When the Ministry of Finance Hon. Simplex Chithyola launched the Youth Agricultural Cooperative Grant Programme in December 2024, it came with a bold promise: to put real money in the hands of youth cooperatives and let them lead from the ground up. Six months later, that promise has been delivered.
The National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM) has officially disbursed MWK 100 million to 18 youth-led cooperatives across all regions of the country. And these young people are not sitting on the funds — they are using them to build businesses, grow food, and create real change in their communities.
From Karonga to Chikwawa, the projects are as diverse as the youth who lead them. In Ntcheu, Chamanza Youth Organisation is cultivating potatoes and installing a crisping machine. In Lilongwe, Zyemic Enterprise is completing a soy-milk processing facility, while Wovika Youth Club is investing in poultry production and member training.
In Mchinji, Kambuwe Youth Club is purchasing beehives to enter the honey business, and in Mangochi, Jeyie Foods is renovating their facility and working to meet Malawi Bureau of Standards compliance. Ndumundu Youth Cooperative, also in Mangochi, is focused on soya production, with funds used for registration, inputs, and tools.
Machinga’s Community Change for Youth Development has procured a water pump and garden tools to expand crop production, while Nkhatabay’s Sanga Youth Club is building a piggery enterprise. In Karonga, Mwanganda 1 Youth Club has rented land and begun cultivating rice.
In the north, Mzuzu is home to two thriving cooperatives — Wamaka Youth Farmers, who are reconstructing six fish ponds, and Mtende Youth Cooperative, which is venturing into beekeeping. In Mzimba, Chinungu Youth Based Organization is doing the same, combining beehive procurement with member training and safety gear.
Down south, Neno is buzzing with activity. Bestaida Youth Piggery is constructing pig pens and scaling livestock operations. SYNE Youth is focused on maize, beans, and tomato production, investing in agricultural equipment and group capacity building.
Ntchisi’s Mwasangu Youth Cooperative is installing a milling machine — a game-changing asset for local value addition. In Zomba, DOFE is establishing a juice production and processing operation that will boost both nutrition and local industry.
Chikwawa is home to three strong cooperatives: Invest for Change, Bestaida (which also operates in Neno), and Nthetsankhuli. All three are constructing livestock kraals and investing in goats as a pathway to economic growth.
Each of these cooperatives underwent a strict review process. Before receiving full disbursement, NYCOM worked closely with the groups to revise budgets, trim inflated costs, and ensure strong work plans. What emerged is a group of committed, ready-to-deliver youth cooperatives equipped with capital and clarity.
This grant programme is not a pilot — it’s a proven model of youth economic empowerment in action. It aligns with Pillar 1 of NYCOM’s Strategic Plan and reflects the ambitions of the Malawi 2063 vision: a self-reliant nation built by its people, starting with its youth.
NYCOM will continue providing technical support and conducting follow-ups, but the real story is already being written — on farms, in cooperatives, and at youth-led work sites across the country.
The MWK 100 million is no longer a budget line. It’s pig pens, water pumps, seedlings, machines, rice fields, and beehives. It’s youth at work.
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