Navigating the social work terrain in Malawi: Challenges and opportunities

As in many African countries, social work in Malawi is still young. Even though its history dates back to 1964 when the first community development certificate was offered at the government-run Magomero College, formalised social work education started about 30 years later. Being a young profession as it is, social work in Malawi comes with specific challenges that it has to conquer as well as opportunities it has to utilise for it to grow and remain relevant. This paper discusses the present and future direction of Malawian social work and explores its potential challenges and opportunities. Through desk research, the researcher reviewed relevant literature, which was supplemented by key informant interviews, to map the potential challenges and opportunities for Malawian social work. Current and previous volumes are available at:https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net HOW TO REFERENCE USING ASWDNET STYLENdala A. (2025). Navigating the social work terrain in Malawi: Challenges and opportunities African Journal of Social Work, 15(2), 13-20. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v15i2.2