Balaka District
Balaka is a district in the Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Balaka.
Description
The district covers an area of 2,140 km.² and has a population of 438,379.[1] The district's population is increasing at a rate of 2.3% per annum. Major attractions in Balaka District include the 1,850 Ha estate Toleza Agricultural Enterprises, St. Louis Montfort Catholic Church, the Andiamo Vocational Complex and the Chifundo Artisans' Network.
In this district is the town of Nkaya, an important urban center that serves as the junction point of the country's road-rail systems.[2]
A new Khwisa Health Centre was opened by the newly elected Minister of Health and Sanitation Madalitso Baloyi in 2025. It had taken twelve years to build as funding had been stopped after the Cashgate scandal. It was funded by several European governments.[3]
Demographics
At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the population of Balaka District by ethnic group was as follows:[1]
- 36.2% Yao
- 25.2% Lomwe
- 14.2% Ngoni
- 10.0% Chewa
- 6.8%Tumbuka
- 3.3% Sena
- 3.1% Mang'anja
- 0.8% Tonga
- 0.1% Nkhonde
- 0.0% Lambya
- 0.0% Sukwa
- 0.4% Others
Government and administrative divisions
There are four National Assembly constituencies in Balaka:[4]
References
- ^ a b "2018 Malawi Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ Malawi Infrastructure Sector Overview Archived 2022-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. ICED. 2018.
- ^ AfricaBrief (2026-02-11). "Minister Baloyi Opens K2 Billion Khwisa Health Centre". AfricaBrief. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
- ^ "Parliament of Malawi - Members of Parliament - Balaka District". Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
External links
15°00′S 35°00′E / 15.000°S 35.000°E