Government has called for stronger collaboration and investment in youth-led community projects as a way of accelerating economic growth and sustainable development across Malawi.

Speaking during CorpsAfrica Pitch Day, Minister of Youth and Sports Alfred Gangata said youth development initiatives must be coordinated and aligned to national priorities to produce meaningful results.

Gangata said government is committed to improving coordination and financing youth innovation, urging development partners to view youth ideas as a new way of doing business capable of transforming communities and strengthening the country’s economy.

Director of Technical Services in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malawi Dina Gumulira said government programmes are guided by the National Youth Policy, which promotes youth participation in development initiatives.

Gumulira said the policy, reviewed about three years ago, emphasizes the importance of involving young people in programmes that affect their lives and future.

“When we talk about youth participation, we are talking about youth as active participants in issues that concern them. There is nothing that we can do about the youth without involving the youth,” she said.

She added that the ministry is implementing several programmes, including youth clubs and the National Youth Service, aimed at equipping young people with skills, instilling patriotism, and promoting responsibility in national development.

“We train the youth in different skills to ensure they have livelihoods, especially at a time when many are facing unemployment, drug and substance abuse, and lack of meaningful activities after school,” she said.

Representative on the Board of CorpsAfrica and Director of People and Culture for CorpsAfrica Global Arthur Nkosi said Pitch Day provides a platform to showcase community-driven solutions developed by volunteers working across the country.

Nkosi said the event highlights the work of 83 volunteers serving in 83 communities, noting that only a few projects were publicly presented despite many ongoing initiatives delivering tangible benefits.

He said the volunteers work closely with communities to develop practical solutions, including outreach to persons with disabilities and refugee populations, while strengthening local problem-solving capacity and resilience.

“This pitch day is very important because we are showcasing what volunteers are doing in communities and giving them a platform to present their challenges and seek support from government, private sector, and other partners,” he said.

Nkosi added that the programme has contributed to increased community self-reliance, with many households establishing small businesses capable of sustaining families even during economic shocks.

“We have seen communities becoming more self-reliant, building businesses that support their families, send children to school, and provide food even during economic challenges,” he said.

He further disclosed that about 60 million kwacha is required to support current community projects, with CorpsAfrica already committing over 20 million kwacha, while additional support is expected from government, private sector players, and philanthropists.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the National Youth Council of Malawi Rodah Gadama said the council has pledged 10 million kwacha toward supporting youth-led community initiatives.

Gadama called on stakeholders to contribute meaningfully through funding, materials, and mentorship to ensure sustainability of community-driven development efforts.

One of the innovators, Marian Mshani from Kachukula Community under Traditional Authority Mbedza in Zomba District, pitched a sunflower oil production project aimed at creating reliable income opportunities for community members.

Mshani said her community is seeking funding amounting to 8,079 US dollars to expand sunflower oil production through the purchase of a larger oil expeller machine and renovation of their production site.

“For our community, the main issue is to have a reliable income-generating activity, and that is why we want to engage in sunflower oil production to improve livelihoods,” she said.

Pitch Day is CorpsAfrica’s premiere annual event, bringing together business leaders, philanthropists, development partners, CorpsAfrica Alumni, and community supporters to directly fund innovative, small-scale, high-impact projects.