Now more than ever, every kwacha must count

When Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka addressed Parliament on Tuesday, he questioned why some government-funded secondary school projects are reportedly costing between K1 billion and K4 billion, while a community day secondary school constructed by a German non-governmental organisation in Mwanza cost about €110 000, roughly K250 million to K300 million. Whether those projects are identical is a legitimate technical question. Some schools may include additional facilities, larger campuses or different specifications that justify higher costs.

The debate is no longer simply about how much it costs to build a school. It is about whether Malawi is obtaining value for money from every public investment. Barely three months after Parliament approved the 2026/27 K11 trillion National Budget, the government is already implementing it under far tighter economic conditions than anticipated.

Economic growth has weakened, inflation remains stubbornly high, public debt continues to rise and foreign exchange shortages persist. Treasury has repeatedly reminded Malawians that fiscal space is limited. Limited resources demand a different way of thinking.

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The greatest risk is assuming that solving Malawi’s development challenges requires ever larger budgets. Increasingly, it requires better spending. For years, public debate has largely focused on mobilising more revenue through higher taxes, additional borrowing and increased development assistance.

Those conversations are important because government cannot finance development without adequate resources. However, an equally important question receives far less attention. Are taxpayers receiving the maximum possible value from the money government already spends?

The answer matters because the real cost of an inflated public contract is rarely measured in kwacha alone. It is measured in opportunities forgone. If one school genuinely costs K1 billion when a comparable project could be delivered for a fraction of that amount, the country has not simply overspent on one contract. It has reduced its ability to construct additional schools, recruit teachers or expand access to education elsewhere.

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