K54bn project to create 746 000 jobs

Malawi has launched a K54 billion Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Agriculture (Yeffa) that will create 746 000 jobs for the youth and help address high unemployment.

Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale alongside Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire jointly launched the initiative at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe yesterday. It will be run by Agra Malawi.

In an interview after the launch, Agra Malawi country director Eluphy Nyirenda said Yeffa is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering the youth to become successful agri-entreprenures.

“The Malawi population comprises over 15 million youth aged 35 and below who face many challenges. This programme is geared to empower more youths and give them opportunities. Our Journey to creating jobs starts now,” said Nyirenda.

Before the launch, the youth were divided into groups to discuss challenges and opportunities in key focus areas namely, access to productive resources, youth voices and engagement in society, access to support services and innovation support and resilience building to climate change.

Their presentations highlighted challenges such as lack of access to financing, lack of land ownership, challenges to be connected to markets as well as lack of knowledge on opportunities in the agriculture sector and how to tap them.

Kawale said through Yeffa, stakeholders can create pathways for the youth in the agriculture sector through targeted interventions such as access to finances, markets, inputs and land.

Recently, President Lazarus Chakwera launched two pathways namely land management and business registration systems which Kawale said would be best tools for solving the challenges raised by the youth.

“If you can utilise these systems, some of your challenges will be solved because you will be able to own land and register your businesses so that you don’t find difficulties finding markets,” he said.

The minister said as the government is migrating from the Affordable Inputs Programme to farm mechanisation, the youth are the best human resource to invest in.

On his part, Mkandawire said the youth need youth-friendly programmes such as Yeffa to give them access to agricultural inputs, land resources, financial inclusion and markets.

“Malawi with it’s demographic dividend, the youth form a great force for development as such government would benefit more by investing in the youth to drive the economy,” he said.

The project, funded by the Master Card Foundation, will be implemented in the country’s four agricultural development divisions within five years.