Professor Kaunda made the remarks on Monday at Bunda Campus in Lilongwe during the official opening of the 2025 Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) Consortium Meeting, jointly hosted by LUANAR and Michigan State University (MSU), USA.

The three-day meeting, which brought together academic leaders, researchers, and policymakers from across Africa and the United States, aimed to strengthen partnerships in research, education, and innovation.

“We must move beyond research that stays on shelves or in laboratories,” Professor Kaunda said. “If Malawi and Africa are to transform, our knowledge must be relevant and serve communities. Innovation must begin with the real challenges people face.”

He further emphasised the importance of collaboration over competition, noting that Africa’s future depends on shared efforts to solve pressing development issues.

Michigan State University’s Vice-Provost for International Studies and Programmes, Dr. Titus Awokuse, noted that AAP was established to build capacity in African universities but has since expanded to support research in areas such as food systems and farmer productivity.

Also speaking at the event, University of Botswana Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Norris, expressed concern that most research conducted on the continent does not reach end users. “Sixty percent of research findings never reach farmers,” he said. “That’s a serious loss of valuable knowledge and resources.”

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Higher Education, Dr. Levis Eneya, described the meeting as a vital platform for aligning academic work with national and continental development goals. “Development without research is development without direction,” he warned.

Running from 8th to 11th June 2025, the AAP Consortium Meeting is expected to set a renewed strategic direction for African-led research, with a focus on relevance, sustainability, and measurable impact.