Malawi has scored poorly in terms of international transparency standards for public infrastructure projects, achieving only 25.41 points against a global average of 43.07, according to the 2025 Infrastructure Transparency Index Assessment.
The report, jointly published by the CoST Infrastructure Transparency Initiative and the Construction Industry Regulatory Authority, shows Malawi lagging behind Uganda’s 32.26 points while Costa Rica leads globally with 66.95 points.
The index evaluates transparency in public works using four pillars: disclosure, independent review, multi-stakeholder engagement and social accountability.
While Malawi scored 78.20 for its legal and policy framework, which is said to have created an enabling environment implementation remains weak, with the country recording only 6.92 for capacities and processes, 3.72 for citizen participation and 20.85 for information disclosure.
The report states that although laws and institutions exist to promote openness, they have not translated into routine publication of project data or meaningful public oversight.
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“Significant deficiencies in institutional enforcement, digital infrastructure and end-to-end project data disclosure, particularly beyond the project identification phase, remain,” the report reads.
Transparency varies across sectors, with water and waste utilities performing relatively well due to established reporting systems, while health and governance trail behind.
Citizen involvement remains minimal, with community members rarely accessing timely project information or formal monitoring channels while many procuring entities are said to lack standardised systems for publishing data throughout the project life cycle.
The report urges the authorities to strengthen institutional capacity, make disclosure routine, expand digital platforms and improve citizen engagement to close the gap with international best practice.
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Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency Executive Director Willy Kambwandira said the findings reflected longstanding governance failures in the sector.
“The industry consumes a large share of the national budget [and] yet [it] has become a conduit for siphoning taxpayers’ money, undermining value for money and public confidence,” Kambwandira said.
He called for political will to improve transparency beyond cosmetic reforms.
Economist Velli Nyirongo said poor transparency exposed projects to inefficiencies and weak oversight.
“With infrastructure accounting for much of government spending and borrowing [and] limited transparency increases the risk that public funds and debt finance projects with [have] low returns, worsening fiscal pressures and investor confidence,” Nyirongo said.
Infratstructure spending is central to Malawi’s 2063 development agenda, which covers roads, water systems, hospitals and energy projects.
