Malawi
Launch Date:
September 2022
Targeted Age:
18-35 Years
Managing Partner:
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Partner Organizations:
TEVETA and the Farmers Forum for Trade & Social Justice (FAFOTRAJ).
No. of Beneficiaries
The project was designed to facilitate access to employment to 3,750 rural youth in Malawi
Delivering Results: Project Approach, Operational Highlights & Progress
The Project, implemented by the ILO in partnership with IFAD, aims to bolster rural youth employment opportunities in Malawi. The program operates across three geographic areas in the south, center, and north, with the ILO Country Office coordinating a consortium of partners.
TEVETA, the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority, and Farmers Forum for Trade & Social Justice (FAFOTRAJ Association), the non-profit arm of Tradeline Corporation serve as key implementing partners.
Approach
The programme’s approach in Malawi is comprehensive, targeting youth employment through a multi-faceted strategy that leverages partnerships, regional engagement, and community involvement. By combining targeted training, career support services, and a focus on agricultural entrepreneurship, the programme aims to create sustainable employment opportunities for rural youth across the country. Key elements of the approach include:
Geographic Focus: The programme operates in three distinct regions of Malawi: southern, central, and northern. Each region engages reputable training centres that offer targeted classroom and incubation-based upskilling services.
Supportive Functions: Integration of career counselling and job-matching services has been achieved through partnerships with various external players.
Principal Agribusiness Hub: The ILO Office for Malawi acts as the Principal Agribusiness Hub, providing overall coordination and leadership to ensure the adoption of decent work principles for young agripreneurs. The ILO leverages its extensive experience in supporting national and local authorities to improve rural employment policies, governance structures, and regulatory frameworks.
National-Level Coordination: The project leverages an existing Project Advisory Committee (PAC) chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour. The PAC comprises other ministries, social partners, and youth organizations, including the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Youth, Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM), and Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU). The ILO Skills Project Office is also a key player in the implementation.
Agri-business Hub Management: A Hub-Board consisting of the ILO, TEVETA, FAFOTRAJ Association, and the private sector advises on the management of hub-satellites. Satellite locations are selected based on capacity assessments, employment diagnostic studies, and stakeholder consultations, considering the availability of targeted youth, agricultural potential, support infrastructure, and established stakeholder ecosystems.
Community Engagement: The project engages with grassroots farming communities, including farming clubs, agricultural cooperatives, and WIL students (beneficiaries and graduates from TVET institutions). A participatory approach ensures activities are designed and delivered in consultation with these communities throughout the project lifecycle.
Highlights of Project Operations
The Pro Agro YOUTH program in Malawi has achieved impressive results in a short timeframe, demonstrating the effectiveness of its approach.
Employment Outcomes: The project has reached 106% of its direct employment target in a short timeframe. Most employment created to date is in self-employment, reflecting the rural nature of Malawi, where entrepreneurship opportunities are more accessible than wage jobs. Efforts are ongoing to explore and develop wage employment opportunities for youth in targeted geographic areas.
Partnerships: The project has established partnerships with 17 public and private entities interested in rural youth employment, helping to develop a robust rural youth employment ecosystem.
Gender Parity: The programme has achieved and surpassed gender parity, with young women primarily opting for self-employment (53%). Future efforts will ensure that men are not left behind as the project continues.
These strategic and operational efforts have positioned the programme to make a significant impact on youth employment in Malawi, fostering sustainable economic opportunities for rural youth.
Targets and Progress
The project has been actively implementing activities with youth for approximately six months, yet depicts commendable progress towards targets, summarized as follows:
|
|
Direct employment* |
Indirect employment** |
TOTAL |
||
|
Wage Employment |
Self-employment |
Total direct employment |
|||
|
Target |
1,050 |
450 |
1,500 |
2,250 |
3,750 |
|
Progress to date (Nov 2025) |
796 |
788 |
1.584 |
2.538 |
4.122 |
|
Progress to targets |
76% |
175% |
106% |
113% |
110% |
You’re Reading:
Join us in our mission
The hubs are a place where the ambitions and aspirations of rural young women and men meet the potential of rural economies. Adopting a unique holistic ecosystem approach, this model combines talent, technology, know-how and capital, allowing for enterprise