A new Open Budget Survey 2025 Debt Accountability Module by the International Budget Partnership reveals that Malawi lacks an independent fiscal institution to scrutinise public debt management, leaving Parliament and the public to rely almost entirely on government’s own assessment of its borrowing decisions.
Although the country has legal and policy frameworks for debt management, the survey finds that weak oversight, limited transparency and inadequate accountability have significantly undermined effective debt governance.
According to the report, the Parliamentary Budget Office exists only as an administrative arrangement without legal backing or a dedicated budget, meaning it cannot independently assess…