The National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM) is this week participating in the Evidence to Impact Symposium taking place in Nairobi, Kenya. This key continental gathering is focused on shaping adolescent and youth-centred policies and programmes across Eastern and Southern Africa. The symposium has brought together over 300 participants from more than 30 African and non-African countries.
This morning, our Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Rhoda Gadama Misomali , participated in a plenary session titled “Redefining Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement.” She shared best practices on how NYCOM is creating impactful spaces and initiatives to move youth engagement beyond tokenism –from simply validating agendas to genuinely influencing decisions and driving meaningful youth-led initiatives. NYCOM was invited based on how initiatives such as the annual National Youth Summit, the National Youth Conversations Series, the Youth Innovation Fund, and other youth engagement mechanisms are regarded as effective tools and best practices at both local and international levels.
Malawi is well represented at the symposium. The country’s delegation includes youth researchers –Yamiko Banda, Karen Bisalomu, and Gift Saidi–as well as Ms. Felistas Mpachika from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Elita Chamdimba from the University of Malawi, and officials from the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) (AFIDEP). All are presenting across several plenary sessions.
What makes us especially proud is that some of these young speakers are participants in the Youth Research Academy at the Center for Youth Engagement and Civic Education (CYECE), and also former participants and presenters at our own National Youth Summit in Malawi. This powerfully demonstrates how investing in youth platforms at home builds continental leaders.
We remain committed to positioning young people to influence decisions and lead in development programming, aligned with national policies and strategies including the National Youth Policy, the Malawi 2063 Youth Engagement Strategy, and the Malawi 2063 Vision. The symposium has been organized by the Population Council, the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), and Restless Development, in partnership with the Government of Kenya and other stakeholders.
