LocationsZomba, Likoma and Mangochi district councils have secured support to work with young people in developing and testing digital solutions to local public service challenges.
Young innovators to help strengthen local service delivery in Malawi
September 16, 2026
Wongani Mulanga is part of the youth team behind Civic Score, a proposed digital platform that will enable young people and Mangochi District Council to exchange feedback on services.
Photo: UNDP Malawi/Jonathan Mphande/2026
For Wongani Mulanga, a young woman from Mangochi, technology can help remove barriers preventing young people from sharing their experiences with public services with local authorities.
Mulanga works with GoFund a Girl Child, a young women-led feminist organisation. She is part of the youth team behind Civic Score, a proposed digital platform that will enable young people and Mangochi District Council to exchange feedback on services in sectors such as health, agriculture and water, as well as Constituency Development Fund projects.
“The main thing that led us to this is that we noticed a barrier in how young people give feedback to the council and how the council receives and compares that feedback across different years,” Mulanga said.
Civic Score is one of the youth-led innovations selected under the Youth in Leadership Innovation Challenge. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced Zomba, Likoma and Mangochi as the three winning district councils during an award ceremony held at the UNDP Malawi Country Office in Lilongwe.
The councils were selected to receive US$20,000 each in support of developing and testing digital solutions responding to public service challenges identified at district level.
UNDP Malawi Deputy Resident Representative, Dr Chika Charles Aniekwe (standing, first right), and the Principal Secretary for Administration in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr. Francis Juwawo (standing first left), join representatives from Mangochi District Council for a group photograph during the event.
Photo: UNDP Malawi/Jonathan Mphande/2026
Making feedback easier and more useful
Mulanga explained that young people have traditionally had to travel to council offices or government departments to provide feedback. Even when they shared their concerns, there was no consistent system for recording and tracking the information.
Civic Score seeks to provide a platform where young people can submit feedback without travelling long distances. The platform will record and store the information, direct it to the responsible council departments and make it possible to monitor how authorities respond.
“A young person will not have to travel all the way from where they are to reach service providers or the different departments they are trying to reach. That bridges a lot of gaps,” Mulanga said.
The proposed solution will also allow users to rate services and help the council identify areas that are performing well and those that need improvement. Mulanga said this would give young people a channel for expressing their views while helping council departments respond to the issues brought to their attention.
“The main goal is to create a transparent system where issues can be monitored, tracked and addressed according to the needs of young people and the council,” she said.
The council and young people will jointly manage the platform. The team also plans to incorporate measures for monitoring submitted information, protecting data and tracking the location from which feedback is provided.
“We are excited to see how this will go and hopefully scale it up across Malawi,” Mulanga added.
“Malawi has a young population. Young people must recognise their role. That comes with leadership and a lot of responsibility."Dr. Chika Charles Aniekwe, UNDP Malawi Deputy Resident Representative.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Dr. Chika Charles Aniekwe.
Photo: UNDP Malawi/Jonathan Mphande/2026
Leadership comes with responsibility
Speaking during the ceremony, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Dr Chika Charles Aniekwe said Malawi’s young population presents an opportunity for young people to take a more active role in leadership and national development.
“Malawi has a young population. Young people must recognise their role. That comes with leadership and a lot of responsibility,” said Dr Aniekwe.
He noted that young people remain underrepresented in business, politics and governance, despite possessing skills and ideas that can help public institutions improve the way they serve citizens.
“This is an opportunity to use your skills in public service delivery. By doing this well, you can inspire other district councils,” he told the young innovators.
Dr Aniekwe also recognised the presence and commitment of the District Commissioners, District Youth Officers and District Information Officers from Mangochi, Likoma and Zomba. Their participation will be critical as the youth teams develop, test and integrate their ideas within council systems.
“UNDP’s programming is becoming more youth-centred,” Dr Aniekwe said. “Use your learning to create what will serve your community and test what you have created.”
Principal Secretary (administration) in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr. Francis Juwawo.
Photo: UNDP Malawi/Jonathan Mphande/2026
Moving young people from consultation to participation
The Principal Secretary responsible for administration in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr. Francis Juwawo, said Malawi’s progress would depend on creating more opportunities for young people to contribute ideas, develop innovations and help solve challenges affecting their communities.
“Malawi cannot achieve the transition from poverty reduction to wealth creation without fully harnessing the potential of its young population,” he said.
He observed that the challenge connects youth innovation directly to local governance, where many of the problems experienced by citizens are first identified and where essential public services are delivered.
The initiative gives young people and councils a platform to jointly develop solutions instead of limiting their participation to identifying problems.
“Young people should not only be consulted about development. They should be supported to help design, test and improve the solutions that shape their communities,” Mr. Juwawo said.
The challenge aligns with the the Youth Engagement Strategy for Malawi 2063 and the National Youth Policy, particularly its focus on youth inclusion in governance, transformative leadership, science, technology and innovation. It provides a practical way of translating these national commitments into action at district level.
Mr. Juwawo also emphasised that digitalisation should be viewed as an enabler of improved service delivery, accountability, transparency and citizen participation.
The winning councils were encouraged to maintain meaningful collaboration with the young people who developed the innovations throughout implementation, learning and improvement. They were also urged to consider sustainability, data protection, interoperability, institutional ownership and long-term financing.
Participants, representatives from district councils, government officials, UNDP Malawi, and youth innovators pose for a group photo at the close of the event, marking a shared commitment to advancing youth-led innovation and inclusive local governance.
Photo: UNDP Malawi/Jonathan Mphande/2026
Mangochi commits to implementing Civic Score
In his acceptance remarks, Mr. Ganizani Nkhwazi, Director of Planning, Mangochi District Council, said Civic Score would increase citizen engagement and strengthen accountability by ensuring that the voices of citizens, particularly young people, influence public service delivery.
“This recognition honours the efforts of our youth and reaffirms our collective belief that innovation, especially when driven by the bright ideas of young people, has the power to transform governance and improve service delivery at the grassroots level,” he said.
Mr. Nkhwazi pledged to work closely with partners and communities to refine, validate and implement the solution for the benefit of the district.
“To our young innovators, your passion, creativity and resilience are the driving forces of progress. Together, we are building local authorities where innovation supports improved service delivery,” the council added.
A competitive selection process
The Youth in Leadership Innovation Challenge seeks to address two connected challenges: the limited participation of young people in public decision-making and the digital capacity constraints faced by some district councils.
The challenge attracted 45 applications from district councils across Malawi. Following an eligibility review, 37 proposals advanced to technical assessment, while five were shortlisted for further consideration.
The assessment examined the relevance of each proposed solution, its level of innovation and feasibility, meaningful youth participation, digital potential, institutional relevance and prospects for sustainability and expansion.
Shortlisted councils also underwent technical and institutional assessments covering existing systems, infrastructure, data governance, connectivity, cybersecurity, local capacity and ownership of the proposed solutions.
Following this process, Zomba, Likoma and Mangochi district councils were selected for support.
The programme follows a four-stage model: learn, co-create, test and influence. The next phase will focus on developing prototypes and testing the solutions within existing council systems. The teams will collect evidence on performance, usability and cost, use feedback to improve their solutions and explore how successful models can be integrated into council operations and expanded to other districts.
UNDP is implementing the initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports; the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development; the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology; and the National Youth Council of Malawi.