable.
“Stabilisation has not yet translated sufficiently into improved household welfare,” NAP says in its assessment released on Wednesday.
The organisation wants Government to reduce non-food inflation to below 25 percent by the second quarter of 2027 while introducing measures aimed at strengthening household purchasing power.
NAP also says Government must address foreign exchange shortages and unreliable energy supply, which continue to affect businesses and productive activity.
The assessment comes as NAP acknowledges that the administration inherited serious economic pressures, including high inflation, debt, forex shortages, food insecurity and energy challenges.
It says the first year has produced some encouraging signs, including lower inflation, improved maize availability, expanded free secondary education, increased development financing and renewed road rehabilitation.
However, NAP argues that the second year must be different, with greater emphasis on implementation and results that ordinary Malawians can see and feel.
The organisation says the measure of recovery should ultimately move beyond economic statistics to jobs, household incomes, affordable food, reliable fuel and electricity, quality education and healthcare.
NAP has therefore described its assessment as one of “recognition without complacency”, warning that the emerging economic stability will only matter if it eventually improves the daily lives of Malawians.
