Eunice Chibvunde, a second-year Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics student at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), has called for young people to be treated as active partners in shaping Malawi’s economic future. She made the call as a panellist at the Economics Association of Malawi (ECAMA) Annual Economic Conference.

Eunice earned her place on the panel after placing third in the 2026 ECAMA Students’ Essay Writing Competition. Her essay, “From Policy Beneficiaries to Policy Co-Creators,” examined youth participation in policy formulation. At the conference, she joined discussions on reforms that can create meaningful opportunities for young people.

Agriculture as a pathway to youth employment

On the panel, Eunice identified agricultural productivity as a pathway to sustainable youth employment. She pointed to the gap between the roughly 270,000 people who enter Malawi’s labour market each year and the 40,000 formal jobs created over the same period.

She stressed that young people are not lacking motivation, as many are already running small businesses and other initiatives. What they need, she said, is an enabling environment that turns their skills and efforts into productive opportunities.

Eunice highlighted the Ministry of Agriculture’s proposed Malawi Investment Programme and its anchor-firm model, which could connect farmers to markets and promote agricultural processing. She also proposed rethinking how the Mega Farms initiative is implemented. Under her proposal, government would facilitate access to land and essential inputs while creating an environment that attracts private-sector investment.

With thousands of graduates from LUANAR and other institutions holding agricultural skills, she noted, such opportunities could help bridge the gap between available human capital and the needs of the agricultural sector.

Thinking in systems

One of Eunice’s key takeaways from the conference was the importance of systems thinking. Malawi’s economic challenges are interconnected, she observed, and call for coordinated solutions rather than isolated interventions. Improving agricultural productivity, for example, can create employment, support smallholder farmers, strengthen trade and promote value addition.

The experience reinforced her belief that young people need opportunities to apply their skills, grow their initiatives and actively shape Malawi’s economic transformation.

“Youth are not just a social concern; they are an economic priority,” she said.

Eunice’s participation reflects LUANAR’s commitment to nurturing students who engage with national development issues and contribute to policy conversations that shape the country’s future.