Call for Candidates: Malawi - Youth Sounding Board (MW-YSB) 2025-2027

In Malawi, youth is a key crosscutting area of engagement for the European Union Delegation. The Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2021-2027 supports those aspirations set in Malawi’s long-term development strategies. In particular, and in connection to the “Malawi 2063 Agenda”, the European Union is working with the Government of Malawi on enhancing the contribution of one of its most valuable assets, youth and women. 

EU support to youth cuts across the three main priority areas presented by the MIP: i) Green and resilient economic transformation; ii) Democratic and economic governance; iii) Human development and social inclusion. 

As part of its strategy to strengthen youth engagement, the EUD Malawi has established its own Malawi Youth Sounding Board (MW-YSB) with a two-year mandate, running from December 2023 to December 2025. 

The first cohort of the MW-YSB brought together 15 young graduates from tertiary institutions. This phase created an opportunity for them to engage directly with EU cooperation policies, making these policies more participatory, relevant, and responsive to the needs of Malawian youth. It also provided a platform for creativity, peer learning, and exchanges with regional and international counterparts, enabling members to share perspectives and contribute to the EU’s work in Malawi. 

Building on this foundation, the EU Delegation intends to launch a Call for Candidatures to recruit the members of the new Youth Sounding Board co-hort that will run for the next two years (January 2026 – December 2027). 

What is the Youth Sounding Board?

The Malawi Youth Sounding Board (MW-YSB) is an opportunity for young Malawians to be closer to the European Union cooperation policy, to make it more participatory, relevant and effective for young people. The YSB is a space for creativity and exchanges that will allow members to provide their perspectives and contribute to the work of the European Union in Malawi. 

Given the promptly evolving policy context following the elections, the Malawi Youth Sounding Board will play a pivotal role in advocating for priorities of the youth, promote job creation, vocational training, and entrepreneurship, which are essential for alleviating youth unemployment. It will also focus on vulnerable youth, by promoting youth empowerment and employment through EU initiatives in Malawi and by strengthening connections with local and community-based youth organizations. 

The MW-YSB will aim to make EU action more participatory, relevant and effective through carrying out the following (non-exhaustive) list of activities: 

• Ensure active youth involvement in dialogues and collaborations between the EU and Civil Society Organisations to advocate for youth perspectives and priorities;
• Contribute to the roll-out of programmes specific activities relevant for youth especially in the area related to employment and entrepreneurship development;
• Supporting EU initiatives in the country by collecting youth feedbacks on these Actions, with the objective of ensuring that these align with the needs and expectations of the youth;
• Enhance youth knowledge on EU work in Malawi as well as contribute to the dissemination of information on programmes benefitting Malawian youth, including on sectors related to youth employment, skills development and education;
• Create real partnerships with similar structures and existing networks in Malawi, and potentially globally, facilitating collaboration and sharing of learning opportunities. 

Participation to the MW-YSB is on a voluntary basis. Notwithstanding, the EU Delegation in Malawi will reimburse costs incurred by members in the implementation of all the activities organised in the context of the MW-YSB.                

The MW-YSB will further: 

• Participate in trainings to acquire the necessary knowledge to perform ad-hoc activities;
• Hold at least four meetings a year with the whole Youth Sounding Board;
• Participate in activities and field visits organised by the EU Delegation;
• Provide reports and feedbacks throughout the two years mandate.

The MW- YSB will be composed of a maximum 8 members, who shall: 

• Be Malawian nationals resident in the country, between 18 and 30 years of age;
• Be creative, motivated and ready to contribute to a good functioning of the Board;
• Have a keen interest in development cooperation and specifically in those areas prioritised by the EU in its partnership with the Government of Malawi, including in education/Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Vocational Education and Training (TEVET) and employment;
• Have a good command of spoken and written English.