Malawi conducted its first Conference on Population and Development, whose theme was Empowering, Educating and Employing Youth to Harness the Demographic Dividend and Achieve Sustainable Development in Malawi. It provided a platform to review the progress Malawi has made in addressing its population and development challenges and share related experiences and innovations.
The Conference provided a unique opportunity for stakeholders in government, academia, the media and civil society to discuss the importance of population issues for the country’s development. A critical question the participants strived to answer was how the country could achieve the development goals outlined in its long-term development blueprint, Vision 2020 and the population and development targets outlined in the global sustainable development goals (SDGs).
A key highlight of the Conference is the launch of a study report on the demographic dividend titled: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend to Accelerate Socio-economic Transformation and Economic Development in Malawi was undertaken by the Government in partnership with UNFPA Malawi and African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP).