Agriculture employs four in every five people in Malawi, but the country faces chronic food insecurity due to overreliance on erratic rains amid climate change.
Innovator-turned-entrepreneur Alinafe Kaliwo says irrigation is the way to go, but hardworking farmers cannot yield enough unless the tools help them overcome the changing climate.
The founding chief executive officer of Mechro Limited is among the top 10 finalists in the fourth African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Innovation Challenge.
The feat comes in recognition of his pioneering smart farming technologies called Chameleon Tools.
The African Union agency organises the challenge with support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Huawei Technologies and Strathmore University’s @iLabAfrica to celebrate African-led digital solutions that address the prevailing challenges on the continent.
Kaliwo’s Chameleon Tools is a suite of smart irrigation technologies developed to help smallholder farmers in Malawi make informed decisions about when and how to water their crops as the rainy season becomes shorter and unpredictable.
“The tools, already in use across several farming communities, offer real-time soil moisture readings through colour-coded cards and low-cost sensors,” he says.
Kaliwo has developed Chameleon AI, a platform powered by artificial intelligence which processes field data and deliver predictive insights, irrigation recommendations and crop management advice directly to farmers. It seeks to empower farmers to adapt to climate variability, improve yields and reduce input wastage.
Kaliwo says the international recognition of Chameleon Tools is an opportunity to place local solutions at the centre of Africa’s digital transformation.
“This is a milestone for Malawian innovation,” he says. “This award is not just about technology. It’s about the lives of smallholder farmers who struggle daily with uncertain rainfall and limited advisory services.”
Through innovations like Chameleon Tools and AI, the innovator feels inspired to build practical, accessible solutions that enhance productivity, resilience and income for rural farmers, the majority of the country’s population.
Irrigation is at the centre of the country’s push to beat chronic hunger and climate shocks.
This is part of the national race to improve agricultural productivity and commercialisation in line with the Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term strategy to transform the country into an upper middle-income, self-reliant economy.
Kaliwo envisions the innovation directly supporting national efforts toward food security, climate adaptation and inclusive growth.
While the ATU challenge celebrates African innovators, he underscored the need for increased local investment, policy support and institutional partnerships to scale up life-changing solutions nationwide.
States Kaliwo: “Government ministries, development partners and the private sector must come together to invest in and mainstream locally developed technologies.
“We have the talent and we’re solving real problems. What we need is support to reach more farmers and deepen our impact.”
He added that integrating digital innovations into national agriculture and ICT programmes could accelerate poverty reduction and help Malawi build a more resilient and modern economy.
The National Agriculture Policy adopted last year promotes the adoption of irrigation innovations, including investment in digital infrastructure and technologies for efficient water use.
Innovation as a Development Tool
ATU launched the challenge in 2020.
The technologies in this year’s top 10 were selected based on their creativity, scalability, impact and alignment with Africa’s digital transformation agenda.
As Mechro Limited markets itself as a leader in climate-smart agricultural solutions, Kaliwo’s feat personifies homegrown innovations’ power to uplift communities and boost national development.
The young innovators from Tanzania, Nigeria, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Kenya were feted as winners of the fourth ATU Africa Innovation Challenge, a high-profile competition spotlighting AI-driven solutions to Africa’s most pressing challenges.
“These AI-powered innovations are tackling Africa’s toughest problems head-on,” observed ATU secretary general John Omo. “They’re a testament to what’s possible when talent meets opportunity.”
Sherry Zhang, Huawei’s director of ICT Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, urged stakeholders across the continent to prioritise connectivity, cloud infrastructure and skills training to supercharge local innovation ecosystems and maximise benefits of AI’s potential to reshape the continent.
“These innovators are already solving real-world challenges with AI, and we’re thrilled to support their journey,” she said.
