By Sellah Singini
Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation, Joseph Mwanamvekha, has called on the youth to support the government as it mobilises additional resources for various developmental projects in the 2026/2027 financial year.
Mwanamvekha said this at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on Monday when he engaged the youth through a pre-budget consultation ahead of the 2026/2027 national budget.
He said government is facing a number of challenges as 90 percent of the money the government get from tax revenue goes to mandatory expenses such as wages, salaries and interest payments.“In order to mobilise more resources for us to do what we are supposed to do, we need to invest now, not on consumption. We need to invest more in production and make sure that our youth are properly empowered,” he said.
The minister said youth in Malawi consists of over 50 percent of Malawian population hence there is need to empower them with skills that can make them productive and therefore add more value to the country’s economy.
Salome Kadazi, a youth representative and Chairperson of the National Youth Network, said the engagement was very crucial for young people, as it provided them with an opportunity to participate and express their views on the national budget.She said that, as youths, they are looking forward to having their views considered, as the Minister assured them that he had taken note of their submissions.
“We want government to consider us on education, employment and also green business,” she said.
The meeting, held under the theme “Youth Voices on the National Budget Architecture,” attracted young people from across the country.
