Youth voices beyond elections

JOINING FORCES—Community join the conversation By Anthony Banda, contributor: When election campaign s ended, so did the conversations. That is how 24-yearold Atupele Yusufu describes engagement between her community and elected leaders. Once the ballots had been counted, opportunities to discuss local development with her Member of Parliament (MP) became increasingly rare. The experience, she says, is shared by many young people across Malawi, leaving them feeling excluded from decisions that shape their communities despite making up the country's largest demographic. "We have been asking for opportunities where we can sit with our MP outside campaign periods and discuss issues affecting our communities. "We want to become active participants in governance instead of remaining passive observers," Yusufu said during a community engagement meeting in Mangochi. Her frustrations reflect growing calls among young people in Mangochi, Nkhotakota and Mzimba for regular engagement with their elected representatives. Many believe dialogue should continue long after elections, giving communities the opportunity to monitor development commitments, raise concerns and contribute to policy discussions. It is this gap that the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (Csat) hopes to bridge through its 'Youth, Media and Parliamentary Accountability Project', launched in the three districts with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office through the Zivik Funding Programme of ifa. The project brings together young people, MPs, district councils, traditional leaders, journalists and community organisations to strengthen dialogue between citizens and their elected representatives. "Through these engagements, the project aims to promote accountability, improve public understanding of parliamentary processes and encourage young people to participate actively in democratic governance," Csat Executive Director Willy Kambwandira said. Implementation has begun with stakeholder meetings involving district councils, parliamentary representatives, youth organisations, traditional leaders, community structures and media practitioners. In Nkhotakota, community member Isaac Mwale said the initiative could help close a communication gap that had existed for years. "Development cannot succeed if communities and their elected leaders rarely interact. We appreciate Csat for bringing everyone together. "This project gives us hope that our voices will finally be heard and that our MPs will better understand the priorities of the people they represent," Mwale said. Traditional leaders also welcomed the initiative, saying stronger communication between communities and MPs could improve development planning and reduce conflict over public projects. Group Village Head Masapi of Mangochi said communities often understood their development needs but lacked formal channels to communicate them to Parliament. "When communities and MPs meet regularly, misunderstandings are reduced, priorities become clearer and development becomes more responsive to people's needs," he said. District councils participating in the project said it would complement efforts to strengthen citizen participation in local governance and development planning. Willy Kambwandira Kambwandira commended Parliament, MPs and district councils for embracing the initiative, saying their support reflected a shared commitment to strengthening democratic accountability. "Their openness demonstrates that strengthening accountability requires collaboration rather than confrontation," he said. He said meaningful citizen participation should extend beyond voting every five years and stressed that the media would play a central role in ensuring public engagement translated into informed debate and greater transparency. "We are strengthening collaboration between young people, journalists and Parliament so that governance discussions are informed by facts, community priorities and evidence rather than speculation or misinformation," Kambwandira said. He also thanked the German Federal Foreign Office and the Zivik Funding Programme of ifa for supporting initiatives that promote democratic participation and peaceful civic engagement in Malawi. Beyond community dialogues, the project will support youth leadership development, civic education, media capacity building and collaborative engagement mechanisms aimed at improving accountability and responsiveness among public institutions. Participants said they hope the initiative will create lasting opportunities for dialogue between communities and their elected representatives. "Democracy is not only about electing leaders. It is about maintaining a continuous conversation with them," one participant said during an engagement in Nkhotakota.

Times Malawi Times Malawi · Wire Report · 1 hours ago · 4 min read

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WIRE — JOINING FORCES—Community join the conversation By Anthony Banda, contributor: When election campaign s ended, so did the conversations. That is how 24-yearold Atupele Yusufu describes engagement between her community and elected leaders. Once the ballots had been counted, opportunities to discuss local development with her Member of Parliament (MP) became increasingly rare. The experience, she says, is shared by many young people across Malawi, leaving them feeling excluded from decisions that shape their communities despite making up the country's largest demographic. "We have been asking for opportunities where we can sit with our MP outside campaign periods and discuss issues affecting our communities. "We want to become active participants in governance instead of remaining passive observers," Yusufu said during a community engagement meeting in Mangochi. Her frustrations reflect growing calls among young people in Mangochi, Nkhotakota and Mzimba for regular engagement with their elected representatives. Many believe dialogue should continue long after elections, giving communities the opportunity to monitor development commitments, raise concerns and contribute to policy discussions. It is this gap that the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency (Csat) hopes to bridge through its 'Youth, Media and Parliamentary Accountability Project', launched in the three districts with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office through the Zivik Funding Programme of ifa. The project brings together young people, MPs, district councils, traditional leaders, journalists and community organisations to strengthen dialogue between citizens and their elected representatives. "Through these engagements, the project aims to promote accountability, improve public understanding of parliamentary processes and encourage young people to participate actively in democratic governance," Csat Executive Director Willy Kambwandira said. Implementation has begun with stakeholder meetings involving district councils, parliamentary representatives, youth organisations, traditional leaders, community structures and media practitioners. In Nkhotakota, community member Isaac Mwale said the initiative could help close a communication gap that had existed for years. "Development cannot succeed if communities and their elected leaders rarely interact. We appreciate Csat for bringing everyone together. "This project gives us hope that our voices will finally be heard and that our MPs will better understand the priorities of the people they represent," Mwale said. Traditional leaders also welcomed the initiative, saying stronger communication between communities and MPs could improve development planning and reduce conflict over public projects. Group Village Head Masapi of Mangochi said communities often understood their development needs but lacked formal channels to communicate them to Parliament. "When communities and MPs meet regularly, misunderstandings are reduced, priorities become clearer and development becomes more responsive to people's needs," he said. District councils participating in the project said it would complement efforts to strengthen citizen participation in local governance and development planning. Willy Kambwandira Kambwandira commended Parliament, MPs and district councils for embracing the initiative, saying their support reflected a shared commitment to strengthening democratic accountability. "Their openness demonstrates that strengthening accountability requires collaboration rather than confrontation," he said. He said meaningful citizen participation should extend beyond voting every five years and stressed that the media would play a central role in ensuring public engagement translated into informed debate and greater transparency. "We are strengthening collaboration between young people, journalists and Parliament so that governance discussions are informed by facts, community priorities and evidence rather than speculation or misinformation," Kambwandira said. He also thanked the German Federal Foreign Office and the Zivik Funding Programme of ifa for supporting initiatives that promote democratic participation and peaceful civic engagement in Malawi. Beyond community dialogues, the project will support youth leadership development, civic education, media capacity building and collaborative engagement mechanisms aimed at improving accountability and responsiveness among public institutions. Participants said they hope the initiative will create lasting opportunities for dialogue between communities and their elected representatives. "Democracy is not only about electing leaders. It is about maintaining a continuous conversation with them," one participant said during an engagement in Nkhotakota.

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