Author name: Khwima kondowe

As Malawi enters the first week of July, all eyes turn to the 2025 National Youth Summit—a flagship gathering of young changemakers, government actors, civil society, and development partners, focused on shaping a future where youth are at the center of national development. Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) Malawi is proud to be part of this high-impact event. Our participation underscores our continued commitment to nurturing ethical, effective, and accountable leaders within Malawi’s public service. At the heart of EPL Malawi’s engagement is Linda Harawa, our Country Director and a distinguished advocate for youth empowerment and inclusive governance. Linda will serve as a lead facilitator in a critical session titled: “Elections, Leadership and Governance – The Current State of Youth Involvement and Strategies for Improvement.” This session brings together a powerful panel of stakeholders, including representatives from the Malawi Electoral Commission, the National Youth Council of Malawi, Youth and Society, and emerging youth politicians. The dialogue will unpack the realities of youth participation in electoral processes and governance, highlight existing challenges, and identify tangible strategies for increasing meaningful youth engagement — all in pursuit of the Malawi 2063 agenda. “At EPL Malawi, we believe that youth are not just beneficiaries of policy but essential drivers of national progress. Our goal is to ensure they are equipped and supported to take up leadership roles and shape public systems that work for all,” says Linda Harawa. In addition to Linda’s leadership role, a delegation of EPL Malawi Public Service Fellows will attend the summit as participants. These fellows, placed across various government ministries and agencies, represent the next generation of civil service leaders. Through their participation, they will engage with national policy conversations, share their practical experiences from within public institutions, and contribute fresh, youth-driven perspectives on governance and leadership. For the fellows, this summit offers not only a platform to learn from seasoned professionals and national figures, but also an opportunity to reflect on their own leadership journeys and connect with peers from across the country. As the nation works toward realizing Malawi 2063, platforms like the National Youth Summit are critical in amplifying youth voices and reinforcing their role in public decision-making. EPL Malawi is proud to be among the champions of this movement—bridging the gap between emerging talent and national leadership.

Lilongwe, Malawi – Young professionals, development enthusiasts in Malawi, comprising top government officials, private sector and civil society leaders, embassies, media and Cohort I Public Service Fellows gathered at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) on the morning of 9 May 2025, for the official launch of the Public Service Fellowship Program. Co-hosted by Emerging Public Leaders of Malawi (EPL Malawi) and the Government of Malawi, this momentous occasion, ceremoniously marked the launch of the Public Service Fellowship Program, a transformative initiative of Emerging Public Leaders designed to create a network of young and ethical public service professionals, to contribute to the drive for stronger public sector institutions in Malawi and across the continent. The guest of honour at the event, the Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba, challenged the Fellows to uphold ethics, accountability, and integrity to improve public service delivery in the country. She encouraged them to take every component of the program seriously, to make the best out of it, gain valuable soft and hard skills to enhance their employability, and most importantly, to contribute to improved public service delivery in Malawi. “Government recognizes the need to invest in young people and young professionals to develop high-performing public service professionals with the right mindset to serve Malawians and manage public resources responsibly and accountably”, said Zamba. Chairperson of Emerging Public Leaders of Malawi, Commissioner Arthur Chibwana, said the ultimate goal of the Public Service Fellowship Program is to build a strong cadre of public service professionals who prioritize national and public service over personal interests. Chifuniro Matope, a Cohort I Fellow, placed at the Ministry of Health, mesmerised the audience with her dexterity in poem composition and recitation. “Leadership is more than a title, it is a call to serve, to sacrifice and above all to remain true even when it hurts” read one of the lines in her poem titled, “I am a Leader”. The event culminated in the symbolic unveiling of EPL Malawi’s contextualized Public Service Fellowship Program Curriculum, a comprehensive training structured on EPL’s unique responsive program model and designed in collaboration with the Government of Malawi and the Malawi School of Government,  by  Zamba. This action marked the official inauguration of the Public Service Fellowship Program, and a pledge of all partners toward continued collaboration and a commitment to accountability, good governance, inclusion of young people in leadership, and, above all, ethical public service delivery. Following the ceremony, distinguished delegates networked, exchanged ideas, took photographs, and created lasting memories with the first Cohort of Public Service Fellows, identifiable by their unique scarves embroidered with the program name. This official launch comes mid-way through their fellowship, which began in September 2024. Already, their poise and resolve in their training and workplaces have demonstrated their readiness to serve, innovate, learn and lead in the public sector. The launch of the Public Service Fellowship Program is a beacon for the empowerment of young professionals, and a milestone in the country’s journey towards an efficient, inclusive, and ethical-ready public sector in Malawi.

The Emerging Public Leaders of Malawi (EPL) participated in the 2025 Emerging Public Leaders Alumni Network Global Gathering, held from 24th to 25th April in Accra, Ghana.This annual event, which provides a platform for knowledge sharing, experience exchange, and cross-border collaboration, brought together government officials, EPL management teams, fellows, and alumni from Liberia, Kenya, Malawi, and Ghana, EPL partners and stakeholders. EPL Malawi fellows, who were recruited in September 2024, are eager to join the 500+ Alumni network of young and mid-career leaders across Africa in October this year. In anticipation, EPL Malawi used this opportunity to gain valuable insights into life after the fellowship. Two fellows, Zahira Banda, the President of the first cohort, posted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Fredrich Maluza, the General secretary of the first cohort, posted at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, represented the 35 fellows of EPL Malawi’s inaugural cohort. The Malawi delegation also included the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission, Commissioner Arthur Chibwana; the Principal Secretary for the Department of Human Resource Management and Development (DHRMD), Mr. Ian Chingwalu; the Country Director, Mrs. Linda Harawa; Senior Programs and Learning Associate, Mr. Khwima Kondowe; and other senior government officials. The event, themed “Governance Reimagined: Driving Transformative Change within the Public Service in Africa”, featured keynote speeches, prestigious awards, panel discussions on cross-border collaborative governance, digital governance transformation, and sustainable development leadership, among others. “This marked a key moment for reflecting on the shift from business as usual to business unusual.” In his speech, Mr Chibwana highlighted Malawi’s commitment to transformative change within the public service stating that the youth are the face and voice of ethical leadership. He encouraged the alumni to be the agents of the much-needed transformative leadership in Africa.