By Chisomo Phiri
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera says a key metric of success in implementing the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) Strategy relies on the youth who are over 50 percent of the country’s population and are the primary beneficiaries of the strategy.
The President made the remarks on Friday during a Presidential Engagement Meeting with members of the National Youth Council of Malawi(NYCM) at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
Said Chakwera:“For the first time in the history of Malawi, a sitting President is hosting young people from across the country as special guests at State House and be accorded the same kind of prestige as we do to other Heads of State.”
The President said he is aware that challenges such as unemployment, limited access to education and youth friendly health services, gender based violence, teenage pregnancies and lack of economic opportunities that youths face affects their participation in the economic, political and social life thereby hindering their new development and contribution to the nation’s economic development.
In response to these challenges, government developed the National Youth Policy 2023 – 2028.
During the launch of the policy six months ago, President Chakwera committed his government’s financial support towards implementation of the policy.
“I wanted to meet you here to demonstrate my commitment to that pledge. In fact, my starting point in demonstrating that commitment was my State of the National Address in Parliament four months ago, in which I announced a number of interventions for young people such as the K500 billion Agcom II and the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF), among others,” he said.
He therefore, urged the youth to be pro-active, patriotic, patient, principled and change makers and partners in the development process of the nation.
On his part, Minister of Youth and Sports, Uchizi Mkandawire, said President Chakwera’s unwavering commitment to engaging the youth and addressing them is a testament to his vision for an inclusive prosperous Malawi driven by its young people as outlined in the Malawi 2063 agenda.
Executive Director for NYCOM, Rex Chapota commended President Chakwera for hosting the Malawi youth leaders for the first time in the history of Malawi.
Vera Mlia Sherrif, who spoke on behalf of the youths, thanked President Chakwera for hosting them at the Palace.
She said, the occasion marks a significant moment in the nation’s history where voices of young people are heard at the highest level of leadership.
Sherrif said, as the largest demographic in the country, the youth in Malawi hold the key to the country’s future prosperity and development hence the need for government and development partners to support them.
She, therefore, urged fellow youths to be pro-active and stand for themselves and prove to the world that they are capable.
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