The picture is different, but our goals are much the same: John Swinney in Zambia and Malawi
20 Oct 2025
Our Participation and Communications Officer, Innes Burns, praises First Minister John Swinney’s twin commitments in tackling child poverty and gender equality after his trip to Zambia and Malawi.
John Swinney has described gender inequality as one of the greatest human rights challenges in the world during a visit to Zambia and Malawi, where Scotland has strong and long-standing partnerships.
The First Minister spoke about the importance of supporting women and girls, and about Scotland’s role in helping to build fairer, more equal communities beyond its own borders.
In his reflections of the visit, as seen on social media posts this week, he said he wanted to live in a Scotland free from child poverty and that this was the main focus of his government. He also reminded people that Scotland has a moral responsibility to the Global South at a time when many countries are cutting international aid.
Both of these priorities sit at the heart of the Scottish Government’s approach to fairness. There is the work being done at home to lift families out of poverty, and there is the work being done abroad to support people in places where opportunities are far fewer.
At home, the picture looks different, but the goal is much the same. The Scottish Government has made tackling child poverty one of its defining missions. Too many families across Scotland are still struggling to make ends meet. Behind the statistics are children who go to school hungry, parents who work long hours but still cannot afford the basics, and communities where opportunities are unevenly shared. For the government, reducing that inequality means improving access to childcare, creating fairer work, and providing more direct financial support to families who need it most.
These two strands of work are part of the same story about what Scotland values. The idea of a fair and compassionate nation depends on both looking after people at home and standing alongside those in need elsewhere. When the First Minister speaks about ending child poverty, it is a call to make Scotland itself a place where every child can grow up safe and supported. When he talks about supporting women and children in countries like Zambia and Malawi, it is an expression of solidarity and shared humanity.
In his recent comments, John Swinney reminded people that leadership is about more than what happens within a nation’s borders. It is also about the values a country chooses to live by. Whether the focus is on reducing child poverty in Scotland or helping women and children in the Global South, both reflect the same belief that everyone deserves the chance to live with dignity and hope.
In Zambia, he visited the Blantyre–Blantyre research laboratory in Lusaka, a facility supported by Scottish Government funding aimed at improving health outcomes in both Zambia and Malawi. Then in Malawi, he announced a new package of funding (about £4 million over three years) to tackle non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and sickle cell disease in partnership with the Malawian government and international donors.
He also visited a community climate-justice programme in the Zomba region of Malawi (Chimbalanga village) which is supported by Scottish Government’s Climate Just Communities initiative, designed to assist sustainable livelihoods and vocational training.
