An Assessment of The Effectiveness of The Malawi Government Covid-19 Communication in The First Year of The Pandemic.

Abstract

This study investigated effective communication as a practice, and interrogated how the Malawi Government’s Ministry of Health (MG-MoH) engaged the principles of effective communication in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the first year of the pandemic (2020-2021). The study’s interest was to assess the structure and process of the communication by the MG-MoH from March 2020, when Malawi declared a state of emergency and instituted mitigating measures to March 2021, when Malawi was experiencing a more devastating second wave of the pandemic. The Systems Theory provided insight into how the Malawi Government communicated COVID-19 to its citizens and the Rhetoric Theory was also used mainly on the messaging aspect. This study analysed documents to understand the Malawi Government's COVID-19 communication. The researcher used narrative inquiry methodology and conducted in-depth interviews with the local population in Salima, Lilongwe, and Mulanje districts to validate the assertions. The study aimed to understand citizens' experiences and perceptions of the Malawi Government's communication about COVID-19. The study found that the Malawi. Government’s communication strategy was effective in promoting key health behaviours and managing public expectations. The multi-channel approach ensured widespread dissemination of information, and the clarity and consistency of health messages significantly contributed to public compliance with preventive measures. However, challenges were noted, particularly concerning the reach, clarity, timeliness, and emotional impact of the messages. These issues underscore the need for enhancements in the Ministry of Health’s communication infrastructure and strategies to make future public health messaging more inclusive, transparent, and supportive.