By Emmanuel Chikonso
Malawi is among nine Southern African countries meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, for DARIRO 1.0, the inaugural Civic Futures Roundtable hosted by Southern Africa Trust.
This is a regional platform designed to bring together diverse civic actors to imagine, test and shape the future of civic space in Southern Africa through foresight, dialogue and collaborative strategy-building.
Malawi’s delegation of nine representatives includes members from the Young Feminists Network, Rainbow Rights Education and Awareness, Her Liberty, Youth and Society (YAS), Youth Decide Campaign, Centre for Civil Society Strengthening and Hope Givers Foundation.
Over two days, youth activists, activists, feminist defenders, human rights advocates, and climate and economic justice campaigners will co-create strategies for navigating an increasingly contested civic landscape.
Nicola Nkhoma, Advocacy and Communications Lead at The Trust, says Malawi’s participation positions the country to benefit from stronger regional solidarity, improved civic coordination, and new advocacy tools to help local actors respond to shrinking democratic space.
“Through shared learning and collaboration, Malawian organisations are expected to return with enhanced youth engagement strategies, better approaches to defending civic freedoms, and links to regional networks that can support their work on the ground,” Nkhoma said.
She added that involving young Malawian movements means the country’s emerging civic leaders will contribute to shaping regional policies, climate justice discussions and pro-poor development agenda areas that directly impact Malawi’s social and political landscape.
The convening coincides with The Trust marking 20 years of amplifying marginalised voices and advancing pro-poor regional development across Southern Africa, prioritising grassroots and youth movements often excluded from decision-making spaces.
Apart from DARIRO 1.0, the Trust is also hosting a youth-focused climate dialogue feeding into COP processes and participating in upcoming G20 summit sessions.
