President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has been appointed as Patron of the Scouts Association of Malawi.

Speaking when he hosted a delegation of the Association in Lilongwe on Monday, Mutharika said his government has a number of initiatives planned for the youth as they are very instrumental in the development of this country.

“You may be aware that almost half of our population comprises the youth hence, we need to keep them at the heart of everything we are doing.

“Associations like yours need to align themselves to governments’ plans to ensure that we are speaking the same language to our youth,” said Mutharika.

He therefore requested the scouts association to include the three pillars of Patriotism, Integrity and Hard work in the teaching of the country’s youth.

Scout Association of Malawi Executive Director, Steve Kanene, said his organization aims at empowering young people to be self reliable.

“As noted, education is key to any development globally, so our association is working in line with its objective of empowering the youth,” said Kanene.

He pledged to continue working with the government since it has programs relevant to the youth.