LUANAR Hosts Regional AgrGROW Project Dissemination Workshop
Posted: March 13, 2026 Posted By: Kondwani Kapaula
The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) hosted the Final AgrGROW Research Dissemination Workshop at its Bunda Campus in Lilongwe from 2 to 6 March 2026 under the theme “Climate-Smart Agropreneurship Education for Livelihood and Sustainability in Eastern and Southern Africa.”
The workshop brought together regional and international partners to reflect on the impact of the AgrGROW project, share research findings and discuss the future of climate-smart higher education in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The AgrGROW project, co-funded by the European Union, focuses on strengthening agropreneurship education through curriculum reform, lecturer capacity building and stronger collaboration between universities and industry. The consortium includes Häme University of Applied Sciences, Makerere University, Bugema University, Malawi University of Science and Technology, University of Copenhagen and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).
Speaking during the workshop, LUANAR Vice-Chancellor Emmanuel Kaunda emphasised the importance of sustaining partnerships beyond the lifespan of projects.
“While a project may come to an end, the partnership should never end. Many of the partners here are long-standing collaborators, and we appreciate the journey we have travelled together,” he said.
AgrGROW Project Coordinator Eija Laitinen said the project’s final evaluation showed that it had made timely and institutional contributions to strengthening higher education systems.
“The project has strengthened institutional strategies, trained experts and created capacity within universities to develop competence-based curricula and improve teaching methods,” she said.
The workshop also highlighted the practical impact of AgrGROW’s Problem-Based Learning approach. LUANAR students were recognised by the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation for their performance in the 2025 Stock Exchange Simulation Game, which was conducted in partnership with the Reserve Bank of Malawi and the Malawi Stock Exchange.
A total of 864 students in 164 groups participated in the simulation, each managing a virtual portfolio of €50,000 through a mobile trading platform. Some participants have since gone on to purchase real shares on the Malawi Stock Exchange.
The workshop concluded with discussions on scaling the project’s results and strengthening collaboration among universities to advance climate-smart agropreneurship education in the region.