Chipungu tells UN: Malawi govt recognises youth as drivers of development

Principal Secretary for the Presidential Initiative on Safe Motherhood, Chimwemwe Chipungu, has told United Nations that Malawi government recognizes the importance of the youth in the national development of the country.

Youthful Chipungu at the UN
Youthful Chipungu at the UN

He said Malawi will embark on  effectively harnessing the  potential of the youth and equip them with knowledge and skills necessary for their full participation in the social, cultural, economic and political development of the country.

He was speaking at a conference on 1st June ,2015 at the UN Headquarters in New York when he presented a statement on behalf of the Government , during the high level event on Demographic Dividends for Youth Employment.

Chipungu said : “The  Government of Malawi is concerned with the high levels of unemployment, especially among the youth; hence it has initiated the implementation of a carefully selected mix of economic, fiscal, monetary, trade and investment policies in order to promote the creation of productive and decent employment.”

He further stressed : “Malawi will encourage self-employment through the creation and empowerment of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In this regard,  it has elevated the Ministry of Labour to be a key ministry because it is a belief of Malawi government that the Ministry can play a critical role in the creation of decent jobs in the country”.

Chipungu outlined a number of initiatives that the Government of Malawi has committed  in order to encourage the youths of this country to develop a mentality towards non-white collar jobs environment and be prepared for self-employment and entrepreneurship, which includes  the establishment of a National Youth Development Service (NYDS) aimed at  developing  skills for the youth to enable them to be self-reliant.

This will also comprise the empowerment of the youth to articulate their own needs through the formation of area, district and national youth organizations; establishment of new vocational and business training centers for vendors; and the creation of new opportunities for soft loans to enable the youth to start their own businesses.

However, Chipungu  singled  out that education standards in the country as a bottleneck to youth empowerment and development which is marred by inadequate teaching and learning materials, insufficient classroom blocks and a high pupil-teacher ratio.

Despite  that, in order to address these challenges, Chipungu pointed  that, under the leadership of President Peter Mutharika, the government will strive to provide adequate teaching and learning materials in all public schools; construct and rehabilitate school blocks and girls hostels; promote learning of science, technology and technical subjects in schools; provide computer laboratories in all public secondary schools; and revise the terms and conditions of service for teachers to make the profession attractive and competitive.

Recently, in his state of the nation address, Mutharika outlined his government’s plans to design basic education in a manner that it produces youth who are able to engage in trade, business, production and self-employment, through among other initiatives, creating a Special Child and Youth Rehabilitation Fund to enable children and youth from impoverished families have access to vocational and technical training that equips them to become self-reliant and entrepreneurs.

In addition, he said, the government will introduce innovative community colleges that will make use of existing structures in all the districts to provide practical knowledge and skills relevant to our economy and for self-employment.

Further, the government will establish new universities, a case in point is the recent opening of the Malawi University of Science ant Technology and Community Colleges, and encourage Technical, Entrepreneurial, Vocational, Education and Training (TEVET) Programmes.

The High-level event was convened to provide an opportunity for Member States and stakeholders to evaluate investments needed to reap the demographic dividend, including through employment opportunities for young people. The meeting was presided over by the President of the General Assembly, Sam Kutesa.

The meeting was also attended by UNFPA Chief Babatounde, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon and Malawi’s Deputy Permanent Representative to UN Lot Dzonzi.

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Unemployed
Unemployed
8 years ago

The JB speech and lip-service style. These guys are good at flowering speeches but contrally to actions on the ground. Useless n poorest nation on Earth

edda mwalweni
edda mwalweni
8 years ago

DPP mbuzi nonse. Chipungu wakhala PS liti?
A kutizunza kuno ku office chifukwa cha ubale ndi Peter
Alibe chochita kumangokhalira ndale basi ndi kunamiza alendo.Sadziwa fundraising ija amayitha Dorothy ndi aMfumu aja

Sokosi
Sokosi
8 years ago

Where is the PS for Youth? The Minister for Youth? Why the PS for safe motherhood? Malawi? We have a big problem here.

Bamboo
Bamboo
8 years ago

So he went to the UN in what capacity? Safe.motherhood or Director of Youth of DPP? If its the latter so he is doubling as a civil servant and politician? Pali abuse of safe motherhood funds tu apa

Mercy Bauleni
Mercy Bauleni
8 years ago

Principal Secretary for the Presidential Initiative on Safe Motherhood, Chimwemwe Chipungu” Who told you that Chimwemwe is the PS? Please do your homework thoroughly before coming here. Mukumatiwongezanso nthawi zinatu. I am tempted to belive that most of Nyasatimes reporters are not professionals. They just rush putting their online publication without validation,

Bamboo
Bamboo
8 years ago
Reply to  Mercy Bauleni

So what is his post according to you Madam?

Chipoya LJ.
Chipoya LJ.
8 years ago

Big up for the wonderful and well articulated speech my mentor and inspiration. This is what we young Malawians want to hear from fellow young leaders like yourself bwana not just busy with cheap and fake kind of publications circulating in social media pages by some disgruntled young politicians.

I hope you will make sure to see to it that all the facts you have stated are well implemented by your government. Its high time you our leaders walk your talk.

All in all, GOD Bless Malawi!!!!!!

Mercy Bauleni
Mercy Bauleni
8 years ago

What does thi has to do with Safe Motherhood? A Chipungu mesa ndi Safe Motherhood. I think our vision is upside down as a country.

Liganga Chelume
8 years ago

Mxiii u r just fooling the world out there!dpp govt cant implement what ever the fake ‘ps’ has said,angoba ndalama mkumamangila chipatala kwao kwa sani vge ku thyolo ameneyi.

half man half biscuit
half man half biscuit
8 years ago

kodi mdimayesa principalm secretary wa youth alipo? chipungu wakhala liti ps???? is this connected to safe motherhood? kumeneku akanapita a ministry ya youth moperekezedwa ndi yoneco ku zomba komanso a teveta.

becks
becks
8 years ago

Malawi approach to youth development is too simplistic that blind fold the youth into perpetual poverty. Youth development must be linked to the MGDS priorities. Need to review implementation structures of the youth development. We need political choice and not political will to realise empowered youth

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