Jeff Bezos Could (if he wanted to) Lift Malawi Out of Poverty with UBI

by Hank Pellissier

Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person, is worth nearly $200 billion. He’s richer than Iceland, Tunisia, Jamaica, and Estonia combined.  

Is he generous? No. But - he could be.

Could Jeff Bezos lift millions out of poverty? I asked Frank Kamanga, director of the Malawi Universal Basic Income Movement.

Kamanga provided the stats, “per capita income in Malawi is US $440.50. With this amount, the average Malawian cannot meet their basic needs. The number of people aged 18+ in Malawi is 8,669,215.”

I reasoned:

If 8,669,215 Malawians get $500 annually, the total is $4,334,607,500.

If Jeff Bezos delivers half his wealth - $100 billion - to this venture, he could provide UBI to every adult Malawian for 23 consecutive years.

Malawian lives - show would they be elevated?

“Malnutrition would go down and families could afford to educate their children,” says Kamanga. “Social problems related to economic hardships would be avoided.” (Like wife-beating, and rape, 41% of Malawi women experience either physical or sexual violence.)

Would Bezos-UBI spur entrepreneurship?

“Yes,” says Kamanga. “86 percent of people in Malawi live hand-to-mouth daily. If given $500 per year, they’d use the capital for starting businesses.”

An amazing opportunity for the Amazon owner - helping 8.6 million people, with his unneeded cash!