BY LYDIA BANDA
The launch of Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) University Innovation Pod (UniPod) at the university’s campus in Blantyre is expected to improve livelihood among youthful innovators and entrepreneurs.
This has come at a time when the country is producing innovators in various fields.
The aim is to provide essential support to youthful innovators by providing them with infrastructure that caters to inovation, experimentation, and small-scale manufacturing.
Speaking during the launch of the Unipod, President Lazarus Chakwera commended UPDP for supporting the move, saying that is how a tertiary education is supposed to be.
“The innovation has the potential to create independence and foster economic growth as ideas will now be turned to reality,” said the President.
Speaking at the same ceremony UNDP Assistant Secretary General and Africa Regional Director Ahunna Eziakonwa stressed on the need for inclusive education as it is crucial in ending poverty in the country.
“African Nations are in poverty due to exclusion of some essential stakeholders in the development of the country. We are, therefore, committed to supporting innovators that will turn around the face of African countries,” she said.
Unipod is a $2 million worth United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) state-of-the-art national innovation facility for young people to harness their entrepreneurship skills for economic development.
MUBAS Vice-Chancellor Associate Professor Nancy Chilora said the facility will help nurture local talent that will be exported.
“The facility is open to people from all walks of life, university students and innovators from all walks of life. Innovators will get expert advice where ideas will be refined”, she explained.
According to Chilora, the launch has potential to offer solutions to the country’s challenges and the world at large.
“Our innovators used to send their innovations to China for perfecting but this will now be done locally,” he said.
The cutting-edge facility is a product of a partnership between MUBAS and UNDP Malawi, who provided both technical expertise and financial support to establish a University Innovation Pod (UniPod) in Malawi.
Unipod is a $2 million worth project which is equivalent to K3.37 billion
