The shift to copper-plated steel for this denomination was driven by the chronic economic pressures Malawi faced through the 1980s, as the landlocked nation's reliance on expensive overland export routes — following Mozambique's civil war disrupting the Nacala corridor — strained foreign currency reserves and made the economics of solid copper coinage increasingly difficult to justify.
The shift to copper-plated steel for this denomination was driven by the chronic economic pressures Malawi faced through the 1980s, as the landlocked nation's reliance on expensive overland export routes — following Mozambique's civil war disrupting the Nacala corridor — strained foreign currency reserves and made the economics of solid copper coinage increasingly difficult to justify.