Staff members from three Malawi-based Africa Centers of Excellence are this week attending a regional communication training workshop taking place from 2nd to 6th June 2025 at the Sarova Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop is organized by the Regional Facilitation Unit of the Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and brings together communications focal points from various World Bank-funded ACEs across Eastern and Southern Africa.

Participants from Malawi include Dr. Frank Tchuwa, Mr. Mark Malata, and Mr. Daniso Mkweu from the Africa Center of Excellence in Agricultural Policy Analysis (APA); Dr. Grivin Chipula, Dr. Felix Maulidi, and Mr. Precious Maunde from the Africa Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agriculture Commercialisation (TACE); and Mr. Kondwani Kapaula from the Africa Center of Excellence in Aquaculture and Fisheries Science (AQUAFISH).

The training is focused on strengthening institutional communication strategies, reviewing the progress of each centre’s outreach efforts, and refining approaches to highlight national-level achievements during the final six months of the ACE Impact project. Participants are also learning how to create compelling, media-ready stories that reflect the impact of their research and innovation efforts.

“This workshop is timely and relevant as we prepare to showcase our results to both national stakeholders and international partners,” said Dr. Grivin Chipula of TACE. “We’re gaining new insights on how to position our research work in a way that resonates beyond academia.”

Dr. Frank Tchuwa of APA emphasized the importance of media engagement, saying, “Effective communication is no longer optional. Our ability to influence policy and development outcomes depends on how well we share our results with the public and decision-makers.”

The ACEs hosted in Malawi APA, TACE, and AQUAFISH are all part of the World Bank-funded Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence project, implemented through the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). Through initiatives like this workshop, the centres aim to improve visibility, impact, and partnerships across the region.