By Prisca Promise Mashushu
President Dr. Lazarus MacCarthy Chakwera has promised to launch a youth innovation grant that aims at providing the youth with loans to be used in different areas including agriculture, education, and tourism among others.
The President disclosed this on Friday during a live youth engagement event at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, where the youth had an opportunity to ask questions on the State of the National Address delivered in Parliament on Friday last week.
He explained that youths must be at the forefront when it comes to the developments of the country to make a difference by involving themselves in different entrepreneurship skills through loans obtained from the government under National Economic Empowerment Funds (NEEF) and other stakeholders while answering a question from Memory Ngwira who represented young entrepreneurs.
“The introduction of youth innovation grant will help to engage youths in different sectors including agriculture, economics, and tourism by working together with different stakeholders such as the World Bank, microfinance institutions and others that facilitate finances for youths.
“Government will also ensure that NEEF loans are granted to youths to boost their entrepreneurship and businesses,” he explained.
The president also acknowledged that there are unemployed youths who need support through social welfare development.
Answering the question concerning the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB), the president assured youths that government will increase funding to the organisation so that it can continue to operate independently for it to fight corruption.
“I want to encourage youths to be whistle-blowers if they have any issues regarding corruption in the country by working together with the ACB and other justice organisations to build a free corruption Malawi
“Government is also committed to ensure that youths are engaged in the health sector by addressing different issues such as mental health and sexual reproductive rights and also government will ensure that health care remains affordable for all,” he said.
The President then assured the youth that government will continue to provide high-quality teaching and learning materials which includes the construction of school blocks, laboratories, libraries and others.
