By Harvey C. Chidoba Banda

Over the past few years, especially in the post-Covid 19 period, Malawians have faced the ever-increasing cost of living. This is a result of the faltering and tumbling of the Malawian economy, manifested in the ever-weakening Malawi Kwacha against major world currencies. In addition to this, the cost of fuel has sky-rocketed and all these factors have contributed to the ever-increasing prices of basic commodities in Malawi.

The hard economic times have compelled many Malawians to look for better economic fortunes beyond the borders of Malawi, especially in the neighbouring countries of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. In fact, the migration of Malawians to South Africa is a historical phenomenon which has been occurring since the late 19th century. Since then, however, this has become a permanent feature of the Malawian socio-economic landscape.

The Post-Covid Economic Context

The Covid-19 pandemic worsened an already fragile economic situation for millions of Malawians. Supply chain disruptions, reduced remittances from the diaspora, and the collapse of small businesses pushed many households into deeper poverty. The economic recovery has been slow, uneven, and insufficient to address the structural vulnerabilities that underpin migration in Malawi.

For MASO, understanding these economic drivers of migration is central to our research and advocacy work. We believe that addressing the root causes — through economic empowerment, improved agricultural practices, and youth skills development — is the most sustainable path to reducing forced migration and its associated harms.

MASO's Economic Empowerment Response

Migration and Society (MASO) has been implementing economic empowerment programmes in migration-affected communities in Mzimba District and beyond. These programmes focus on supporting female-headed households — particularly women whose husbands have migrated to South Africa — through training in sustainable farming, financial literacy and income-generating activities.

MASO encourages communities to explore alternative livelihoods that reduce dependence on expensive farm inputs, and to build financial resilience that reduces the necessity of economic migration under desperate conditions.

Harvey C. Chidoba Banda is Executive Director of Migration and Society (MASO). Contact: executivedirector@masomw.org