Minister of Labour, Honourable Peter Dimba, has urged stakeholders in the TEVET sector to increase student enrolment in technical colleges to tackle Malawi’s unemployment crisis and accelerate skills-based national development.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2025 National TEVET Conference in Lilongwe, Dimba expressed concern that only 7,500 students are admitted annually to technical colleges, a figure he deemed insufficient for the country’s population of 20 million.
“These numbers are alarming,” Dimba said. “With 7,500 students enrolled in technical colleges, we should be aiming for at least 100,000 enrolments. Our youth unemployment rate stands at 19%, and overall national unemployment is at 40%. This highlights the urgent need for action from all players in the TEVET sector.”
The Minister emphasised that the conference’s discussions must transition into concrete actions, involving government, TEVET institutions, the private sector, development partners, and non-governmental organisations.
He reaffirmed his Ministry’s commitment to providing policy direction, fostering collaboration, and creating an enabling environment for a thriving TEVET system in Malawi. “The momentum built at this conference will empower us to develop the skills needed for a prosperous Malawi,” Dimba added.
The 2025 National TEVET Conference, held from March 27-28, was officially opened by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, who called on all Malawians to embrace TEVET as a key pillar for achieving the Malawi 2063 vision.
During the opening ceremony of the Conference, President Chakwera presented awards for outstanding TEVET achievements, including to Christopher Chikaoneka, a Brick laying TEVET graduate with disability from Salima Technical College for defying all odds to pursue training, Illovo Malawi for its dedication to TEVET and the general welfare of apprentices and Karonga District Hospital as the most improved organisation in public sector under the Productivity Programme.
The event attracted over 500 participants and included presentations by European Union (EU) Programme Manager for Education and TEVET, Donatella Gobbi, and the EU funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Technical Assistance Project Team Leader, Ahmed El-Ashmawi, on the importance of a responsive TEVET ecosystem to the sustainable national development.
The two-day 2025 National TEVET Conference was a platform to evaluate the current TEVET landscape in Malawi, share best practices, identify and address key challenges in the sector and deepen stakeholder collaboration. It was held under the theme ‘Enhancing skills development for economic transformation towards Malawi 2063’.
