By Burnett Munthali
Vice President Jane Ansah has challenged young Malawians facing unemployment to turn their education, skills and innovation into businesses and other economic opportunities.
Speaking on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the National Youth Dialogue on the Right to Development at Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel, Ansah said repeated rejection in the labour market should not make graduates consider themselves failures.
Jane Ansah
She cited her own journey from studying law and practising in court to serving as a Justice of Appeal and eventually becoming Vice President as an example of persistence.
Ansah said addressing youth unemployment and supporting young entrepreneurs requires concerted efforts from Government, the private sector and financial institutions.
She said access to jobs, skills, capital and productive opportunities is central to Malawi’s development agenda and the constitutional right to development under Section 30.
The Vice President also urged banks and other financial institutions to make financing more accessible to young innovators instead of relying mainly on established assets as security.
She challenged young people to look beyond formal employment by combining their professional skills with entrepreneurship to build businesses that can create jobs for others.
Ansah pledged continued Government support through financing initiatives, youth empowerment programmes, incubation, local procurement and public-private partnerships.
She, however, reminded graduates that while the right to development belongs to them, the drive to achieve development must also come from within.
