Principal Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development, Kisswell Dakamau was speaking at Nambuma Trading Centre in Dowa when Malawi commemorated the African Day of Decentralization and Local Development with a focus on youth participation.

Dakamau said government is focused on providing the youth with vocational and entrepreneur skills through the community technical colleges so that they can be self-dependent.

“Youth involvement is an agenda that has to be pushed in Malawi and the whole of Africa. Malawi government, through Professor Mutharika, puts at heart the development agenda for the youth. We are creating various avenues that empower the youth to stand and make decisions independently,” said Dakamau.

Present at the commemoration was Gibson Kasalika, Member of the Youth Parliament who urged traditional leaders and district councils to involve the youth in decision making.

“We want government and the local leaders to implement policies that are being made. Many youths are not taking part in many of the developmental policies that are being formulated. There is also minimal representation of the youth in decision making meetings that affect us. We want to be part and parcel of this,” said Kasalika.

This year’s theme: Harnessing Demographic Dividend through Youth Development in Africa, was proposed by His Excellency the President Professor Peter Mutharika who is champion for UNFPA Youth Program.