Unemployment becomes a disease in Malawi: Graduates scrambling for non-graduate jobs

Jan 09, 2017 Politics 87
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Malawi Population

Usually, in Malawi, the celebration of graduating from a university is short-lived or is mixed with anxiety of whether finding a job will be an easy task for a graduate.

Most bright graduates are seen either spending time on job sites on internet or mongering around town searching for a job opening.

Innocent Hunga, is a graduate who studied Accounting at one of the universities and is still struggling to secure a job of his calibre.

“I just do some part time with other companies who say they have no capacity to employ me. What I get from the job is very little that can’t keep me going,” he said.

Henry Mussa
Mussa ; We eye empowering the youth.

Maybe Innocent is better off. Memory Banda, a graduate in Journalism, has never landed a job since she graduated two years ago.

She says media houses just use her and later dump her without any payment. The time she spent chasing pages will always be regretted by Memory.

“I work for maybe one year for a media house but they don’t pay me and they dump me, the trend has been so ever since,” she said.

The two are only a drop in the sea of thousands of graduates who share similar stories. Some even share very pathetic experiences.

However, their fate is forcing them to scramble for small opportunities suitable for non-graduates.

“We now apply for every opportunity that arise, be it police training and teaching. I applied last year but they didn’t pick me and this year I will apply again for several opportunities,” said David Soko, who did Human Resource Management.

History lecture at Mzuzu University Crispin Mphande described the situation as pathetic and worrisome.

“Our education system is not good at all. It doesn’t prepare someone to become an entrepreneur. How many people can be employed? We need to change our curriculum and set up something which can ease unemployment,” he said.

On his part, Minister of labour, youth, and manpower development Henry Mussa said the DPP led government has already begun setting up plans to ease unemployment.

He said much as changing the curriculum may be vital, it may be a long term process and DPP government has already thought of technical colleges which will help impart entrepreneurship knowledge in many youths.

“We have already begun implementing programs aimed at easing unemployment and sooner or later things will be at least better in the country,” he said.

But director for Youth and Society (YAS) Charles Kajoloweka said much as community colleges may be a good plan, there is need to plan well on how to run them.

“Learners must be given adequate resources during and after the training and the training environment must be conducive for the learners, otherwise, the colleges may be a waste of time and resources,” he said.

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87 Comments

  6. You graduats, watch out for if you can’t pull your socks up before its too late, you will seek an employment from an un educated who was once a street vendor but now is swimming in millions of kwachas because he is able to see from afar. Use your brain to bring food on the table.

  7. malawi is acuntry that no body can undrstand becoz all the phada that happens in malawi its totally full of shirt exactly

  9. Graduates scrambling for non-graduate jobs cos our graduates don’t know that they are the ones who are supposed to create employment. STOP graduating in lazy jobs, be creative, put a few heads & resources together to do something worth rather than still being a burden after so many years in school.

  11. Malawi si dziko koma khola,,kulibe boma ku malawi,,,dziko loona nkhope ya munthu polembana ntchito,,komanso ntchito ndiwekha munthu,,ukasauka umadya udzu..pali vuto lodzimva kuphunzira, mumasankha ntchito yogwira “yamatopeyi sindigagwire ndine graduete”

  14. Graduates all over the globe are precious gifts to a developing world economic challenge if their governments really invest in their interests.
    A country like Malawi has introduced many graduates since from the opening of it first graduation in 1975.
    Its sad till to date that the very same government who built universities, technical colleges don’t supply service to their graduated candidate.
    We lacks:
    Doctors
    Economists
    Engineers
    CA charted accountants
    Lawyers
    As they flew out of the country to enrich foreign countries.
    Malawi is killing herself, because the leadership of the day don’t have any developing plans for these graduates.
    Infrastructure developmental programmes brings hope to a developing nation, Malawi lacks that.

  17. Even nurses and teachers shud be innovative enough to be self employed! So all the hard work frm primary upto university, the aim was self employment?

  18. Even nurses and teachers shud be innovative enough to be self employed! So all the hard work frm primary upto university, the aim was self employment?

