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The establishment of Malawi’s National Health Treasury Fund marks an important milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen domestic financing for health. With the publication of the National Health Treasury Fund Order, 2026, Malawi has moved from policy discussions and conceptualisation to the legal establishment of the Fund. 

But legal establishment is only the beginning. The next step is to put in place the governance and operational arrangements that will enable the Fund to function effectively, transparently, and accountably. 

This was the focus of a two-day stakeholder consultation convened by Malawi’s Ministry of Health and AFIDEP on 11–12 August 2026, bringing together representatives from different stakeholders to deliberate on how the Fund should be governed and operationalised. 

Representing AFIDEP’s Executive Director at the consultation, AFIDEP’s Health and Wellbeing theme lead, Dr. Michael Chipeta underscored the significance of this reform and why AFIDEP is supporting it: “We have moved from policy discussions and conceptualisation, to legal establishment. The task before us now is to ensure that the necessary governance and operational arrangements are in place to translate this legal framework into a functional, credible and sustainable financing mechanism for health. AFIDEP contributes to better policies, stronger institutions and improved development outcomes across Africa; this is why we have partnered with the Ministry of Health” 

The consultation provided an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the practical arrangements needed to support the Fund’s effective operation. Discussions focused on institutional roles and responsibilities, the proposed Fund Advisory Committee, revenue collection, fund-flow arrangements, fiduciary controls, reporting, accountability and audit, as well as alignment with Malawi’s existing public financial management systems.  

The Director of Planning and Policy Development in the Ministry of Health, Hastings Chipongwe, also emphasised the importance of the consultation in shaping how the Fund will be managed, noting that he expected the meeting to provide recommendations for better management of the Fund. “With the current donor fatigue, this fund will help to make our health system better. We are grateful to AFIDEP for walking with us on this journey.” 

For AFIDEP, the consultation represents another important step in a health financing reform journey to which the Institute has contributed over time. In Malawi, AFIDEP has provided technical support to the health financing reform agenda, including contributing to the development of the initial Health Fund concept paper, facilitating the development of the health financing reform implementation roadmap, and supporting engagements with Parliamentary Committees to advocate for the adoption of health financing reforms, including the Health Fund. Dr Michael Chipeta noted that AFIDEP’s involvement is part of a broader commitment to supporting sustainable domestic health financing across Africa.