NEWS:

11 Aug, 2015


Part of the participants at the 2015 National Conference Science and Technology for Agriculture Development
Civil Society Agriculture Network (CISANET) has urged government to bail out Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) from its current challenges.

CISANET made this call during a recent 2015 National Conference Science and Technology for Agriculture Development in Lilongwe.

In his speech CISANET Board Chair, Mr Rex Chapota said as a policy advocacy organisation working on agriculture and food security policy issues in Malawi, CISANET is concerned at the low funding and poor condition of infrastructures at LUANAR.

“This is the institution that is training future policy makers in the agriculture sector and it is disheartening to see the condition of the classrooms, laboratories, a tiny and poorly stocked library that we are using to train the future of this nation,” said Mr Chapota.

He said it is sad to note that over the few years some of the students are finding accommodation in the nearby villages.

“Honestly such conditions cannot produce the cream that this country needs to transform the sector, he said.

CISANET further asked the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development that he should be a champion for LUANAR that it gets the necessary support from the public coffers in order to produce graduates who will effectively contribute to the development of the agricultural sector.

“This call also goes to the private sector to support the institution we are proud of,” he said.

In a side-line interview, CISANET National Director asked government to allocate the proceeds of the sale of Malawi Savings Bank and INDE Bank to critical areas such as LUANAR whose impact will be felt in many years to come.

He said allocating the proceeds from the sale of the two banks to LUANAR will help promote advances in science and technology hence the country’s increased agricultural productivity.

CISANET call comes amid reports that the government has not yet decided on how to spend the 16.2 billion gathered from the sale of the commercial banks.

Written By: Patricia Nkhoma Ngwale