Japan and Malawi Seek Stronger Partnerships to Drive Youth Innovation
The discussions further emphasised the need to broaden Malawi’s innovation ecosystem beyond ICT to areas such as education, nutrition and the private sector, creating more avenues for young people to develop solutions to social and economic challenges.
Japan and Malawi are exploring stronger links between youth innovation initiatives in both countries to create greater opportunities for young innovators to collaborate, exchange ideas and develop partnerships.
Japanese Ambassador to Malawi Naito Yasushi proposed closer connections between Japan-supported youth innovation programmes and Malawi’s National ICT Innovation Awards. He suggested that gold and silver award winners could be linked with Japanese innovators to facilitate knowledge exchange and joint opportunities.
The proposal was made during an engagement in Lilongwe involving National ICT Innovation Awards winners Staff Nyoni and Vision Thondoya, Secretary for Information Harold Msusa, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General Dr. Mayamiko Nkoloma and a Japanese delegation led by Yusuke Yoshikawa of Karaba NGO, which runs the Social Innovators Forum in Africa (SIFA).
Naito said linking the two initiatives could create synergies and give Malawian innovators greater exposure to Japan’s innovation ecosystem.
Yoshikawa said SIFA has expanded considerably since its launch three years ago. The initiative, which initially involved a single university, now brings together several universities, companies, non-governmental organisations and international organisations.
He added that the next major SIFA event is scheduled to take place in Lilongwe in February 2027.
Secretary for Information Harold Msusa said the Malawian government remains committed to creating an environment that enables innovation to grow through stronger coordination among government institutions, the private sector and other stakeholders.
Msusa said the Ministry of Information could also serve as a coordination point for Japanese-supported initiatives, helping connect them with relevant sectors and institutions in Malawi.
Stakeholders also called for a shift away from one-off innovation competitions towards sustained mentorship and long-term support for young innovators. They highlighted the importance of greater exposure to Japanese companies and innovators and opportunities to develop practical partnerships.
The discussions further emphasised the need to broaden Malawi’s innovation ecosystem beyond ICT to areas such as education, nutrition and the private sector, creating more avenues for young people to develop solutions to social and economic challenges.
