Mzimba South district youth officer Yamikani Nyalugwe has urged young people to develop innovative solutions to tackle climate change in their communities.
He said this on Friday in Mzimba during a business pitch competition which brought together various youth networks.
The competition is part of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef)-funded Adolescents Advisory Group project implemented under the Innovation for a Greener Malawi campaign, targeting adolescents and youths, to encourage them to play an active role in climate action through innovation.
Said Nyalugwe: “We received funding from Unicef and invited youth networks to submit business ideas that provide practical solutions to climate change.
“Today, we witnessed three networks competing in the final level. We will support them and lobby for more resources.”
Chindi Youth Network was the winner, followed by Mzikubola Youth Network in second place and Mabilabo Youth Network in third.
Chindi Youth Network vice-chairperson Thokozire Nyirenda said their winning project, Chindi Green Charcoal Enterprise, focuses on producing briquettes from waste materials.
She said: “Our plan is to buy a machine that processes waste into briquettes for cooking to reduce dependence on firewood and curb deforestation.
“We will also establish community woodlots”
One of the judges, Mzimba district labour officer Edward Shafi, commended the youth for their creativity.
As winners, Chindi Youth Network received K2 million, Mzikubola Youth Network took home K1.5 million while Mabilabo Youth Network received K1 million.
