Tag Archives: Rex Chapota

Health

Malawi’s youths urged to tap into innovative potential for national development

Maravi Post Reporter

By Jones Gadama

The Secretary for Youth and Sports, Isaac Katopola, has called on young Malawians to harness their innovative potential to tackle unemployment and drive national development.

Speaking at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum meeting in Lilongwe, Katopola emphasized that youths are crucial in shaping the country’s future.

He highlighted that innovation can help create jobs and adopt technology, aligning with the Malawi 2063 blueprint.

The ECOSOC Youth Forum meeting, held under the theme “Inclusive Youth Economic Empowerment: Leveraging Science, Technology, and Innovation in Malawi,” provided a platform for young people to share their ideas and perspectives on how to drive economic growth and development in the country.

The event brought together key stakeholders, including Rex Chapota, Executive Director of the National Youth Council of Malawi, who praised President Lazarus Chakwera’s youth-inclusive administration.

Chapota specifically commended the president’s implementation of the Youth Innovative Fund, assuring that the youth will embrace innovative ideas to support the administration.

This initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to empowering young Malawians and leveraging their potential for national development.

Malawi’s youthful population, with over 80% aged below 35 years, presents a significant opportunity for economic growth and transformation. However, young people often face barriers that hinder their development and contribution to the country’s progress.

To address this, the government, in collaboration with development partners, has launched initiatives aimed at promoting youth entrepreneurship and innovation.

Some notable initiatives include the Zantchito Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance Project, the Jobs for Youth (J4Y) Project, and the University Innovation Pod (UniPod).

These initiatives aim to economically empower young women and men, provide opportunities for entrepreneurship and skills development, and nurture talent to drive national development.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh, emphasized the importance of engaging young people in development planning and leveraging their energy and idealism to inspire creativity and innovation.

The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024-2028 prioritizes young people, ensuring that policies and investments in education, skills development, decent jobs, entrepreneurship, and health directly address their needs.

As Malawi strives to achieve its development aspirations outlined in the Malawi 2063 Vision, the role of young people cannot be overstated.

By harnessing their innovative potential and providing support through initiatives like the Youth Innovative Fund, the country can unlock its economic potential and improve the lives of its citizens.

The call to action by Secretary Katopola serves as a reminder of the critical role young Malawians play in shaping the country’s future.

By leveraging science, technology, and innovation, Malawi can unlock its economic potential and achieve its development goals.

As the country moves forward, it is essential to prioritize youth empowerment and provide support for initiatives that promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic growth.

Malawi

LUANAR asked to embrace media to disseminate innovations that address food security

Ausborn Banda

luanar

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The benefits of the innovations of the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), that address food security, are not of direct benefiting to local farmers in the country.

The University’s research findings and innovations are mostly left in the institution’s shelves, drawers, and libraries, instead of filtering down to the farmers who can use them for increasing yields in various agricultural products.

This observation was made on Wednesday during a panel discussion the University held with the media, farmers, and national science organizations, at its campus in the capital Lilongwe, the theme of the panel discussion centered on the challenges of communicating research findings.

In the discussion, panelists lauded LUANAR for standing tall in producing research findings and establishing various innovations that would potentially be beneficial to change Malawi’s agricultural systems. This is because agriculture is the backbone of Malawi’s economy.

But despite the innovations and numerous research findings, the drawback remains the University’s failure to publish the findings and or pass on informations on the innovations to end users that include farmers, companies, and individuals for production improvement.

USAID funding channeled through the New Alliance Policy Acceleration Support (NAPAS) Malawi Project, provided University the opportunity to host the week-long panel discussion that was part of a long-week media training that started on Monday in the capital city.

The Executive Director of Farm Radio Trust (FRT) Rex Chapota, observed that most of the University’s research findings, and innovations are not benefiting the nation to improve agricultural systems.

Chapota said most lecturers and students work at public universities, are using these for personal income, development, to pass examinations or attain academic accolades.

He added that if such innovations are left on the University’s shelves, then the country will remain poor in agriculture standards.

“It’s high time our public universities translate what they find in their research to transform the nation. LUANAR for instance, has been producing various innovations to improve agricultural production. But this has not been put to local use.

“We want research findings, innovations, technologies to be put in the language a common farmer can tap the knowledge and put into use for increasing their yields,” Chapota urged.

Echoing the same, Ida Kazembe, a Malawi News Agency (is MANA) journalist, observed that the University was not open enough with the media on various innovations.

Kazembe urged LUANAR to embrace the media in the publishing their research findings or technologies do that they inform the public who the end users; this can lead to total national transformation.

“We don’t want always to be invited during graduation; opening of facilities events, but rather engage us in the innovations that are beneficial to the public. We have the capacity to reach to masses for life improvement,” Kazembe said.

LUANAR’s representative, Dr. Limbikani Matumba, acknowledged the gap that exists between the media with the institutions on dissemination of their research findings, technologies, and innovations to public.

Dr. Matumba assured the media of a total restructuring on the University’s communication strategies so that various LUANAR initiatives are introduced into the society to improve people’s lives.

Bunda College of Agriculture delinked from the University of Malawi (UNIMA) in 2011, co-joined the Natural Resources College (NRC) to form LUANAR.

Since LUANAR separated from UNIMA, there has been significant development at the University, with its financial muscle coupled with outstanding infrastructures is sustaining the institution.