Malawi has signed a landmark labour agreement with Israel to export nurses to Israeli healthcare institutions, marking a new chapter in bilateral relations. While the deal is being touted as a solution to Malawi’s high unemployment among professional nurses, it has also sparked criticism and concerns over transparency, working conditions, and political motivations.
The agreement, signed in early April 2025 during a visit by Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, aims to deploy unemployed but qualified Malawian nurses to Israeli hospitals. Haskel described the move as “a milestone in strengthening ties between the two countries,” emphasising that only government-to-government (G2G) arrangements would be permitted to ensure legality and avoid past abuses by private recruiters.
“This is a great opportunity for Israelis to experience the high-quality care of Malawian nurses,” Haskel said at the signing ceremony in Lilongwe. “We believe this will help avoid problems like asylum-seeking workers and ensure a smooth process.”
Malawi’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nancy Tembo echoed the sentiment, stating that the country’s “disciplined nurses will discharge their operations professionally and make the country proud.”
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A Deal Born of Economic Desperation
However, not all Malawians are convinced. The country is grappling with a severe foreign exchange crisis, and critics argue the deal is driven more by economic desperation than strategy.
“The government of Malawi was looking for foreign currency. It is struggling, up to now, to get dollars,” said Malawi-based security journalist Ephraim Mkali Banda in a recent interview with Salaamedia. “They managed to bring such a kind of arrangement; some of the youth said it’s a crony arrangement, it doesn’t make sense.”
The deal follows a similar G2G labour export agreement signed last year to send up to 3,000 unskilled workers to Israeli farms. That initiative has been marred by controversy, with reports of underpayment, poor working conditions, and workers abandoning their posts.
“We saw some of the youth abandoning their farms, where they were working, trying to go and seek other jobs,” Banda noted. “Some of them whom we managed to talk to said the job was so tough and not what they were expecting.”
There are also concerns about the financial arrangements under the new nursing deal. Banda reported that some workers in the previous farm labour program were not allowed to receive their full wages directly.
“They were told that their money would be sent to their bank accounts in Malawi. Some of them protested, but it was arranged in that way,” he said.
This echoes complaints from farm workers who alleged they were paid below Israel’s minimum wage and were denied payslips or transparency about their earnings.
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Backlash
The deal has drawn criticism from some religious and civil society groups in Malawi, especially in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“We saw so many youths flocking there, regardless of some religious organisations in Malawi condemning the current president for supporting Israel to wage a war with Palestine,” Banda added.
Despite the backlash, the Malawian government remains steadfast. Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda emphasized that the recruitment process would be carefully managed to ensure nurses are well-prepared for their roles in Israel.
“We want to give the nurses an opportunity, but we want to make sure that we put all things in place, including understanding the working conditions they are going to face,” she said.
As the first cohort of nurses prepares for deployment, all eyes will be on the implementation of the agreement. The government hopes that a successful rollout will lead to more job placements and foreign remittances. But for many Malawians, the deal remains a symbol of a government caught between economic necessity and ethical complexity.
Image via Nation Online.
