Emerging Public Leader of Malawi Training Orientation for the First Cohort of Fellows in the Public Service Fellowship Program

Lilongwe, Malawi - It was an eagerly anticipated beginning for the 34 fellows of the inaugural Public Service Fellows program in Malawi as they attended the official opening of their orientation training on Monday, October 14, 2024, at the Malawi School of Government’s Kanengo Campus.

Emerging Public Leaders in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation together with partners from the Civil Service Commission, Department of the Human Resources, Management, and Development, Malawi School of Government, and representatives from the Presidents Young Professionals Program in Liberia and various Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organizations in Malawi gathered to begin the week-long orientation training of the first cohort, organized by Emerging Public Leaders of Malawi (EPL Malawi).

Nineteen (19) women and fifteen (15) men constitute EPL Malawi’s first cohort. Each fellow completed our meritocratic application and interview process in early 2024. The young professionals are recent university graduates with various educational backgrounds from all 28 districts of Malawi to pursue careers as civil servants.

On the first day of the orientation training, the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission of Malawi and Board Chair of EPL Malawi, Arthur Chibwana spoke to the new fellows and guests about the needs of Malawi’s workforce to be educated, skilled, healthy, and economically engaged.

“The Public Service Fellowship Program is one of initiatives which will contribute to harnessing the country’s demographic dividend. It is one of the mechanisms for upskilling and economically engaging the youth to contribute to the economic development of our country,” said Chibwana.

The Principal Secretary for Human Resource Management Ian Chingwalu assured the fellows in his remarks that the Government of Malawi is committed to supporting the program. He then called on the fellows to embody excellence, hard work, resilience, and be goal-oriented in their work to steer their professional growth.

Linda Harawa, EPL Malawi’s country director noted, “Emerging Public Leaders' drive to empower the next generation of civil service professionals emanates from the organization's resolve to have; a cadre of transformative and ethical, young leaders in public service, effective service delivery, improved transparency and accountability practice within the public service and increased opportunities for youth empowerment and youth employment.”

Other notable guests at the orientation opening included: Professor Asiyati Lorraine Chiweza, director-general at the Malawi School of Government; Richard Okai, director of programs and learning at EPL; Sadia Stubblefield, deputy director for programs at the President’s Young Professionals Program (PYPP) and Dickens Thunde, senior NGO executive and EPL Malawi board member. They all encouraged the fellows to utilize this unique opportunity to grow their technical and soft skills to excel in public service.

Our flagship, public service fellowship program is a responsive year-long program centered on technical skills training, mentorship, community service projects, performance management, and professional development engagements to strengthen the capacity of young public servants. To date, over 400 emerging leaders in Liberia, Ghana, and Kenya have completed the program and gone on to impact public policy, gain appointments to leadership positions within government and civil service organizations, and drive change in their communities.

EPL Malawi’s five-day orientation training introduced fellows to key modules and topics on Emerging Public Leaders’ history and programmatic partners in Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, and new prospecting countries. The fellows also received a comprehensive overview of the Malawi 2063, Malawi public service regulations, professionalism, and ethical conduct, supervisory skills, problem-solving and decision-making, and effective communication and leadership.

On day three of the orientation, the new cohort received their first technical training on government correspondence and reporting writing facilitated by Jane Kambalame.

EPL Malawi’s provisional curriculum covers modules on professionalism and ethical conduct, personal branding, business and social etiquette, public service delivery, Malawi development planning, digital communications, self-management, and more in response to the noted needs of fellows, supervisors, and mentors throughout the program. The training in coordination with the mentorships and performance management is critical to our flagship program and will enable them to thrive in the different ministries, departments, and agencies within the public sector of Malawi.

“These topics were carefully selected to align with the country’s national development vision and the country’s and organization's strategic direction,” said Richard Okai, director of programs and learning for EPL.

The 34 new fellows in Malawi will continue to meet quarterly for responsive training in Lilongwe.

Fellows will be placed in entry-level positions at various ministries, departments, and agencies in the public service of Malawi. In these roles, the fellows will apply learnings from their training and work with colleagues and supervisors to understand the inner workings of public service delivery. As the next generation of decision-makers and ethical leaders, our fellows bridge a crucial intergenerational divide in public policy development to innovate public service delivery.

Placement of the first cohort was announced during the orientation training. EPL Malawi in partnership with the Government of Malawi anticipates hosting a formal launch of the program.

As the journey begins for the inaugural cohort in Malawi, we are encouraged by the continued support of our partners to build on the 15 years of success of the President’s Young Professionals Program, our program’s foundational model, and the concurring success of our flagship program in Ghana and Kenya. Our program is strengthened and sustained by these many partnerships and consortia of change-makers whose mission is to pave pathways for youth leadership to build their capacity - practicing and promoting good governance to ensure an equitable future for all of Africa.

About Emerging Public Leaders

Emerging Public Leaders is a public service leadership organization preparing the next generation of competent and effective public sector leaders in Africa. EPL partners with governments and local organizations to rigorously identify young public service professionals who are committed to practicing and promoting good governance throughout Africa. With our support throughout their career journeys, this diverse network of leaders influences and strengthens their country’s institutions for delivering democracy with excellence, care, innovation, and integrity.

For more information about Emerging Public Leaders, please visit: www.emergingpublicleaders.org.