Malawi’s youthful innovators have declared their preparedness to introduce youth-led innovations aimed at solving real-world challenges in various sectors.
The youth said this on Thursday at Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) in Thyolo during the Youth Innovation Exchange Programme jointly organised by European Union (EU), UN Women, development partners and the private sector.
Speaking during the event, Must Vice-Chancellor Professor Address Malata said the platform provides an opportunity for young innovators to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity in science and technology.
She said: “The idea is to give young people a platform to showcase their innovations whether it is health applications, engineering projects or climate-focused technologies.
“We are particularly proud that the majority of innovations came from Must students, including award-winning solutions from our Drone and Data Academy.”
Malata highlighted that while innovations at Must have flourished, access to funding for prototype development and mass production remains a major challenge.
She said: “For the past 10 years, we have seen countless brilliant innovations. However, many end at the prototype stage because students lack financial support to polish their products.
“We are pleased that the EU has indicated resources will be made available for promising projects and we plan to channel these through our Innovation Garage and Design Studio.”
Malata urged the government and private sector to establish a sustainable innovation fund to support young innovators beyond university walls.
EU head of cooperation George Dura reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship among the country’s youths.
“We have been long-standing partners in Malawi’s education sector and beyond education, our programmes such as Zanchito for Skills focuses on building skills, promoting entrepreneurship and supporting business development through incubation, seed capital and policy reform,” he said.
Dura said the EU promotes inclusivity and gender equity through initiatives that empower women entrepreneurs, ensuring youth engagement.
Ministry of Youth and Sports principal youth officer Baldwin Mkumbadzala said government is creating an enabling policy environment for innovation by prioritising science, technology and innovation.
“Our role is to ensure a conducive environment where youth innovations can thrive.We provide training, grants and platforms such as expos and national summits where young innovators are recognised and supported,” he said.
Mkumbadzala encouraged Malawian youths to take advantage of existing opportunities to apply for grants.
One of the young innovators, Omega Misomali, a third-year student in business and information technology at Must, showcased his innovation AgriSmart, a digital platform designed to empower farmers with real-time information on weather patterns, market prices and modern farming techniques.
“Most Malawian farmers lack access to reliable information on weather and crop prices,” he said.
