British Government to Decimate its Aid to Malawi
16 July 2026
The UK Government has announced plans to cut its international development budget to Malawi for 2026 – 27 by 60% and, decreasing annually, by 90% for 2028 – 29, compared to its 2025 – 26 funding.
In 2025–26 the UK’s official development assistance (ODA) to Malawi was £50.2 million. In the Foreign & Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Annual Report and Accounts 2025–2026, the UK Government today published its funding intentions for Malawi:
- 2026–27: £20m
- 2027–28: £10m
- 2028–29: £5m
In its policy paper The UK’s Modern Development Approach, also published today, FCDO say:
“To fund a necessary increase in defence spending, the government has taken the decision in the current fiscal circumstances to reduce our ODA budget.”
UK aid for the Africa region falls from £1.449bn to £693.8m, a reduction of 52%. The planned 90% reduction in aid to Malawi by 2028-29 is approximately 38 percentage points deeper than the Africa-wide cuts.
The FCDO paper says that the British Government are making four fundamental shifts that change 'the way the UK does development':
- donor to investor
- service delivery to system support
- grants to expertise
- international interventions to local leadership
The SMP’s CEO Stuart Brown commented:
"Already Malawians face multiple daily challenges, economic fragility and the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Some of the most vulnerable women, children and families in Malawi will suffer as a result of these swingeing cuts.
More people will go hungry, the most basic healthcare provision will be diminished, research progress impeded, educational and employment prospects stunted and lives will be lost. We strongly urge the British Government to reconsider."
Military experts such as the former Head of the British Army, General Lord Richard Dannatt have previously warned of the short-sightedness of cutting aid and the loss of soft power, saying:
"Britain’s military capabilities must be strengthened to deter aggression, safeguard our interests and maintain a credible global presence. But cutting aid to fund it is a fundamental strategic error that risks making us weaker, not stronger. Funding one out of the money allocated to the other risks undermining the very security we are trying to ensure."
The SMP is a non-party-political organisation. In line with its charitable purpose and constitution, the SMP has the power to do anything which is calculated to further its purposes to help reduce poverty, advance education, advance health, improve wellbeing and increase social justice in Scotland and Malawi.
