On the 21st of May 2025, the National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM), represented by Director of Programs Mr. Williot Lumbe, convened a strategic meeting with representatives from AGRA-Sustainably Growing Africa’s Food Systems.Malawi and Kenya, including Mrs. Catherine Rusagara, Head of Youth, Women, and Inclusion at AGRA.
The meeting focused on the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) project, a collaborative initiative between AGRA and the Mastercard Foundation. YEFFA aims to empower financially disadvantaged youth, particularly young women, by providing them with skills, resources, and market connections to succeed in the agricultural sector.
In Malawi, YEFFA is being implemented across four Agricultural Development Divisions (ADDs): Machinga, Kasungu, Salima, and Lilongwe. NYCOM’s role includes mobilizing and registering youth beneficiaries, facilitating mindset change trainings, and equipping participants with soft skills and entrepreneurial knowledge.
The meeting also reviewed NYCOM’s major convenings, such as the National Youth Summit and the National Conversations, where AGRA has been a key partner. These platforms have enabled young people to voice their perspectives and influence national policy agendas, resulting in impactful programs like the Youth Agricultural Cooperative Grants.
A key highlight from the meeting was the upcoming Youth Innovation Fund (YIF), set to be launched at the 2025 Malawi National Youth Summit. YIF is designed to support innovative youth-led ideas that contribute to Malawi’s development agenda, providing catalytic financing and mentorship to empower young entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
In conclusion, both parties reaffirmed their commitment to the shared goal of youth empowerment and agricultural transformation. The strong partnership between NYCOM and AGRA continues to drive progress toward Malawi 2063, a vision of inclusive wealth creation and self-reliance.
Together, we are cultivating a generation of empowered youth ready to transform Malawi’s agricultural future.
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