MALAWI: AU Rep Urges the Youth to Serve Africa
Luke Bisani
Credit: ECM Communications
African Union (AU) Permanent Ambassador for Southern Africa, David Claude Pierre has urged the Youth in Malawi to serve in Africa once they graduate in various disciplines from institutions of higher learning in the country.
Speaking during a Public Lecture under the theme; The African Union, AU Southern Africa Regional Office and Mw 2063 held at the Catholic University of Malawi on Monday this week, Ambassador Pierre urged the Youths to use their skills to develop Africa and their respective countries.
The Permanent Ambassador challenged the youths that Africa has resources that can eventually turn into opportunities for their betterment.
“I did my A-level, and I got good results and qualified for the university and I went to Australia for four years. After my fours of doing Math as a major and Chemistry as a minor, Australia said, ‘stay’; you know why? Because I got a distinction, and I said no” said Ambassador Pierre who originally comes from Seychelles.
He added that he was willing to work in another country and on another continent apart from his Africa.
Concurring with Pierre, the Director of Academic Affairs at the Catholic University of Malawi, Rev. Dr. Fr. Wilfred Sumani called for the need to think of long-term solutions for African countries to develop.
“Many of us in Africa, we can’t start something that will give us fruits, twenty, thirty years down line. We would rather wish to grow maize knowing that after few months we have fruits than have a baobab tree that gives fruits after a year,” said Rev. Dr. Fr. Sumani.
He then disclosed that the University strives to take a leading role to change for the betterment of Malawi and Africa as a country.
However, Pierre’s call comes at a time when Malawi records high numbers of unemployment in the country among the youth.
Media reports reveal that some quarters of the qualified personnel, have written the government to permit them to work in European countries.
Unemployed nurses and midwives under the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi (NONM) disclosed plans to send some nurses and midwives to the United State of America and Saudi Arabia.
Reports further reveal that some nurses in large numbers who graduated between 2015 and 2021 are yet to be absorbed into the health sector as employees.
According to NONM, many of them “are languishing in poverty in the streets of Malawi” due to government delay to employ them.
Minister of Labour Vera Kamtukule was yet to attend to the questions sent to her on what the government is doing in addressing the thorn of unemployment in the flesh of many unemployed youths in the country and the nurses’ demand to seek employment across Africa borders.
