By Chisomo Phiri
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-President Lazarus Chakwera says there is a need to scale up farming through economizing and industrializing the agricultural sector as it is a key to the advancement of Malawi’s economic status.
Chakwera was speaking on Friday, May 6, 2022 when he presided over the official opening of Administration Building and Teaching facility at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Bunda Campus in Lilongwe.
He said that having LUANAR Administration Building and Teaching facility is a constitutional right of all Malawians rather than the achievement of politicians.
Chakwera attributed the country’s sluggish development to infrastructures that take years to complete.
“I am glad that LUANAR has fast reclaimed its glory as the centre of academic and research excellence. It is therefore, not surprising that the university has an enrollment catchment area from as far as Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe,” said Chakwera.
He said the new facilities will reinforce the University’s ambition to be a leader in transforming the county’s agriculture sector into an industry that will spur meaningful development for Malawians in line with the county’s long-term agenda, Malawi Vision 2063.
In her remarks, Minister of Education Agnes Nyalonje disclosed that currently, there are arrangements for the construction of a 4,000 bed capacity hostel at the University which are yet to be finalized.
Among other things, the teaching complex is a two-storey building comprising two new lecture theatres that can accommodate 410 students at a time, unlike in the past when the smaller lecture theatre could only take up to 120 students only.
The administration block is a four-storey building, which comprises office space and boardroom facilities.