    2. Education gives you knowledge on how to go about things.it does not give you a job.so use that knowledge to create a job.teachers can even start with tuitions at their homes and exapand from there

  20. We have jobs here in malawi, but the biggest problem is corruption, you can’t have a job without a link, everything is going well with a link here in malawi, even if you want to have plate of rice at the wedding, you need to make a strong link for you to enjoy that plate of rice, having a link is now becoming more important that having a school certificate!

  24. Then Should We Say That The Govt Is Just Wasting It’s Funds By Educating Some Graduates? Should The Govt Expect These Graduates To Pay The Loans. The Main Problem Is The Lack Of Govt Will To Employ These Guyz. We Should Remember We Don’t Hav Enough Teachers, Health Workers, Agricultural Extension Workers, Electrical Engineers , Civil Engineers,Environment Management Experts To Match With Our Population But We Hav Best Graduates With Fresh And Innovative Ideaz In These Areas Just Sitting At Home. I Believe If Govt Can Employ These Guyz There Can Be A Change In Many Sectorz. For Example Malawi Trains Best Electrical Engineers And Civil Engineers Which If Employed Can Bring A Change At Escom And Water Boards Minimising The Current Electricity And Water Challengez. Even With Enterpreneurship Ideaz Without Capital It Can’t Work.

  27. Nothing wrong! Its called being innovative, when you realise you can’t eat your BAs, MAs, or Phds. There is a success story of a graduate medical Doctor who left her practice to venture into seedling growibg and does’nt regret the slightest doing the muddy job.

    7. The woman you are talking of is a grand daughter of Kenneth Kaunda’s brother. So u can’t lie of her not having a penny to start something

    8. The problem is we dont have enough confidence to push ourselves forward, to take that first step! The fact that the grand father was the elder brother of Dr. Kaunda did not mean they had it easy. Examples are abound! Not all the relatives of our former presidents are doing well.

  28. Bwanji ophunzira mukulira boma nnanga ife osaophunzira chifukwa amalume ndi aduna mufuna kupezeninso ncthito ANTHU openge eti
    . Mayeso oonera collage chifukwa abambo anu ndi minister mapeto ake. Best way use your brain to money why gvmt? Kundipangitsa MANYAZI

    1. Taona ndiwe mbuli ndi chichewa chomwe chikukuvuta kulemba walemba mbwerela sukudziwa momwe school ku university imavutira ukakhala mbuli zina timangokhala chete isayankhurako kuopa umbuliwo kuti ungasekedwe ngati chomchi…hahahahah this is sensiles tawalembatu ntchito iweyo mesa ukuti tikulilira kulembedwa ntchito? Mukhaliranji agalu pakati pa anthu?

  29. The disease in malawi is not unemployment but inability to create new jobs by the graduating students we have seen their fellow students creating jobs&employ others within malawi.Revisit yur mentality

    1. How can someone create emproyment for others when he doesnt have the required resources especially income? Most graduates are innovative but lack of funds and resources makes it hard for them to show the world what they are capable of

    2. My comment on this issue meant that jobs can really be created,are created by own innovations.What I’m worried about is the terminology that malawi unemployment a disease this is unfair definition.

  33. Was going through the comments and everyone is like the graduates should be innovative and start something by themselves, that point is totally true but income is needed for a person to start something…maluzi ake amenewa munthuyo innovation ayambira pati? To be honest this is not USA it is “MALAWI” a.k.a hell on earth things are tough here

    1. By waiting until you have enough you will wait for ever. Take the first step, grow even tomatoes in your backyard and it will be your first step to success.

    2. you don’t need capital to start some business, I started laundry and dry cleaning business without a cash, today I can’t count my branches in Lagos

    3. You pple are kidding ryt..u mean an electrical engineer with a degree or whatever ..should once start his/her future by this u are telling ???? What’s the meaning of being a graduate then…??? Hahahaha mama country is poor and sucks..that’s the fact

  34. Mudazolowera kuti ma aziankolo anu akulembeni ntchito mu gvt,be like Nigerians or Zimbabweans,,,,,,they husle hard in their streets to earn a living.its only in Malawi whereby a graduate lives under parents roof,…!!!Kkkkkk shame,, bola ine osapita KU school,,,if I have 5thousand kwacha,,,iknow how to make 2grand with it!!!!

