No Justice Without Power: Charting Malawi’s Path to a Fair Energy Future

The Blog Series on a Just Climate Transition by the University of Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCAN) delves into the complexities and challenges of the issue, while proffering tangible solutions and pathways. In this post, Hon. Ibrahim Matola, Minister of Energy, Republic of Malawi outlines the imperative of achieving both climate justice and energy justice in the 21st century.

In Malawi, we live the climate crisis in real time. Each year brings heavier floods, longer droughts, and more erratic rainfall. Cyclones damage infrastructure and displace thousands. Yet while we bear these climate shocks, over 70 percent of our population still lives without electricity. This is the defining paradox of our age: Those who have contributed least to the climate emergency are often left to confront it with the fewest tools. For us, the transition to a low-carbon economy is not a choice between climate action and development, it is a question of survival, dignity, and justice. As Minister of Energy, I believe climate justice must start with energy justice. That means recognising energy not as a privilege for the few, but as a right for all, to power homes, schools, health centres, and the dreams of young people who want to thrive in the 21st century. To this end, Malawi has developed a bold and strategic response through the National Energy Compact. Endorsed under Africa’s Mission 300 initiative, the Compact lays out our vision to connect millions of Malawians to clean, reliable energy by 2030, while reducing emissions and building resilience in the face of climate disruption.

We are aiming to increase electricity access from 25.9 percent to 70 percent by 2030. This includes delivering over 1.1 million on-grid connections and 1.5 million off-grid connections, particularly in rural and underserved areas. At the same time, we are scaling up clean cooking technologies to reach 75 percent of households, shifting away from firewood and charcoal to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electric, ethanol, and biogas stoves. This transition will not only protect forests but also reduce indoor air pollution, especially for women and girls. Our energy mix is already more than 90 percent renewable, dominated by hydropower and solar. Through the Compact, we plan to raise this to 96 percent while cutting energy-related emissions by over four million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. This will be achieved through a combination of grid expansion, investment in solar and hydropower generation, and a regional strategy to strengthen power trade through interconnectors with Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania. This progress has not come easily. Like many low-income countries, Malawi faces high borrowing costs, limited fiscal space, and currency volatility. Attracting investment into clean energy under these constraints requires reforms, creativity, and relentless commitment. We have responded by reforming tariff structures, and launching innovative financing tools like the Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee Fund, which will soon become a National Energy Sector Fund to channel capital into off-grid solutions and clean cooking markets. At the same time, we are working to adapt our energy systems to climate shocks. Malawi’s hydropower plants are vulnerable to reduced rainfall and sedimentation. To address this, we are integrating battery storage, modernising grid infrastructure, and expanding solar power to diversify supply and ensure year-round reliability. The Mpatamanga Hydropower Project, currently in development, will be a game-changer, a 358 MW facility designed to provide flexible, low-carbon power to the national grid and the wider region. But beyond the projects and policies, we are reshaping our national narrative. We are moving from dependency to agency. From being perceived as climate victims to becoming contributors of scalable, context-driven solutions. Still, we cannot do this alone. Malawi’s energy transformation will require approximately $5.5 billion by 2030. We have already secured over $800 million from partners, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank and European Union, but a substantial financing gap remains. We ask for a partnership grounded in fairness and shared responsibility. For us to keep our commitments, the global climate finance system must also keep its promises. We need affordable, long-term capital to de-risk projects in low-income settings. We need open access to energy technologies and data platforms. And most importantly, we need a global transition framework that listens to and learns from those on the frontlines, not just as beneficiaries, but as co-designers of a better future. As someone who has served both as Minister of Energy and as Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, I have seen firsthand the pressures and possibilities of climate governance. And I have learned that real leadership lies not in choosing between growth and decarbonisation, but in finding the courage to do both and to do so equitably. Malawi is ready to lead by example. We are ready to work with others who share our belief that universal energy access is not a luxury, but a cornerstone of a just world. We are ready to demonstrate that clean energy can power not just homes, but health, education, enterprise, and human flourishing. There can be no just climate transition if billions remain in the dark. We must light the way, together.

Hon. Ibrahim Matola is currently Malawi’s Minister of Energy. He was previously a Member of Parliament for two terms, from 2004 to 2014; the Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change; the Deputy Chief Whip and later Parliamentary Leader of the United Democratic Front; and the Chairman of Southern Region Water Board.