LocationsPlacing People at the Centre of the Digital Future
Malawi Launches 2025 Human Development Report
June 27, 2025
Honourable Moses Kunkuyu Kalongashawa, Minister of Information and Digitalisation (left), UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Fenella Frost (centre), and Mr. Stephen Mjuweni, Principal Secretary for the Department of e-Government in the Ministry of Information and Digitalisation (right), officially launch the Human Development Report in Malawi.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Government of Malawi, has officially launched the 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) under the global theme “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI.”
Held in Lilongwe, the national launch brought together senior government officials, development partners, representatives of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, private sector actors, youth innovators, civil society representatives, and media professionals for a high-level dialogue on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital transformation can shape a more inclusive and equitable development future for Malawi.
The 2025 HDR warns that global development progress is stalling and inequality is deepening — in part because governance, financing, and technology systems are failing to keep pace with the rapid and complex changes in the global landscape. It calls for deliberate, people-centred choices to ensure that AI is harnessed as a tool for public good, rather than a driver of exclusion.
Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Honourable Moses Kunkuyu Kalongashawa.
A National Call to Action: Build Our Own Digital Path
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Information and Digitalisation, Honourable Moses Kunkuyu Kalongashawa, emphasized that Malawi is not waiting to catch up with global digital trends, but instead building a locally grounded digital ecosystem shaped by its people, values, and aspirations.
"This Human Development Report reminds us: it is not artificial intelligence that will define our destiny, but the real choices we make today. And Malawi is choosing: transparency over black boxes, equity over convenience, and people—not platforms—as the purpose of our progress."
He reiterated the government’s efforts to extend connectivity to rural communities, strengthen digital governance, and ensure technology is accessible in local languages and formats. The Minister also outlined government collaborations with development partners and the private sector, including initiatives like AI-enabled social protection targeting, mobile-based procurement tracking, and vernacular voice interfaces designed to reach all citizens.
UNDP Resident Representative Ms Fenella Frost.
UNDP’s Commitment to Inclusive and Responsible Innovation
UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Fenella Frost commended Malawi for its leadership and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to human-centred digital development:
“We must ensure AI helps a child learn, supports a farmer to adapt, and creates space for women and youth to participate meaningfully in the economy,” she said. “Technology is not the solution in itself—it is how we use it that matters. UNDP remains ready to walk this journey with the Government and people of Malawi.”
Ms. Frost further highlighted UNDP’s support for Malawi through the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF), which aligns public and private resources with national priorities. She stressed that strong financing, inclusive governance, and cross-sector collaboration are critical to delivering meaningful results, especially for youth, women, and marginalized communities.
The event in Lilongwe brought together senior government officials, development partners, UN agencies, private sector leaders, civil society, and the media.
Pathways for Progress: From Dialogue to Delivery
The launch event also served as a platform to promote bold policy and investment directions aligned with the Report’s recommendations, including:
1. Building a complementary economy – Instead of replacing humans, AI should work alongside them. Policies should encourage people and AI to collaborate, boosting productivity and supporting decent work. This means utilising AI in ways that generate positive spillovers across the economy, facilitating worker adaptation, and ensuring that no one is left behind.
2. Guiding innovation with intent – AI should be harnessed to accelerate science and innovation, not by automating creative processes but by augmenting them. AI innovation can be steered through incentives that embed human agency in AI from design to deployment.
3. Investing in the right skills and support – To thrive in an AI-driven world, people need the right tools and education. AI can help personalise learning and healthcare, but risks such as bias and privacy concerns need to be managed. At the same time, AI can open new jobs that require a human touch.
Participants expressed optimism that Malawi can become a leader in ethical, inclusive digital transformation—not by replicating others, but by setting its own standards for technology that serves people first.
A Digital Future with Dignity
The 2025 HDR challenges governments to go beyond the hype of emerging technologies and commit to equitable development outcomes. In the words of Honourable Kunkuyu, “Digitalisation is not about flashy dashboards. It is about dignity. It is about making sure that no Malawian is invisible in the systems that govern their lives.”
With today’s launch, Malawi joins the global conversation on the future of human development in the age of AI, reaffirming that the country’s digital journey will be anchored not in machines—but in people, possibilities, and purpose.
📘 Download the 2025 Human Development Report:
https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf
🔗 Explore the interactive version:
https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025