NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY

FOREWORD
This National Youth Policy is a result of broad consultations with all those concerned
with youth development and the youth themselves.
Although this policy defines YOUTH as those falling between fourteen and twenty
five years of age, the definition is quite flexible bearing in mind the variety of
parameters that could be used in categorising the youth.
The youth represent a vast human resource potential, which, if properly prepared and
tapped can contribute to positively to national development. If neglected however, the
youth can spell disaster for the nation.
However, a number of issues impinge on the youths contribution to national
development. High illeteracy rates, unemployment, underemployment, lack of scientific
awareness, a high population growth rate and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, are some of such
issues affecting the youth that this policy proposes to address.
The policy therefore aims to empower the youth to face the social, cultural, economic
and political challenges facing the nation.
The document gives a broad guidelines from which action programmes and services can
be developed to facilitate meaningful involvement of the youth in the overall national
development efforts. These programmes will also respond to their needs and problems.
It is the hope of the Ministry that this document will provide guidelines to all
Government Ministries, religious Organisations, Non-governemntal Organisations
(NGOs), the Private Sector, the Donor Community, the International Youth
Organisations and indeed the General Public in our endeavour to build a better
Malawi.

-Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture

INTRODUCTION

WHY A NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY DOCUMENT?

The purpose of this policy is to formally and clearly establish the identity and status of
the Malawian youth as a distinct sector of government policy, and to create a direction
for youth activities and involvement in various national development programmes.
WHY A POLICY JUST FOR YOUTH?
Currently, more than half of the population of Malawi is below the age of 25, which
indicates that Malawi is a youthful nation; and that the youth are the nation today and
tomorrow.
The youth are energetic, adventurous, industrious, strong, healthy and willing to learn.
They are therefore an important human resource, but their full potential is
underrealised, under-utilised and sometimes misderected. Their well being and
contribution is a major determinant of the current and future development of the
nation.
WHY A POLICY NOW?
Malawi does not have a clear youth policy so far, although some programmes have been
undertaken. Due to social, economic and cultural challenges facing the youth and youth
work, it has become necessary to formulate a national youth policy This policy therefore
provides a framework with guidelines for the facilitation of meaningful youth
development programmes and services with full participation of the young people
themselves at all levels.
HOW IS YOUTH DEFINED?
This policy defines youth as all young people, female and male, from the age of 14 to 25
years. However, it is recognized that youth is not a chronological definition but also a
term commonly used to describe roles in society ascribed to the young. This policy,
therefore, will be flexible to accomodate young people less than 14 years and over 25
years, depending on their social and economic circumstances. The age definition,
despite it's limitation, offers certain statistical utility as well as the practical convenience
of a definitive social group which has its own specific problems and needs.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOUTH ARE PRESENTLY FACING?
The Youth Profile in Malawi shoes a lack of basic opportunities available to them,
although they constitue a large sector of the population. This has been compounded by
the presence of a range of adverse conditions that impinge on the youth. The most
serious being poverty.

The situation analysis of poverty in Malawi estimates that 60% of Malawians live below

the poverty line. This is because the economic base at the national level has resulted in
very minimal investment in real terms in the social sector by the Government. In
addition, the inability of the educational system to prepare the youth for the challenges
of after school life has also contributed to the enormous youth unemployment and
under-emlployment as it favours white collar jobs.
The agricultural sector, which accounts for about 80% of the total labour force
continues to lose its significance due to land pressure, while the labour market in the
industrial and social sectors remains small. This has contributed to an increase in
rural/urban migration, as well as an increasing rate of unemployment and underemployment of the youth.
Unequal access to the already limited opportunities has marginalised other youth
groups such as young women, disabled and deviant youth. Breakdown of traditional
cultural systems has also had a negative effects on youth development.
The absence of a coordinated approach to youth issues has resulted in the absence of
programmes beneficial to the youth. Above all, the youth have not been involved in
decision making on issues which affect them. This is happening at a time when the
youth are becoming increasingly vulnerable in the following areas:
Inadequate vocational training
Homelessness
Unemployment and underemployment
Sexual harassment
Health related issues such as HIV/AIDS STDs
Unlicensed entertainment
Teenage pregnancy and early marriage
Crime and general youth deviance
Marginalisation
Youth non-involvement in decision making
Smoking, drug and alcohol abuse
Lack of sporting and entertainment facilities
GOAL
The youth policy seeks to develop the full potential of youth and to 'promote' their
active participation in National Development.