    1. Aise this is not Nigeria….dollar ikusowa anthu oti akupanga business or working ndiye your expecting someone oti wangochoka ku school to make it that simple…the same graduates who are failing to make ends meet in MW akapita kumaiko kwina zinthu zimawayendera,, the problem is poor governance here

    2. Munthu Akakhaladi Mbuli Amayankhura Sensiless Ndaonera Iwe Sumaziwa Kut Munthu Akakhala Graduate Amavutika Bwanji To Become That,y Comparing Our Country To Nigeria?Or Other Countries?Dnt U Know Malawi Is Poor?Kod Mwana Wamaliza School Ndi Graduate Amaphuzilira Government Loan,kwao Kulibe Andalama Kulibeso Antchito Zapamwana Oti Angamulembe Ntchito Mpamba Oyambira Gen Or Something Else Alibe Kma Ndi Graduate Mati Asadandaule?Aziba Ngat Inu ?Zaumbuzi Malembazi U Dnt Kna Hw School Imawawira Ukakhala Pa University That Its More Like Aprison

    3. Who Feels It Knows It. Amene Sanapiteko Ku Sukulu Sangaziwa How Tough College Work Iz. Can’t Even Realize School It’s About The Survival Of The Fittest That’s Why He (sharped Ndaluza) Was Eliminated At The Early Stage I Am Sure.

  35. This indeed is big challenge! We have been able to build some more Universities added to what we had already, thereby increasing the number of graduates to compete for few available jobs on the market. This where we have failed. Creating employment opportunities or outlets for graduates. Both private and public sector investments have not had done enough to achieve this. I have not seen the expansion of Agricultural and industrial development to absorb job seekers on the market. Energy sector, mining, fishing, environment, communication, transport, technology, building and entrepreneurships.

    1. Study most successiful people you will realise, they had to abandon school to realise their dream! Graduates should use their education to innovated on creating new products.

  37. Don’t go to school to be educated and be employed by others. Go to school to be educated and become innovative. Once that is done, you employ yourself and become the billionaire.

  38. …..when a girl is desperate to get married she will post things like’,” i dnt know why i like sweeping, washing clothes, ironing anytime and cooking food so much. thank you God for this strength…..philipians 4:13″

  40. we us malawian we see that problem bt we can sirtat self employment in order to our livng standard more than jst waitng for government to support ourselves

    1. Is it possible to create employment for others without funds? Many graduates have great ideas but they cant show the world what they are capable of due to lack of funds, and that problem is due to poor governance….if business veterans are unable to make better profits nowadays so you expecting a graduate to make ends meet that simple in our country?

  49. Poor Govt Administration- No Wonder The Rise In Crime Cause The Youth Including Graduates Have Nothing To Do Keep Dem Busy. Imagine That Old Aged Pplo Don’t Want To Get The Retirement.

  55. Youth when you chose career you must think twice. It’s not about degree or diploma but you must be marketable and work at the end. If you take some careers is dirty but you work buy all cost eg technical careers in mechanical engineering there is alot of jobs in secret ways. I’m one of them I know. Take toolmaker, boilermaker, millwrights, fitting and turning,machanics jobs are there but you underestimate them. Military, factories,mine, escom, municipalities etc can’t work without them. Workup before It’s too late. Leave those political careers chose real thing and be ready to eat your own sweat

    2. Wise words indeed. I studied at university, never used the skills even 1 day of my life. Ended up in other jobs. Also I was told as a child, do languages and one day you can be a translator for the UN. Well today there is Google Translate and all you can get with languages is a call-centre job… university is useless in any case, it’s just 4 years of Marxists and God-haters brainwashing kids into godlessness and hedonism. You should rather learn a trade and earn your living by hard work!

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