UNDP commits support to Malawi

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reaffirmed its commitment to support Malawi in various aspects including elections and youth empowerment.

UNDP assistant secretary-general and regional director for Africa Ahunna Eziakomwa expressed her commitment during her three-day visit in Malawi that included meeting President Lazarus Chakwera at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.

After the meeting, Eziakomwa told journalists after the meeting that Malawi that Malawi has been a peaceful country attracting the world to admire its democratic transitions that now need to be linked to development for the voters to enjoy the outcomes.

She said: “I thought it was important to tell the President that the world is watching Malawi and learning at a time democracy is in crisis, but we really needed to make sure we are bridging the democratic dispensation with development.”

“We talked about the need to accelerate development outcomes so that Malawians who go to the polls to exercise their urgency feel the impact of democracy on their livelihood.”

She added that UNDP had already committed $10 million (about K17 billion) to the election basket, and that the donor community has been “quite generous”.

Later, the President and Eziakomwa proceeded to Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (Mubas) to launch the University Innovation Pod (Unipod) funded by UNDP Malawi.

The facility is a $2 million (K1.4 billion) state-of-the-art national innovation centre for young people to harness their entrepreneurship skills for economic development.

Chakwera said the Unipod is an example of the future investment into tertiary education.

“Moving forward, we need to be coming up with modern facilities. I need to thank the UNDP for assisting us with $2 million to build this building,” Chakwera said.

Eziakomwa said the Unipod has the potential to lift young Malawians and enable them to excel.