MALAWI: Youth Activist Calls for Genuine Dialogue with President Chakwera

By Smile Hamilton Malawi 

Hope Chawala Banda, a Japan-based Malawian youth activist, is pushing for a fresh, independent youth-led State of National Address (SONA) meeting with President Lazarus Chakwera.

Banda wants young people to have a genuine conversation with the President, tackling real issues that affect their future without pre-arranged scripts.

Banda has written to the National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCM) to arrange this meeting, trusting that they’ll facilitate it in a transparent and independent manner.

However, NYCM officials haven’t commented on the matter yet.

This call for an independent meeting comes after President Chakwera’s recent hybrid interface engagement on his SONA, where 100 youths attended in-person at the State House in Lilongwe.

Some youth activists felt that the event was more about gaining political mileage, with youths being used by politicians.

President Chakwera has emphasized the importance of engaging with youth leaders, describing such meetings as instrumental in achieving the Malawi 2063 agenda.

This agenda is a long-term national development plan aimed at making Malawi an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation by 2063.

Banda’s initiative has received support from various youth groups, who believe that a genuine dialogue with the President is long overdue.

They argue that the current state of affairs, where youths are only invited to events for political showmanship, must change.

The youth activist’s proposal has also sparked debate on social media, with some users praising Banda’s courage and others questioning the feasibility of an independent meeting with the President.

As the discussion continues, one thing is clear: Malawian youths are eager for a genuine conversation with their leaders, and they will not settle for anything less. The ball is now in the court of the NYCM and the President’s office to respond to Banda’s proposal and make this dialogue a reality.