World Bank Group approves US$165.9 million INSPIRE-O project for Malawi

The World Bank Group has approved a US$165.9 million (K287.8 billion) grant project to strengthen Malawi’s resilience to climate and economic shocks, improve social protection delivery and create pathways to more jobs.

The Integrated Social Protection for Resilience and Opportunity Project (INSPIRE-O) will benefit vulnerable households across all 25 districts and four cities of Malawi.

The project, according to a World Bank Group news release issued on September 17, will combine adaptive safety nets with climate-smart public works and economic inclusion programmes for the most vulnerable people, particularly women and youth. It will also deploy additional drought-responsive financing mechanisms across Malawi’s 10 most drought-prone districts.

INSPIRE-O builds on the success of the World Bank’s previous Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) Tidzidalire and is structured around three integrated components: The Adaptive Safety Nets component, which will expand and strengthen the Government of Malawi’s Social Cash Transfer Programme, the Jobs NOW component which will create immediate and sustainable income pathways through climate-smart labour-intensive public works for households, and the Institutional Strengthening, Digital Delivery Systems and Project Management component will modernise the Malawi Social Registry, the Core Management Information System and digital payment infrastructure.

The US$165.9 million financing comprises US$110 million from the International Development Association (IDA), US$46.7 million from the Malawi Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) and US$9.2 million from the Global Shield Financing Facility (GSFF).

World Bank Group Country Manager for Malawi Abdu Muwonge said the investment signals the World Bank Group’s strong and enduring partnership with Malawi at a time when job opportunities for young Malawians remain limited and climatic shocks persist.

“INSPIRE-O is not just about providing a safety net; it is about building a foundation for inclusive economic growth and building resilience by strengthening systems that deliver social protection, expanding job opportunities for women and youth, and embedding climate resilience at the heart of program design,” said Muwonge.

World Bank-Malawi Senior Social Protection Specialist Chipo Msowoya said INSPIRE-O is designed to meet people where they are, providing reliable cash transfers to ultra-poor households, activating rapid financing when climate shocks hit, and creating climate-smart jobs that build lasting livelihoods.

“This project reflects a generation of learning about what works in integrated social protection, and we are confident it will deliver transformational results for Malawian families,” said Msowoya.

COMSIP Cooperative Union Limited is implementing the Jobs NOW component of INSPIRE-O, building on its experience supporting vulnerable households through savings groups, businesses and livelihood interventions under SSRLP Tidzidalire.