8 September 2021

In 2018, the Full Access, Full Choice project convened key family planning stakeholders, from government and NGOs, to identify key county-specific program priorities and evidence gaps in adolescent and youth family planning research. This brief is in response to a learning agenda that was developed and informed by a set of study questions advanced by stakeholders from the public sector and non-governmental organizations in Mombasa County.

8 September 2021

In 2018, the Full Access, Full Choice project convened key family planning stakeholders, from government and non-governmental organizations, to identify key county-specific program priorities and evidence gaps around adolescent and youth use of a full range of family planning methods. This brief is in response to a learning agenda that was developed and informed by a set of study questions advanced by stakeholders from the public sector and nongovernmental organizations in Migori County.

8 September 2021

In 2018, the Full Access, Full Choice project convened key family planning stakeholders, from government and nongovernmental organizations, to identify key county-specific program priorities and evidence gaps around adolescent and youth use of a full range of family planning methods. In August 2019, the project undertook qualitative in-depth interviews with 32 female youth ages 18-24 years in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Migori, to better understand factors that affect their ability to have full access and choice on contraception. In qualitative interviews conducted by the Full Access, Full Choice project, female respondents’ perceptions of male engagement were largely shaped by relationship status.

8 September 2021

Young people represent a diverse population with unique family planning needs and practices. The Full Access, Full Choice Project undertook qualitative in-depth interviews with 32 women ages 18-24 years in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Migori, to better understand their contraceptive journey and respond to these evidence gaps. This factsheet provides information from these counties related to dual method use, alongside quantitative data from various large-scale surveys in Kenya, including the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) (2014) and the Kenya Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (KENPHIA) (2018).

31 August 2021

The fisheries sector is very important to Malawi’s economy, livelihoods, food security and biodiversity. One estimate puts the total contribution of the sector at 7.2% of GDP while employing 700,000 people either directly or indirectly. Unfortunately, there is evidence of extreme overfishing, with 50% more craft than should be the case for maximum sustainable yield. Almost 90% of all nets used are illegal, with mesh sizes that are too small, capturing juvenile and spawning fish which curtail the reproductive capacity of fish species. This paper estimates that in 2018, profit from the fisheries sector was more than 5 times larger […]

24 August 2021

Malawi’s MSME sector contributes approximately 40% to national GDP. Yet several obstacles restrict the growth of the MSME sector, which in turn restrict the growth of the overall economy. These include: limited access to financial services such as credit and banking, limited business training, informality, high costs of complying with regulations and an overall poor environment for conducting business. High business registration and tax compliance costs mean that only 11% of MSMEs are registered and pay tax, cutting into the government’s revenue base. Additionally, the current predominantly paper based tax system poses a large cost on the Malawi Revenue Authority […]

17 August 2021

The analysis recommends prioritizing improvements in Malawi’s Early Warning Systems (EWS) as a more effective use of marginal resources toward improving Malawi’s resilience to floods. Overall, this intervention would yield 16 kwacha in benefits for every kwacha invested, indicating the high socio- economic efficiency of the EWS improvements for Malawi. 

10 August 2021

The primary recommendation of the paper is to pursue a combination of two interventions: The development of a new water source from the Shire River and a roll out of the E-Madzi program (automated water kiosks) to Blantyre. The combined intervention yields 3.2 kwacha for every kwacha invested, higher than either intervention alone. However, the analysis shows that the BWB should wait until the new supply is fully implemented, and that a sufficient proportion goes to informal settlements, before considering any rollout of E-Madzis. The benefits of the e-Madzis investment are greater the more water that is supplied to kiosks, reducing wastage, water operating costs and waiting time. 

3 August 2021

More than half of urban residents live in informal settlements or in informal dwellings in areas designated for housing. While regulations and housing permits are critical, compliance with these regulations is of equal importance.

27 July 2021

This analysis grew from two distinct research questions: “Where should Malawi focus its resources to achieve industrialisation?” and “Which policies can effectively address youth unemployment and underemployment?” In considering the challenges and opportunities for both areas, the authors recognised a number of overlaps and common spaces for growth, and as such, the analysis was merged. Malawi’s young workforce participants are reliant on Malawi’s ability to improve industrialisation, without which any amount of skilled labour would remain unused. 

20 July 2021

Tourism contributes 7.7% to Malawi’s GDP, and sub-optimal capacity utilization of tourism facilities and services indicates that there is opportunity for growth. One of the keys to unlocking Malawi’s potential in tourism and other sectors like mining and forestry is investment in passenger transport infrastructure. Due to the fact that it is landlocked, transport costs in Malawi are among the highest in the region. Furthermore, road infrastructure is poor and below internationally accepted standards. The implication of the analysis is that ensuring paved roads can provide significant benefits to the Malawian economy. The intervention will increase international tourism receipts by 30%.

13 July 2021

Despite being endowed with substantial minerals, gemstones, and waterbodies, Malawi’s mining and fisheries sectors have been unable to fully take advantage of these resources for wealth creation. The analysis highlights two large-scale projects that could increase the value generated by mining and fisheries: Artisanal and small-scale mining ‘landing centers’; and the Chipoka Port Fisheries Project. These projects would contribute towards Malawi’s wealth creation and industrialization goals, for example improving the share of mining from 0.8% of GDP in 2020 to 10% in 2030 and increasing the value-addition from forestry, livestock, fishing from MWK 406,000 million to MWK 600,000 million by 2030.