Malawi Urbanization Review

The Malawi Urbanization Review aims to
provide fresh perspectives on urbanization in Malawi, by
analyzing the current and potential contribution of
urbanization to long-term national development and the
current institutional and financial capacity of local
governments to manage the process. Analyses presented in
this report are particularly timely as Malawi is planning
for the coming half decade through the Malawi Growth and
Development Strategy (MGDS) III (2016-2020). Malawi is
urbanizing at a moderate rate and has a good chance of
proactively managing the urbanization process. Opportunities
may arise from a positive structural change that Malawi’s
economy is undergoing, whereby the driver of growth and job
creation moves from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors.
Faster urbanization, with strong linkages with rural areas,
can contribute further to deepening such structural change.
To unlock the potential of urbanization as a catalyst for
long-term economic development, it is necessary to
strengthen the capacity of urban local governments to
generate revenues and meet the key infrastructure and
service needs in urban areas, which remain challenging even
at the current rate of urbanization.