By James Mphande

Exciting innovations lie ahead as the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) is chosen to be one of the 12 African universities to implement a 10-year project that targets young people. Refugees and internally displaced persons and differently abled people.

The Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDeV 2.0) project, is a partnership between Mastercard Foundation and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM),  

Apart from MUST, other implementing universities for the TAGDeV 2.0 project include National University of Agriculture (Benin); Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Botswana); University of Bamenda (Cameroon); Haramaya University (Ethiopia); University of Cape Coast (Ghana); Egerton University and University of Eldoret (Kenya); Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco); University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria); University of the Free State (South Africa); Gulu University, Makerere University and Uganda Martyrs University (Uganda); and Africa University (Zimbabwe) with the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA) offering technical advice.

The project’s main objective is to strengthen universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions to better serve communities by skilling and empowering Africa’s young people and their institutions to drive inclusive, equitable and climate resilient transformation of agriculture and agrifood systems.

The initiative started as TAGDev 1.0 project with Egerton and Gulu universities as implementers. 

TAGDev 2.0 will build on TAGDev 1.0 that had run for eight years since 2016. However, this time the project seeks to impact 820,000 young women.

TAGDev 2.0 aims to continue fostering an inclusive and supportive educational environment, enabling students from diverse backgrounds to contribute meaningfully to Africa’s growth and development.

With a focus on young women, refugees, displaced persons and differently-abled people across Africa, TAGDev 2.0 expects to reach out to 1.2 million beneficiaries in this more ambitious phase of the project, which runs until the end of 2033.

TAGDev 2.0 targets 300,000 refugees and displaced persons, and 120,000 persons with disabilities across Africa, critical groups that had not been deliberately targeted under TAGDev 1.0.

The project will also seek to update 1,600 courses across 80 academic programmes taught in African universities, besides incorporating an even wider consortium of partners, beneficiaries and implementing universities.

The implementing universities will host hundreds of students from marginalised segments of society under scholarships for postgraduate studies, to conduct research and transfer their research to farmers, while partnering with TVETs to domesticate technical knowledge.

Additionally, the project will offer the students skills in agri-business entrepreneurship, to enable them own and run a business successfully, ultimately creating jobs and promoting self-reliance.

RUFORUM and the Mastercard Foundation have signed the new 10-year funding deal for TAGDev 2.0 with RUFORUM mandated to oversee the project’s implementation.

Launching the TAGDev 2.0 project in Windhoek, Namibia, in August 2024, authorities encouraged African university leaders to show tolerance and understanding towards students participating in the project. 

Professor Anthony Eguru from RUFORUM said the initial project implementing universities showed flexibility in their admission processes, allowing students who might not have met the standard entry requirements to enrol.

“They recognised that these students had potential that was not fully reflected in their grades. Many of these students went on to excel in their studies, often graduating at the top of their classes,” he said.

“There were instances where difficult decisions had to be made, such as accommodating students who were pregnant at the time of enrolment. However, the choice was made to support these students, resulting in successful outcomes and timely graduations. The same spirit of understanding and support is now being encouraged among the universities joining TAGDev 2.0 project.”

TAGDeV 2.0 project lead at MUST, Dr Petros Chigwechokha, said the university was ready to implement the project, adding that a robust concept has already been approved to roll out the project in Malawi.

Apart from providing scholarships at BSc and MSc levels, MUST will be implementing TAGDev 2.0 project through two components namely “scholarships” and “fostering sustainable agri-food systems skills, entrepreneurship for wealth creation”. 

The main goal for the latter component, also known as ASEC, will be to improve livelihoods and food and income security through level one legume and grain-based industries and women and youth-driven rural innovative growth industries,” he said.

“In terms of impact areas, we are looking at skilling and empowerment, work and livelihood opportunities, and economic development. We have three work packages of skilling for work and wealth creation; entrepreneurship for innovation, jobs and wealth creation, and expanding work opportunities and wealth creation.”

Under the first work package, the outputs are working with eight TVET colleges and developing two new curricula, enrolling 4,000 TVET students, having 510 students acquiring new entrepreneurial skills, and 225 students trained via school factory model.

The second work package seeks to graduate 1,200 incubates, promote 100 SMEs, develop 1,200 prototypes, and commercialise 20 products.

The third work package seeks to train 70,000 farmers in seed systems, skill 1,680 families in seed storage, establish and capacitate four community seed banks, eight cooperatives, 16 farmer organisations and eight spin-off SMEs, create 21,250 jobs and plant 1.1 million trees.

Dr Chigwechokha also said MUST will incorporate Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Mzuzu University and University of Livingstonia in implementing the project in Malawi.