Malawi Government has commenced disbursements of the third phase payments to the beneficiaries of the Emergency Cash Transfer under the Covid-19 Urban Cash Intervention (CUCI).

The actual payments to CUCI beneficiaries commenced in February 2021 with monthly cash injections of MK35, 000 for three months (January –March 2021).

However, only those that successfully identified themselves in the Know-Your Customer (KYC) received the transfers. “74,150 beneficiaries will be paid during this phase. These beneficiaries were not paid in the past two phases due to the challenges faced with KYC processes and other technical problems.

A further 42,000 beneficiaries who were not paid during the first phase (payment of January and February) will also get their cash in this third phase” said Bessie Msusa, Chief Economist at the department of Economic Plannning and Development.

 CUCI is a government intervention being implemented in low-income semi-urban locations based on the assessment of the cities- socio-economic profiles and household vulnerability levels.

The qualifying beneficiaries are the ultra-poor households who primarily derive their livelihoods from the informal employment and micro trading.

Out of the targeted 199, 613 beneficiary households, the programme has reached to 137,772 beneficiaries in the cities on Blantyre, Zomba. Lilongwe and Mzuzu. The cash transfers are done electronically through mobile money service providers-Airtel Money Commerce Ltd and TNM Mpamba Ltd.

The programme is supported by the Government of Malawi and its cooperating partners including UNICEF, the German Government through the KFW and GIZ, International Labour Organisation, World Food Programme, the Embassy of Ireland, the European Union and the World Bank.