During the meeting held at Washington DC, in which a delegation of the Treasury is meeting with International Monetary Fund officials, Parliament’s Budget and Finance Committee addressed the widening gap between the rich and the poor in Malawi.

The Committee’s chairperson Sosten Gwengwe said that income inequality erodes social cohesion in society and this is a potential source of conflict between the rich and the poor if not managed properly.

On the other hand, a 2019 African Economic Outlook Report showed that poverty registered an increase to 51.5% in 2017, From 50.4% in 2010. The study, carried out by the African Development Bank (AfDB) states that poverty in rural areas registers 56.6%, citing food security as the major cause for the record.

Comparing the study to a National Statistical Office (NSO) Malawi Poverty Estimation Report from 2016/17, the two studies agree that moderate poverty levels in the country did not change.