OBJECTIVES
The National Youth Policy will seek to fulfil the following objectives:

a. To institutionalize and facilitate youth participation in the formulation and

review of legislative policies and general decision making machinery.

b. To create more educational and training opportunities for youth at all levels and

c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

k.
l.
m.

to re-orient and encourage the youth to use basic scientific and technological
priniciples in order to stimulate innovative approaches to development.
To promote a healthy living among the youth through the provision of
appropriate awareness in Family Life Education Programmes.
To create greater awareness among the youth of the dangers of HIV/AIDS and
STDs, and also provide and promote the care of infected persons
To provide appropriate social, vocational, physical and mental programmes for
the rehabilitation of the youth with special needs
To institute and promote environmental education and active participation in
environmental conservation among the youth.
To promote, preserve, and develop the variety of ethnic cultural heritage in
Malawi
To provide and sustain adequate recreational and sporting facilities for the
youth in communities and schools for healthy minds and healthy bodies
To promote civic education
To promote collaboration and coordination between the private sector,
government, NGO's etc, for the development and implementation of Youth
Programmes at family, community, religious, local government, regional, national
and international levels
To set up and maintain data bank for easy and quick retrieval of information
pertaining to the youth
To mobilise internal and external resources for the development of youth
To provide the medium for the youth to establish facilities for social empathy
Values
The National Youth Policy seeks to promote a sense of individual
responsibility of the Malawian youth towards the community; based upon
the following values:

a. Active involvement of the youth in decision making and national development

programmes

b. Respect for human dignity and culture

c. Promotion of the total well being of the youth;physically, intellectully, spiritually,
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.

culturally and morally, etc.

Respect for the environment and for sustainable national development
Pursuit of excellence in one's maximum potential
Provision of equitable opportunities for the development of the youth's unique
potential
Promotion of national unity
Respect for principles of democracy and human rights
Promotion of a spirit of self reliance

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE YOUTH

Recognising the ability of the youth to make active and positive contributions to the
development of the society, the poclicy seeks to encourage the youth:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

To promote the spirit of tolerance

To take initiative to actively participate in the development process
To promote and defend democracy
To promote patriotism
To conserve the environment
To respect fellow citizens regardless of race, age, gender, ability and socioeconomic status or political affiliation
To respect the rule of law

RIGHTS OF THE YOUTH

The National Youth Policy recognises the rights of the youth which shall be founded on the
sanctity of human life and dignity as follows:

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Freedom of expression
Protection from any form of exploitation, discrimination and abuse
Representation by fellow youth in decision making bodies
Access to benefits of citizenship, such as education, training, employment, legal
services, health care, recreation, etc.,
Respect for individual and collective ownership of property
Right to parental care
Freedom to form lawful associations of their own

THE ROLES OF ADULTS WITH THE YOUTH

The National Youth Policy recognises the important role of adults and parents in guiding the
youth as follows:

a. To be good role models

b. To provide for the physical, emotional, mental, moral, spiritual and economic wellc.
d.

being of the youth

To accept the youth, recognise, acknowledge and promote their potential
contribution to the society
To cooperate with the youth in all development programmes

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICY

1. REVIEWING LEGISLATION
There are a number of laws affecting the youth, but these do not adequately address the needs
of the youth. The Constitution, which is the prime law of the land does not have any specific
provisions for the youth.

Laws such as the Handicapped Persons Act do not contain adequate protective and promotional
provisions for the handicapped youth. The Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children's
Act does not extend its operations and protection to young persons in the non-industrial sector.
Some of the laws however contain adequate provisions but are not enforced, examples being
those affecting young offenders like the Probation of Young Offenders Act, Children and Young
Persons Act and the Liquor Licensing Act.

Provide relevant skill training programmes for youth with special needs
Enhance collaboration in the planning and delivery of skill training programmes for youth
with special needs

Employment
Encourage equal employment opportunities for the youth
Formulate more flexible rules and regulations that support the development of
the informal sector
Promote small-scale enterprises for the youth
Enforce mandatory retirement age to allow upward mobility of the youth
Promote upward mobility of the youth in the formal employment sector
b)Science, Techmology and Environment
Principles of Science, Technology and Environmental Conservation are very important as day to
day undertaking of people all over the world. However, our society has tended to consider
science, technology and environmental conservation as matters for the industrial advanced
countries, when in fact many of such principles can be applied locally:
The National Youth Policy therefore provides for:
The review of policies of the school curriculum and the non-formal educational sector science be
popularized among all categories of the youth and be encouraged as a utilit subject
The revival and encouragement of the use of basic scientific and technological principles among
the youth in order to improve the quality and quantity of scientific and technogical
achievements
A mechanism within the system to identify and train as early as possible gifted youth in the
field of science and technology
The encouragement of a multi-sectoral approach involving the private sector, government and
NGOs, etc. to prepare the youth for basic scientific and technological research
Promotion of environmental education among the youth and their involvement in environmental
conservation through the integration of environmental education in the formal and non formal
curricula.

c) Population, Health and Nutrition

Malawi's population growth rate of 3.2% per annum is one of the highest in the world. As a
result, there are a lot of pressures affecting the whole population, some of which face land
shortages, land degradation, health and nutritional problems.
There is indeed an urgent need to address issues related to population, health and nutrition
affecting the youth at an early stage. To this effect the following needs should be addressed:

Early Pregnancies and Child Bearing

Early pregnancies and child bearing generally have a negative impact on the physical and
psychological well being of young people and lead to a higher population growth. It is therefore
necessary to discourage such pregnancies amongst the youth by strenghtening Family Life
Education in both the formal and informal curricula and to allow girls to return to school after
delivery.

