By Ernest Mfunya

Mangochi, October 2, Mana: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM), Rex Chapota said the youth have significant role to play access their economic opportunities in the country.

He said this Tuesday at Mkumba ground at Senior Chief Bwanyambi’s area when NYCOM launched a K100 million youth empowerment grant under the Youth Participation and Empowerment Programme with funding from government to scale up businesses among young people for economic empowerment.

He added that unemployment was worrisome among young people in the country such that most of the unemployed young people in the rural areas.

Chapota expressed hope that the grants under Youth Participation and Employment Programme would create businesses that would reduce the unemployment among young people in the country.

“NYCOM through government’s budget support has launched this cooperative grant to enable young people to start their own businesses but also scale up businesses,

“This is in support of the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) strategy which government was advocating and implementing,” he added.

Established youth cooperatives were asked to apply for grants to boosting their businesses, according to NYCOM.

“We are looking at cooperatives that are already in any business or investments and that they are looking for funds to help them improve their businesses such as processing agricultural produces,” Chapota added.

He said that the NYCM has put measures to ensure that the grants are being utilized accordingly to serve its intended purpose.

Executive Director for Mbumundu Cooperative, Yohane Kampira expressed gratitude to NYCOM for giving his group K5 million grant.

He said that the grant would help the cooperative to grow soya beans on a larger scale and be processed into soya milk, soya pieces and other products.

One of the cooperative member, Rita Chapasuka, 22, described the initiative as a plus to young people saying young people especially women at Bwananyambi area had nothing, prompting them to engage in risky behaviors.

NYCOM is a statutory body established under the Act of Parliament; National Youth Council of Malawi Act No. 22 of 1996.