On 9th August 2025, Malawi was proudly represented at the Pan African Youth Union (PYU) Summit in Luanda, Angola, where Mr. Williot Joaquim Lumbe , Director of Programmes at the National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM), joined a distinguished high-level panel for the Intergenerational Dialogue on “Youth and Multilateral Diplomacy in the Digital Age.”

The panel brought together prominent voices including Ms. Chido Cleopatra Mpemba (Advisor to the AU Commission Chairperson on Youth & Women), Mr. Isaías da Cunha Mateus “Kalunga” (President, National Youth Council of Angola), Mr. Wiisichong Bening Ahmed (Secretary-General, Pan-African Youth Union), and Hon. Ruí Falcão Pinto Luís de Andrade (Minister of Youth and Sports, Angola).

This important dialogue was convened under the Summit theme “Youth Advancing Multilateral Cooperation through Technology and Partnerships” and formed part of the International Youth Day 2025 commemorations, celebrated globally under the theme “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond.”

In his intervention, Mr. Lumbe emphasized Malawi’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that no young person is left behind in the digital revolution, including the 83% of youth living in rural areas. He highlighted Malawi’s ongoing efforts to bridge the digital divide by:

• Lowering internet bundle costs, making connectivity more affordable for all youth.

• Driving down the cost of digital gadgets, ensuring access to essential tools for participation in the digital economy.

• Strengthening youth economic empowerment through initiatives such as the Muuni Fund Malawi and the Youth Innovation Fund, the latter launched in July 2025 by His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera , President of the Republic of Malawi, to support young innovators in developing technology-driven solutions that influence diplomacy, governance, and development.

Beyond the panel, Mr. Lumbe also granted an interview to Radio Nacional de Angola, where he unpacked the objectives and opportunities presented by the Youth Innovation Fund, reinforcing Malawi’s commitment to placing youth at the centre of innovation and multilateral cooperation.

Mr. Lumbe’s contribution underscored Malawi’s position that digital access is not a privilege, but a civic right, and that empowering young people with connectivity, innovation resources, and economic opportunities is central to Malawi 2063 and Africa’s broader development agenda.

The message was clear: Malawi views its youth not as passive beneficiaries of change, but as equal partners and co-architects of a digitally connected, inclusive, and cooperative Africa.

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