The National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCOM) is accelerating its push to position young people particularly young women at the forefront of the country’s agricultural transformation.
Through the AGRA-funded Youth Empowerment in the Agrifood Sector (YEFFA) programme, the council is not only training a new generation of agripreneurs but also aligning its efforts with Malawi 2063 and NYCOM’s Strategic Plan on youth economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
The approach is both grassroots and strategic: training youth leaders at the local level to serve as multipliers of knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial ambition.
From Machinga to Kasungu:Building a Nationwide Youth Agribusiness Network
In Machinga, 60 youth leaders from six Traditional Authorities (T/As) were introduced to the YEFFA programme, its partners, and its broader vision. The emphasis was on mobilising their peers and building momentum within their communities.
In Dedza, sessions went deeper into mindset transformation, life skills and entrepreneurship foundational pillars before moving to advanced topics such as business modelling and advocacy in the coming weeks.
In Salima, 20 youth leaders underwent training in leadership skills and mindset change, preparing to become peer educators and catalysts of agricultural innovation in their districts.
Now, in Kasungu, NYCOM is scaling up. Eighty youth leaders from 16 networks all from previously untrained T/As are undergoing intensive training. Each is tasked with reaching 20 more youths, creating a projected ripple effect that will empower 1,600 young people.
So far, the sessions have covered mindset change, life skills and entrepreneurship, with practical agribusiness training.
Why This Matters for Malawi’s Future
The YEFFA programme is not simply about teaching farming techniques it is about reshaping perceptions of agriculture among young people. By integrating entrepreneurship with leadership development, NYCOM is creating a generation of young agripreneurs who can:
- Innovate in the agri-food sector, adopting climate-smart and tech-driven solutions
- Build sustainable agribusinesses that contribute to Malawi’s economic diversification
- Create opportunities for peers, breaking cycles of unemployment and underemployment
- Strengthen food systems through local, youth-led supply chains
This approach speaks directly to the vision of Malawi 2063, where agriculture is positioned as a wealth-creating sector driven by skilled, motivated youth.
By training leaders who will train others, NYCOM is amplifying its reach without diluting quality. The peer-to-peer model ensures that knowledge transfer happens in culturally relevant, community-grounded ways. The focus on young women also tackles gender gaps in agribusiness, unlocking untapped potential in rural economies.
From Skills to Systems Change
As these young leaders return to their districts equipped with new skills, they are expected to drive not only individual enterprise success but also systemic shifts in how agriculture is practiced and perceived.
By blending mindset change, entrepreneurship and practical agribusiness skills, YEFFA is planting seeds for a youth-led transformation of Malawi’s food economy.
In the words of NYCOM programme facilitators, this is about “empowering the next generation to see agriculture not as subsistence, but as a pathway to prosperity, innovation and leadership.”
If successful, the initiative could serve as a blueprint for African youth agricultural empowerment, showing that with the right investment, training and vision, the future of farming can be young, dynamic and profitable.
