K170m project to deal with voter apathy
Youth and Society (YAS) has embarked on a K170 million project to increase youth representation in elected positions and deal with the voter apathy.
Speaking in an interview, YAS executive director Charles Kajoloweka said they plan to achieve this through their 12 months’ Democracy in Young Hands Project.
He said: “Voter turnout has been on the decline. But we want that to change from 60 percent in 2018 to 90 percent in the 2025 Tripartite Elections.”
Kajoloweka said they will do this by intensively engaging in voter education, and policy advocacy that will focus on creating an enabling environment for meaningful participation of all people.
He said the project further seeks to create support for young people to effectively participate in the forthcoming elections.
“We are focusing on capacitating youth aspirants that are going to run for political office.
“Our target is to ensure that we get every young person to the ballot box, and specifically for this intervention. So, we are looking at increasing the numbers to around 90 percent,” said Kajoloweka.
In a separate interview on Wednesday, young politician Agness Chilamba observed that empowering the youth to fulfil their political aspirations requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the complex challenges they encounter in their aspirations for political leadership.
She said: “Financial barriers often impede their ability to run competitive campaigns, limiting access to resources required for effective outreach and communication. Moreover, the lack of established networks puts young candidates at a disadvantage, as politics traditionally thrives on connections and alliances.
“Further, age-based stereotypes and biases persist, fostering skepticism about the competence and readiness of young leaders for pivotal roles.”
Among other things, Chilamba recommended that creating mentorship programmes which connect young individuals with seasoned political figures can offer invaluable guidance, and enable them to navigate the complexities of political landscapes.
Recognising the challenges faced by youth in politics, the young woman also initiated the Quota for Youth (Q4Y) policy, aimed at addressing underrepresentation.
The Democracy in Young Hands project is funded by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) under the Malawi Electoral Support Project (Mesp).
In an earlier interview, UNDP chief technical advisor on elections Isaack Otieno said Mesp is committed to working with the people in Malawi, institutions, and civil society organisations, so that all Malawians, including the youth, can engage in electoral politics.
“We have a pillar of inclusion, and that was intentional because we want women, the youth, and persons with disability to engage in politics in an informed way in the electoral system.
“So, the inclusion pillar is basically around civic voter education that is targeted at the public including all these sectors of the population,” he said.
