Chilima urges Malawi universities to expand on delivery: ‘Borrow a leaf from Luanar on self-sustenance’

Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima has asked public universities and other institutions of higher learning to borrow a leaf from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), which is working hard to broaden its sources of income.

Chilima reiterated that the government’s resource envelope is quite tiny; hence, the need for the public universities to start identifying their own income generating avenues.

He was speaking  after touring Luanar – Bunda Campus – on Tuesday – where he toured the construction of lecture rooms, administration block and a business centre.

The Malawi Government is financing the construction of the lecture room while Norway is providing assistance towards the construction of a modern administration block.

On the other hand, the university is constructing a multipurpose hall and a business centre using its own generated resources.

Chilima disclosed that the government needs to source over K3 trillion to complete the 335 projects carried over from the previous administrations.

He said financing is the major challenge facing the implementation of various development projects across the country.

“And we understand where that is coming from and also that is exactly the reason we would like to visit these sites. This is December, so, the next budget starts in July 2021, which means in the next six months, there must be a budget that is going to speak to the development aspirations between 2021 and 2022. Now, if we going to go in there and put financial resources to support completion of the structure, you must have a clear picture,” he said.

While expressing satisfaction with the quality of workmanship on the Bunda Campus project, Chilima expressed concern with the pace at which the project is going before its completion.

“This project started in 2014, but six years down the line, we are at 90 percent towards completion. Now, this is just one of the 335 government projects we have in this country and if we don’t release adequate resources to them, then we have a long way to go before the Tonse administration can start initiating its own because we also have ours,” he said.

Chilima, in his capacity as the Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms, has embarked on a tour of all government-financed projects appreciate the progress and the challenges various institutions are facing.

The Vice President  has since encouraged other institutions of higher learning to emulate LUANAR, which he said is working hard to broaden its sources of income.

On his part,  Vice Chancellor Professor George Kanyama Phiri commended the Vice President for the visit, saying it availed them an opportunity to bring their problems to attention of the presidency.

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