I die inside every time I have to tell foreigners or even locals that Malawi is the poorest country in the world, has the least paid civil servants in the region or that it has the least enrollments in tertiary institutions, it pains me and I wish I would not say it. It pains me, not because of the facts, but since it makes me feel that there is something I am not doing, I feel inadequate.
But, do I have the power to change the things I do not like? Or should I wait for government to give me an opportunity? I would like to reflect on the youth and civic engagement as we observe the International Youth Day, which fell on August 12.
Malawi, like most countries in the world, has a youthful population. According to the Malawi National Youth Council, young people in Malawi make up 70 percent of the total population. This means the youth are in the majority and as such they should have an important role to play in the development of Malawi.
However, on the ground, the youth are not active in governance decision-making positions. The youths are often shut out of participation in politics because old folks dominate the discourse. When involved, they have been used to initiate violence and other risky behaviour.
The youth have been turned into mere spectators or have we relegated ourselves to the terraces to watch this game? I believe government should have done more in empowering young people and this would have prepared them for civic engagement.
To say the youth are leaders of tomorrow is misleading. They have to lead today and now. Being the majority of the country and the world, the youth should be given an opportunity to contribute to decision making as the policies affects them more than anyone else. There have been a few young people who have tried to engage themselves in developmental issues, but due to lack of an enabling environment, they have backsliden.
There is a need for government to deliberately put in place policies that will target the youth and should be run by the youth. Youth unemployment, which is one of the major problems the country faces, needs to be addressed.
There have been a lot of young people that have come up with very good innovations and enterprises but have been let down by money lending institutions, government tax policies and a market that is not ready to support them.
Young people have been graduating from tertiary institutions only to be told they need five years working experience to be employed. This is the time government needs to intervene.
The youth have tried to step up their efforts in developing the country and government should appreciate this by creating an enabling environment so that these efforts bear fruits. It is very important that the youth should be civic engaged.
Through participation in government, the youth gain work experience and acquire new skills. This experience empowers the youth to develop a greater sense of confidence and become good leaders as well as contribute to the nation development.
When young people are engaged in civics, they become responsible, accountable and develop the spirit of patriotism. Youth involved in positive activities such as community service are also less likely to pursue risky behaviours.
In addition, youth voice in decision making can help enact better policies and programs, especially with regard to youth issues. After all the youth are in majority.
Having observed this year’s International Youth Day, let us remember that as far as the youth themselves have a major role to play in developing this country, government also has a role of creating an enabling environment to allow the youth contribute to national development.
The youth are full of energy, creativity and innovative ideas and if we channel this energy to national development we won’t be the poorest country in the world. However, failure to nurture this energy into good use is a recipe for disaster.