Development cooperation between Iceland and Malawi
Development cooperation between Iceland and Malawi started in 1989, through Iceland's bilateral development agency (ICEIDA). An Icelandic Embassy was formally established in Lilongwe in 2004. When ICEIDA was incorporated into the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2016, Iceland’s international development cooperation was transferred to the ministry.
In the early days of the collaboration, the focus was on development in the fisheries sector by Lake Malawi. Over time, the emphasis shifted towards support for improvement of basic services in the sectors of health, education, and water and sanitation in fishing communities around the lake. Human rights, gender equality, and environmental and climate issues are also integrated into all activities.
Iceland’s development cooperation follows the Policy for International Development Cooperation 2024–2028, which aims to eradicate poverty, uphold human rights, and enhance living conditions. It is aligned with Iceland‘s Bilateral Development Cooperation Strategy and the Country Strategy 2023-2026.
Iceland’s development cooperation in Malawi is based on close collaboration with local authorities in its partner districts. In addition, Iceland works with various United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and both local and international civil society organizations.
Nearly one hundred professionals from Malawi have pursued studies through the GRÓ training programmes in Iceland. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs also supports projects implemented in the country by the Icelandic Red Cross, Icelandic Church Aid, SOS Children‘s Villages and Iceland’s National Association of People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Malawi consistently receives the largest share of Iceland’s bilateral development cooperation funding each year. All information on Iceland’s contributions to Malawi in recent years can be found at www.openaid.is.
District Development Projects in Malawi
The main aid modality for Iceland in Malawi is a programme-based approach at the district level, with local governments taking responsibility for ownership and implementation of programmes. Since 2012, Iceland has worked through a district-based approach in collaboration with the local authorities in Mangochi. That year, Iceland signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Local Government and the district authorities of Mangochi to strengthen the delivery of basic services in the district.
These projects are based on the priorities, policies and plans of the Malawian authorities. Project implementation is carried out by the district authorities, while the Embassy of Iceland in Lilongwe provides regular financial oversight and technical support. The district development programmes are designed as long-term initiatives. Through this approach, Iceland adheres to the core principles of effective development cooperation, maximizing the efficiency of development funds to achieve sustainable, long-term results based on local priorities at both national and district levels. This approach strengthens the knowledge and capacity of district authorities. Findings from independent evaluations show positive, holistic impact and confirms that local ownership by district authorities and communities contributes to the sustainability of Iceland’s projects and investments at the district level.
Following the successful outcomes of the district development projects in Mangochi over the past decade, as well as positive evaluations of these projects and Iceland’s district-based approach, it was decided in consultation with the Government of Malawi to expand Iceland’s cooperation in the country. As a result, a partnership with Nkhotakota District was initiated in 2022. Furthermore, discussions began in 2025 with additional districts in Malawi regarding potential future collaboration and expansion into new districts.
Further information about Iceland’s district development projects in Malawi is found below.
Mangochi Basic Services Programme – MBSP
Mangochi is among the largest and most populous districts in Malawi, with around 1.3 million inhabitants living within an area of 6,273 km². The first phase of the MBSP started in 2012 and ended in 2016 with the second phase of the programme, MBSP II, following until 2021. Iceland extended the second phase of the programme to 2025. The final phase, MBSP III, began in August 2025 and will run for three years.
The MBSP aims to strengthen the delivery of basic services in the district through providing the Mangochi District Council with support and improved provision and use of basic services in these areas:
- Improved health care, particularly in maternal and neo-natal health as well as improving community-based health services in rural communities of Mangochi District.
- Primary education, providing more equitable access to education and improve the quality of education.
- Improved and increased access to clean, safe drinking water as well as improved sanitation and hygiene practices with the use of adequate sanitation facilities to reduce waterborne diseases and to promote better health and well-being.
- Community development for youth and women, emphasising economic empowerment and access to literacy and skills training.
- Strengthen the capacity and ability of Mangochi District Council to deliver quality services and ensure successful implementation of the programme.
Specific initiatives that place a particular emphasis on gender issues are initiated. The health component of the programme has focused on maternal and child health, while the education component works systematically to prevent school dropouts, especially among adolescent girls. Improved water and sanitation facilities have also had a significant impact on health, living conditions, and the workload of women and girls, as they are primarily responsible for water collection.
Iceland supports Malawian authorities in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, mainly the following goals:
Nkhotakota Basic Services Programme - KKBSP
The Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs officially inaugurated a new district development project during a visit to Malawi in December 2022, and the implementation of the Nkhotakota Basic Services Programme (KKBSP) began in mid-year 2023.
Nkhotakota District is located in central Malawi along the shores of Lake Malawi. The district is sparsely populated and relatively small by Malawian standards, with around 400,000 residents living within an area of 4,338 km.²
The main priorities of the KKBSP I are:
- Development of health infrastructure and public health, with a focus on maternal and child health and improved access to healthcare services in rural areas;
- Construction of fifteen primary schools, with an emphasis on supporting early childhood education;
- Improved access to clean water;
- Enhanced knowledge of hygiene practices and improved sanitation facilities;
- Support to the district government, focusing on the sectors for finance, implementation, procurement, and monitoring and evaluation;
- Emphasis on integrating the following elements into all basic services: gender equality, economic empowerment of youth, strengthened community resilience to climate change, and issues concerning children with disabilities.
Balaka, Machinga and Salima
In April 2026, a new chapter began in the development cooperation between Iceland and Malat, with the launch of three new District Basic Services programmes in Balaka, Machinga and Salima. The selection of these three districts was based on a thorough selection process conducted in cooperation with Malawi’s Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. The programmes will be implemented in line with Iceland’s district approach, with a focus on improving basic services in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation, promoting gender equality, and strengthening climate and environmental action.
The programmes are based on the priorities identified by local communities, with a targeted focus on remote areas within the districts. The programmes are expected to significantly improve access to basic services for nearly 300,000 people in Malawi.
Among the new initiatives is the rehabilitation of six primary schools, where more than 8,000 children are enrolled. Emphasis will be placed on inclusive education for children with disabilities. In addition, three health centres will be constructed, which will provide services to more than 200,000 people, while seventeen solar-powered water supply systems will be established, ensuring access to clean water for nearly 60,000 people.
As human rights, gender equality and environmental protection remain central pillars of Iceland’s development cooperation, the projects will also include the establishment of three centres for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and the planting of more than one million trees.
Other Partners
Malawi Human Rights Commission
The Embassy of Iceland has partnered with the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) (2022-2025) with the purpose of: (1) investigating cases of human rights violations nationally related to sex-based discrimination; (2) increasing public knowledge on sex-based discrimination through the dissemination of the national sexual harassment study report; (3) enhancing capacities and knowledge of public and private institutions on sex-based discrimination; and (4) strengthen the GEA Unit in monitoring and investigating sex-based discrimination violations. Furthermore, the Commission has supported the Embassy on hosting screenings of the film The Day Iceland Stood Still, which was shown at all major universities across the country, followed by a discussion on gender equality issues.
Go Fund a Girl Child
Go Fund a Girl Child is a grassroots feminist organisation established in 2015 by Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) committed to addressing and ending gender-based violence, drawing from their own lived experiences. The organization is aimed at creating an enabling environment for rural and peri-urban AGYW such that they are empowered to become powerful agents of change for the social and economic development of Malawian Society. In May 2025, the Embassy of Iceland signed a two-year project agreement for the “Empower2Transform” project, which employs the safe space model. This model supports the development and empowerment of vulnerable girls and young women aged 10–24, focusing on sexual and reproductive health, human rights, gender equality, peer-led engagement and economic empowerment.
Ipas
Ipas is an international non-governmental organisation that supports sexual and reproductive rights. With support from Iceland, the organisation has trained healthcare workers in Mangochi and Nkhotakota to provide appropriate services for women and girls suffering complications after unsafe abortions. Iceland’s contribution provides health centers with appropriate equipment and raises awareness in local communities so that this essential healthcare can be accessed safely both at the community level and at the district hospital.
Malawi’s abortion law is restrictive and only allows abortion when the life of the woman or girl is in danger. As a result, a large number of abortions are carried out under unsafe conditions. Maternal mortality remains high in Malawi and 18% of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortions and their complications. More than half of those who lose their lives from such causes are girls and young women aged 14-23.
With Iceland’s support, IPAS conducted a study to determine the total number of women and girls in Malawi who required emergency treatment in 2022 due to complications following unsafe abortions. The findings showed that 28,371 women and girls sought such care that year, an average of 77 per day. It is estimated that two-thirds of hospital beds in gynaecology wards at any given time are occupied by women suffering from the consequences of unsafe abortions, placing a heavy burden on the healthcare system.
The IPAS project in Mangochi concluded in 2024, and a new agreement was made for the implementation of a similar project in Nkhotakota. That project will run until the end of 2026.
Ascent Soccer Academy
The girls’ football project Full Circle Equity is a partnership initiative with Ascent Soccer Academy. It aims at promoting gender equality, creating new opportunities for girls through football, and supporting their education. The project provides young players with international exposure, including the opportunity to participate at the Rey Cup football tournament in Iceland. The partnership project began in September 2025 and will run for two years.
The project objective is to empower a new generation of female leaders in Malawi by expanding access to organised football, enhancing talent development pathways, and providing educational, cultural, and international opportunities for girls.
