Youth Campaign outlines demands for Chakwera
The Youth Decide Campaign has asked President Lazarus Chakwera to include capable youths in his appointments, ensure transparency and accountability in all public appointments and audit all public appointments.
Speaking during a press briefing yesterday in Mzuzu, the campaign’s leader Charles Kajoloweka further called for a clean-up of the public service, saying, there is need to fast-track public reforms.
He said: “We need transparency and accountability in the appointment of public officials and boards into public bodies including parastatal boards. The Minister of Youth should be a capable young person of 35 years or below.
“Also, institute an audit into public appointments in the public institutions and take action on any dubious appointments and ghost workers.”
Kajoloweka added that government should hold disbursement of the additional K25 billion Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (Medf) loans until an audit is carried out on how the first K15 billion was used.
He said: “Government should meaningfully engage the youth sector in preparation of the 2020/21 Budget. We commend government for recapitalising Medef with K40 billion for youth loans in the provisional budget. However, the money should not be disbursed until Medf accounts for the K15 billion youth loan received in early 2020.
“Government should audit the current Medef loan facility and investigate all cases of abuse. It should assess the capacity of Medf management and ensure leadership that is apolitical.”
A member of the campaign, Agatha Silungwe of the Network for Youth Development, said government should establish a standalone youth enterprise fund or youth business fund.
She said: “We are confident that government will respond positively. The good thing is that President Chakwera also signed the Youth Manifesto and we will hold the government accountable should the requests be ignored.”
So far, Chakwera has appointed four Cabinet members, namely Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu and Minister of Homeland Security Richard Chimwendo Banda who were sworn-in on Monday. The others are Vice-President Saulos Chilima as Minister Responsible for Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, and Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe.
The other appointee, lawyer Modecai Msisha, turned down his appointment as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
Chakwera said during the swearing-in of the two ministers on Monday that he will appoint the rest of the Cabinet, which will have at least 30 members including 40 percent women, by July 6.
While presenting the provisional budget in Parliament on Tuesday, Mlusu said government had increased the Medef loan provision from K15 billion to K40 billion which will gradually reach K75 billion.
“With the increased allocation, Madam Speaker, Government is expected to support creation of 200 000 enterprises run by the youth and women. These enterprises in turn are expected to create over 600 000 jobs which will result in increased tax base, creation of more jobs and improved welfare of our people, especially the youth and women.
“Government will also review the implementation of Medef loans to ensure that they are depoliticised,” he said.
Chakwera, 65, became Malawi’s 6th President after amassing 2 607 043 votes against immediate past president Peter Mutharika’s 1 751 877 votes in the June 23 2020 fresh presidential election.
