Suleman Chitera 
By Suleman Chitera
MANGOCHI, Malawi — Young people from Mangochi Lutende Constituency have pledged to take an active role in monitoring development projects and promoting accountability in their communities.
The youths made the commitment on August 21, 2026, during a Youth Media on Parliamentary Accountability Programme organised by Civil Society Accountability and Transparency (CSAT).
The programme is aimed at strengthening young people’s participation in development issues by equipping them with knowledge and practical skills to track development projects, engage duty bearers and demand accountability.
Speaking after the training, one of the participants, Annika Msusa, said the programme had given the youths the confidence and knowledge needed to participate meaningfully in community development and hold authorities accountable when they suspect wrongdoing.
“We have been empowered not only to participate in development forums, but also to share our views and ensure that the right things are being done. As youth, we are going to take the initiative to regularly monitor and audit development projects in our communities,” Msusa said.
She said the training had helped young people understand that their role in development should go beyond attending community meetings, arguing that they could also contribute by following up on projects and raising concerns where necessary.
CSAT calls for proactive youth participation
CSAT Project Coordinator Albert Lulaka urged the youths to maintain regular engagement with authorities and other stakeholders responsible for implementing development programmes.
Lulaka said young people should be encouraged to move away from being passive observers of development activities and instead become active participants in monitoring how public resources and projects are being managed.
“The goal is to move youths from being passive participants in activities happening in their areas to being proactive in tracking development projects,” he said.
He encouraged the youths to engage various duty bearers constructively, saying their participation was important in ensuring that community concerns were heard during the development process.
The approach is expected to help strengthen communication between communities and authorities while encouraging greater transparency in the implementation of public development projects.
Youth urged to sustain momentum
During the training, Assistant Youth Officer Daniel Namvula welcomed the initiative and stressed the importance of continuing programmes that empower young people to participate in development and accountability processes.
Namvula said sustained engagement was necessary to ensure that young people remained interested and involved in issues affecting their communities.
The training provided the youths with an opportunity to discuss their responsibilities in development monitoring and ways of engaging authorities when seeking information or raising concerns about projects being implemented in their areas.
Strengthening accountability at community level
Youth participation is increasingly important in community development, particularly because young people make up a significant proportion of Malawi’s population.
Through initiatives such as the CSAT programme, young people are being encouraged to understand development processes, follow the implementation of projects and use appropriate channels to raise concerns about possible irregularities.
Effective community monitoring can also help identify challenges affecting projects at an early stage and encourage authorities and implementing agencies to respond to community concerns.
For the youths in Mangochi Lutende Constituency, the commitment represents a shift towards greater involvement in decisions and development activities affecting their communities.
Programme targets three districts
CSAT is implementing the Youth Media on Parliamentary Accountability Programme in Nkhotakota, Mangochi and Mzimba districts.
The programme is being funded by the German Federal Foreign Office through the IFA/Zivik Funding Programme.
Its focus is to strengthen youth participation in development and accountability while providing young people with the skills required to monitor development projects and engage duty bearers responsibly.
The Mangochi training has therefore placed young people at the centre of community accountability efforts, with participants pledging to use the knowledge gained to monitor projects, participate in development forums and ensure that communities have a stronger voice in development matters.
As the youths begin putting their commitments into practice, their effectiveness will depend on sustained engagement, access to relevant information and constructive cooperation between communities, duty bearers and civil society organisations.