Empowerement of Young Women

Constrained by the lack of adequate information and education, coupled with poverty, peer
pressure and cultural practices, young women are often victims of circumstances beyond their
control. Generally, there has been a significant lack of enforcement in laws protecting young
women from sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse. Young women are also not supplied with
information about the existence of these laws.
This policy therefore intends to provide young women with adequate information, education,
income generating activity (I.G.A) skills and such other skills which will effectively enable young
women to be more self reliant and able to make informed choices. Sensitization of the male folk
on women's rights and gender is paramount.

FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION AND COUNSELLING

Lack of proper education regarding aspects of sexuality contributes to teenage pregnancies and
related problems. It is therefore necessary that the following be encouraged:
Adult to youth, parent to child and youth to youth dialogue on sexuality
Religious Organisations NGO's involvement and participation om development and
provision of Family Life Education Programmes to the marginalised youth
Incorporation of Family Life Education in the curricula for the school going
youths
Provision of proper medical and counseling facilities and services to prevent and
reduce early pregnancies
Provision of counseling services to discourage the youth from marrying before
the age of twenty

Discourage cultural practices that promote promiscuity and early marriages

Smoking, Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Nutrition

Nutrition is vital for the proper development of a person. At present, the
nutritional status of many communities is low due to cultural and social-economic
facotrs. Some traditional, religious, cultural practices and beliefs affect
decisions about nutrition. General lack of information and education on nutrition
and poor eating habits coupled with drug and alcohol abuse also contribute to
poor health amongst the youth. To this effect, there should be a multi-sectoral
approach to combating the problem of malnutrition. More effort should also be
placed on combatting the problems of smoking, drug and alcohol abuse which
unfortunately are on the rise among the youth in Malawi.

HIV/AIDS and STDs

Incidents of HIV/AIDS and STDs are increasing at an alarming rate mainly through prostitution
and casual sex amongst the youth. Some cultural practices and poor socio-economic status of
communities have also contributed to this increase. There is therefore a need for a multisectoral approach to intensify AIDS awareness campaigns and promotion of behaviour change.
Efforts will also be made to counsel, rehabilitation and care for HIV/AIDS infected youths and
youth orphans whose parents were victims of the HIV/AIDS disease.
d) Social Services, Recreation, Sports and Culture
Sports and Physical Education
Realizing that Physical Education and Sporting activities are important to the well being of the
youth, this policy seeks to promote and encourage these among the youth through advocacy of
the following mechanisms:
To promote coordination among all sporting bodies in promoting sports and games
for all categories of the youth
To facilitate the development, maintenance and renovation of sporting facilities
in both rural and urban areas
To motivate and encourage the private sector, religious organisations and NGOs
in the development of sports and games in the country
To establish a national sports and games week for the youth

Youth Guidance and Counselling

Noting that many young sportspersons do not reach their full potential due to
the lack of self-discipline, the policy seeks:
To provide guidance and counseling training to coaches
To provide guidance and counseling services at all sports centre

Recreation
Realizing that the youth can properly utilise their leisure time at recreation centres where
sporting and other facilities are available, this policy seeks:
To encourage the provision of recreational facilities such as entertainment
centers, parks, libraries, etc.
To ensure that recreational facilities are accessible to the youth with special
needs

Culture
Perhaps the most important heritage of any nation is it's culture. Culture also serves as the
rallying point of national identity. Malawi's culture is rich and diverse and its promotion and
preservation, especially amongst the youth deserves serious attention. This policy therefore
seeks:
To promote youth participation in cultural activities and thereby preserving it
for prosperity
To incorporate into the school curriculum, traditional dances, games, arts and
craft, playing of musical instruments both traditional and foreign
To encourage the teaching of the arts and crafts among all categories of the
youth
3. PRIORITY TARGET GROUPS
This National Youth Policy provides the basis for developing opportunities for all the youth in
Malawi. However, certain key groups are identified for specific support and affirmative action
due to past discrimination they have suffered or other constraining circumstances.
Priority groups identified are:
Poor youth
Street youth
Out-of-school youth
Youth with disabilities
Semi-literate and illiterate youth
Deviant youth
Young women

4. FORMATION OF A NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL

Realizing the need for proper coordination of youth prgrammes which has been
lacking in the country's development plans, the policy recognizes the important
role of a National Youth Council. As a key institution, the Council shall ensure the
effective implementation, coordination and evaluation of various programmes
affecting the youth and, instill national pride in them. All of this is enshrined in
the National Youth Council Act.
5.
REVIEW OF THE POLICY
Review of the Policy Development of the youth is a dynamic process that has to respond to the
needs of the nation. It is therefore essential that the National Youth Policy be reviewed and
updated as required.