Malawi has called for stronger collaboration to build resilient social enterprises and SMEs capable of creating jobs, improving livelihoods and driving inclusive and sustainable community development.
The call came during the inaugural Sisters Blended Value Project (SBVP) Annual Malawi Social Entrepreneurship and SMEs Conference and Expo at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe on August 6.
Held under the theme ‘Sustaining Impact in Social Enterprises and SMEs: Building Resilience in Finance and Market Readiness’, the conference was attended by 195 delegates.
Opening the conference, Strathmore University Pro-Chancellor Rev. Fr. Silvano Ochuodho said the theme reflected the urgent need to rethink how African enterprises operate in a rapidly changing environment.
“Good intentions alone are not enough. We need to create an enabling environment,” said Ochuodho.
He said African SMEs and social enterprises are central to the continent’s economic future but require stronger ecosystems connecting them to financing, markets, technology and mentorship.
“Building this ecosystem requires cross-sector collaboration,” he said, calling on governments, financial institutions, faith-based organisations, academia and the private sector to work together to unlock opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Using the image of a baobab tree, Ochuodho urged participants to build resilience before crises emerge.
“Store water in the good season, survive the dry one without collapsing, and let the fruit feed more than yourself,” he illustrated.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Defence Feston Kaupa said social enterprises demonstrate that financial sustainability and social impact can work together.
“Social enterprises demonstrate that business success and social impact are not competing goals but complementary objectives,” said Kaupa.
He also recognised the longstanding contribution of Catholic Sisters and faith-based organisations to education, healthcare, agriculture, social protection and humanitarian services, particularly among vulnerable communities.
The conference, which was also attended by the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops chairperson Rt. Rev Martin Mtumbuka, featured discussions on digital innovation, climate-smart enterprise models and financing for growth, alongside networking and exhibition opportunities.
It also marked SBVP’s expansion into Malawi, joining its regional network in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.
Implemented by Strathmore University Business School in collaboration with the Association of Consecrated Women in Eastern and Central Africa and supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, SBVP seeks to strengthen the leadership, business and governance capacities of Catholic Sisters and transform traditional ministries into sustainable social enterprises.
SBVP principal investigator Angela Ndunge stressed the importance of moving beyond immediate assistance towards sustainable community empowerment.
“We are not only giving people bread, we are also helping them to look after themselves,” she said. – ANGELA NDUNGE, ANNE W. NJOROGE and ALEX OKOTH Contributors
