Malawi youth unemployment rate is relatively one of the highest in the world and the President Lazarus Chakwera’s Tonse Alliance government must ensure that there are practical programmes to absorb Malawi’s young men and women in meaningful enterprises, Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa has said.
Speaking moments before Parliament rose after the 6th meeting of the 49th session of Parliament on Friday Nankhumwa said among other things, the Tonse Alliance promised young men and women jobs, loans to start businesses, and skills’ development programmes so that they become self-reliant and stand on their own two feet.
“Today, it appears a cat has eaten out all those promises. Today, under the Tonse Alliance administration, there are no jobs for the youths. The much-touted 1 million jobs in the first 12 months of this government are now a thing of the past.
“We also just hear from the media that the government is distributing loans through NEEF, but we have no clue about who exactly is getting these loans,” said Nankhumwa
The Mulanje Central legislator said “without being personal”, this is not the time for the government “to be plucking people from their retirement to take up jobs in the public sector”.
“Malawi has so many qualified young men and women who are suffering due to lack of jobs. Should they still wait for tomorrow to get a job in the public sector even when they are well qualified? How far is this ‘tomorrow’?
“Madam Speaker, Some of the decisions President [Lazarus] Chakwera makes are not just a mockery to our young women and men but also sinful in the eyes of God. Should we be surprised, therefore, when the youths rush to the streets every time there is a call for demonstrations?
“I challenge President Chakwera and the Tonse Alliance government to fix the economy because that is the only language Malawians can understand. The economy should not be fixed by word of mouth alone but it must positively impact the daily lives of Malawians,” said Nankhumwa.