Miss Tourism Malawi 2025 Olivia Masonga has returned home from the Miss Tourism Africa International Pageant held in Jos, Platue State in Nigeria, where she made it into the Top 10 and scooped the Beauty With Impact Award.
The pageant brought together 30 beauty queens who are also Miss Tourism titleholders in their respctive countries from the African continent.
Reyna Ambooralle of Mauritius was crowned Miss Tourism Africa International 2025 winner with Neolin Jaco from Botswana finishing as first runner-up and Margaret Abbah from Nigeria securing the second runner-up spot among the top 10 finalists.
Speaking on arrival, Masonga, 25, described the experience as both challenging and rewarding, saying it was a learning opportunity.
“The competition, just like every other one, was tough but in life, we learn to find the good even in tough situations. Even though it was challenging, I had fun connecting with delegates from across Africa,” she said.
Masonga’s winning project which led her to winning the Beauty With Impact Award focused on equipping the youth with technical skills to help drive Malawi’s and Africa’s economic growth.
“Through the main challenges, we were tasked with different projects, and mine focused on empowering the youth with technical skills as an economy drive. I believe it was by God’s grace that I made it that far,” she said.
Masonga further acknowledged that while the experience was enriching it also exposed significant gaps in the local modelling sector, particularly the lack of institutional support for international representatives.
“When a delegate represents Malawi, they carry the nation’s flag. Support is important, something I did not have even before leaving. I plan to keep working on my project and share lessons with other models so we shape a better future for those who will represent us next,” she said.
Miss Tourism Malawi founder Lorraine Kljajic said she was pleased with the outcome, describing the achievement as a testament to hard work.
“ I am very glad that the money invested in her air ticket, visa, and security fees was not in vain. We managed to secure a place in the Top 10 and even brought home the Beauty With Impact Award,” she said
Kljajic revealed that the journey was not easy but Masonga’s experience proved invaluable.