World Food Programme – WFP
The partnership between Iceland and the World Food Programme (WFP) on school meals in Malawi began in 2012. Iceland was among the first donor countries to fund WFP projects on Home-Grown School Feedings (HGSF) worldwide. The partnership between Iceland and WFP on HGSF in Mangochi District for the period of 2022-2023 had around 13,000 children in 10 schools benefiting from the programme, as well as approximately 1,500 smallholder farmers. The overall objective is to ensure school children have healthy and diversified diets so that they are encouraged to stay in school and improve learning, whilst improving nutrition of the learners, food security and boosting agriculture production and market opportunities for smallholder farmers. Iceland also began a partnership with WFP in Nkhotakota District in early 2025 for a three-year period, aiming to provide 10,000 children in a total of 10 schools with nutritious meals and support 1,200 smallholder farmers.
The project includes training to farmer organisations on financial literacy, business development services, and market analysis to enable farmers, especially women, to manage their operations more effectively.
Home-grown school meals not only have positive effects on school attendance, learning, and child nutrition, but also generate broader developmental impacts across the entire community.
United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA
In 2023, a three-year partnership project was launched with UNFPA and district authorities in Nkhotakota. The project focuses on raising awareness and knowledge in communities about obstetric fistula, strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers to perform surgical procedures and establishing a specialised operating theatre at the district hospital for fistula repair surgeries. During their stay at the hospital, women receive nutritional rehabilitation, treatment and recovery care, including psychosocial support and social reintegration activities, as women affected by obstetric fistula are often socially marginalized due to the condition’s consequences. The project is built on a previous partnership with UNFPA in 2020-2022 in Mangochi district.
Obstetric fistula is a serious and persistent problem in the world’s poorest countries, where healthcare services are inadequate. This issue is furthermore common among girls who become pregnant at a very young age. Obstetric fistula is caused by a tear in the birth canal that is left untreated, which can result in a hole forming into the bladder and/or rectum. Women suffering from obstetric fistula therefore often struggle to control urination and bowel movements.
The project is carried out using a holistic approach in order to address both the causes and consequences of obstetric fistula. The project goal is to ensure access to quality obstetric fistula care and social reintegration by scaling up the Obstetric Fistula Programme in Nkhotakota district. This includes providing women with obstetric fistula with access to healthcare services, as well as training and supporting them to enable them to educate and support other women as peer educators, thereby helping to reduce social stigma against women affected by obstetric fistula.
United Nations Office for Project Services - UNOPS
UNOPS opened an office in Malawi in 2024. UNOPS provides the Embassy of Iceland with specialised technical services in the areas of procurement, tendering and import management, including the procurement of medical equipment and solarisation of facilities in Iceland’s projects.
The World Bank Group
Iceland became a founding member of a new World Bank trust fund in Malawi in January 2023. The trust fund was established to enhance social protection for the poorest population in the country. It supports a, among other initiatives, two of the Malawi Government’s largest social safety net programmes, which aim to improve the living condition of people living in extreme poverty through monthly cash transfers and the creation of green jobs designed to strengthen community resilience to the impact of climate change. Through paid work opportunities, participants achieved greater food security, enhanced social stability and contributed to a stronger community infrastructure, such as dams and protective embankments.
The establishment of the fund marked a turning point in development cooperation in Malawi, creating an important platform for policy dialogue and coordination between donor countries and the Malawian Government. At the end of 2023, Iceland announced an additional contribution to the fund, earmarked for green jobs. Iceland’s participation in the initiative concludes at the end of 2025.
United Nations Development Programme - UNDP
Together with the Embassy of Norway, the Embassy of Iceland has co-financed a three year human rights project implemented by UNDP, which started in 2023. The project’s goal is to strengthen institutional capacity to protect human rights while enabling vulnerable groups to ventilate their rights, thereby targeting both duty bearers and right holders. The project is to strengthen national capacity to comply with international treaty obligation and the capacity of civil society to represent, access and defend the rights of vulnerable groups, including women, girls, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQI and older persons.
About Malawi
Malawi is a landlocked country located in southeastern Africa, bordered by Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania. The capital city is Lilongwe and the population is estimated at around 21 million, making Malawi one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. The population is predominantly young with more than half under the age of 18.
Lake Malawi, which covers about one-fifth of the country’s total area, is a defining feature of the nation’s geography. The country’s total land area is approximately 120,000 square kilometres, making it slightly larger than Iceland.
Malawi is among the world’s least developed countries, ranking 172nd out of 193 on the United Nations Human Development Index. The country is characterized by diverse landscapes, including high plateaus and fertile lowlands. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of Malawians. While tobacco, tea, and cotton are key export crops, maize, cassava and rice are the primary staple food cultivated for domestic consumption.