LocationsFrom Lilongwe to Lupaso: How Pemphero Kanyenda Is Taking Digital Skills Back Home
February 19, 2026
Pemphero receives her certificate from ICT Minister Shadrick Namalomba, as ICTAM’s Clarence Gama, UNDP’s Fenella Frost, and Principal Secretary Prosper Mopiwa look on.
In Lupaso, a rural town near Mzuzu, many people still approach technology cautiously. Some pay just to have WhatsApp installed on their phones; others are charged simply to update their mobile applications. Many fall victim to basic digital scams, not because they are careless, but because no one has ever taught them how the digital world truly works.
This is the reality 20‑year‑old Pemphero Kanyenda wants to change.
A fourth‑year Information and Communication Technology (ICT) student at Mzuzu University (Mzuni), Pemphero is among Malawi’s newly certified Digital Literacy Advocates. But for her, the certificate she received in Lilongwe is only a starting point. What truly matters is what happens next in Lupaso, where small gaps in digital knowledge often translate into real, daily costs for families.
Pemphero’s fascination with technology began early. “I have always been intrigued by computers,” she says. That dream carried her through primary school, secondary school, and eventually into university, where she chose to pursue ICT.
Part of that spark was lit at home. Her mother, a teacher and single parent, was the first in the family to embrace basic digital skills after attending a community programme in Ekwendeni, Mzimba. She learned to operate a computer and navigate basic digital tools, a journey she regularly shared with her children. “She would come and tell us what she learned that day,” Pemphero recalls. “It was always exciting. It made me want to learn.”
At Mzuzu University, that childhood curiosity transformed into a practical skill. Through platforms like Nzeru Hub, a free, inclusive digital learning platform developed by the ICT Association of Malawi (ICTAM) and UNDP, with international standard courses available from Microsoft, CISCO and LinkedIn, Pemphero strengthened her abilities in networking, programming, cybersecurity, and essential soft skills.
Along with 30 students from Mzuni, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, the University of Malawi, and Malawi University of Science and Technology, she emerged as one of the top learners on Nzeru Hub. Collectively, the cohort completed 313 Digital and Artificial Intelligence courses, earning recognition as Malawi’s 2026 Digital Literacy Advocates.
Photo: UNDP/2026
At the award ceremony in Lilongwe, the presence of the Minister of ICT, Shadrick Namalomba, ICTAM President Clarence Gama, and UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Fenella Frost underscored the national importance of investing in young digital leaders.
The initiative is supported by the European Union and the Governments of Norway and Ireland. Addressing the graduates, Ms. Frost urged them to “be the bridge that connects your communities to the digital world.”
For Pemphero, the message felt deeply personal.
The vision behind the Digital Literacy Advocates programme is simple but ambitious: each advocate will train 100 people in their community, equipping 3,000 Malawians with practical digital skills, not in boardrooms, but in villages, markets, schools, and homes.
For Pemphero, this mission hits close to home.
“In Lupaso, technology is not really that advanced,” she explains. “There’s no club or school that really offers ICT. People don’t always have the right information.” She has seen neighbours pay for tasks that should be simple. She has seen how easily misinformation spreads online. And she knows how transformative basic digital literacy can be.
She has already begun working with a local community school introducing computer lessons for women and young people. With the skills she gained through Nzeru Hub, she hopes to build from there, starting with secondary school students who are curious but lack exposure.
In a field where women remain underrepresented, Pemphero’s journey is also a statement of possibility. She dreams of becoming a software developer, building websites and applications. Yet just as importantly, she wants the benefits of technology to extend beyond the boundaries of the city.
“The future is in technology,” she says. “And it keeps evolving. So, people have to keep learning.”
In Lupaso, that future won’t arrive through grand ceremonies or large gatherings. It will show up in small, meaningful moments: when someone no longer pays to install an app; when someone finally understands what an “update” is; when someone avoids an online scam because they know what to look for.
And when those moments come, it will be because people like Pemphero Kanyenda returned home not just with certificates, but with skills, patience, and a determination to make the digital world less confusing and more fair.