UNDP and UNOPS funding for eight local initiatives dedicated to the environment, clean energy and biodiversity, with a focus on emerging technologies

On 28 January 2025 in Lilongwe, the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Office for Services and Projects signed agreements to fund eight innovative initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable development and community resilience in Malawi.

The operation, part of the Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme (SGP), allocates over US$312.000 (approximately 547 million Malawian kwacha) to support concrete actions on climate, biodiversity, clean energy, and waste management. But what is the true impact of these interventions, and what do experts in the national innovation scene say?

A bridge between community and technological sustainability

UNDP Malawi's Portfolio Manager for Resilience and Sustainable Growth, Rabi Narayan Gaudo, stressed that the funding is not

“a simple transaction”,

but rather a demonstration of confidence in the innovative potential rooted in local communities.

These words evoke the bottom-up philosophy that has inspired SGP since 1992: empowering citizens to transform environmental challenges into opportunities for economic and social development.

At the same table, Dorothy Tembo Nhlema, Program Manager at the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust and Chair of the National Steering Committee, emphasized that the projects were selected from 93 proposals, a testament to the quality of Malawian innovation ecosystem. She also emphasized the need for ongoing monitoring and the active involvement of local authorities in guiding the solutions toward concrete results.

Bottom-up innovation: the eight funded projects

A brief overview of the selected initiatives shows the variety of sectors involved in the project:

• URRBAN (Lilongwe Wildlife Centre): promotes urban biodiversity and resilience
• Green Vision Environmental Organization (Rumphi): promotes natural reforestation and clean stoves
• Center for Conflict Management & Women Development (Blantyre): waste management training
• Kawjo Foundation (Nkhata Bay): sustainable fishing and green processing
• Tingathe Malawi (Lilongwe): production of ecobriquettes from agricultural waste
• Forest (Nkhata Bay): transformation of mountain areas
• Church & Society Program (Rumphi): participatory forest management
• Media & Technology Society (Nkhata Bay): completion of the mini hydroelectric power plant

These projects not only address environmental goals vital to Malawi's Vision 2063, but also integrate appropriate technologies: from community hydropower to improved home ovens, to the production of local biofuel.

AI, Climate, and Public Policy: Complementary Visions

The current state of innovation in the South-East African country, formerly a British protectorate under the name of Nyasaland until 6 July 1964, is also reflected in the recent publication of the “2025 Human Development Report”, themed “People and Possibilities in the Age of AI”, launched on 26 June in Lilongwe.

Here, the Ministry of Information and Digitalization and the United Nations Development Programme emphasized digital inclusion, transparent AI governance, and the importance of choices over technology.

Words like

“transparency on black box”

ed

“fairness over convenience”

The remarks made by Minister Moses Kunkuyu Kalongashawa highlight how the young nation is building a digital platform tailored to its needs. Similarly, Fenella Frost, representative of the UNDP, reiterated the urgency of a human-centric use of artificial intelligence to support agriculture, education, and social services.

The use of local technologies: hydroelectric, briquette, waste

Just one example: the Media and Technology Society is building a mini hydroelectric plant in Mchezi, which not only meets local energy needs but also creates a model that can be replicated elsewhere. The Tingathe Malawi project transforms agricultural waste into ecobriquettes, offering clean alternatives to firewood and combating deforestation and pollution.

The territorial approach is strengthened by international experiences such as SGP promotes: mobilizing women, indigenous people, and young people, and their communities to drive practical change.

Malawian experts outline guidelines for the future

Among the local innovators, stands out Rachel Sibande, founder of mHub, a technology hub and incubator in Lilongwe, and considered a pioneer of the Malawian tech ecosystem. Her work aims to create spaces where digital innovation meets real social needs, such as the use of AI in education and agriculture.

On the other hand, Gloria Majiga Kamoto, a Goldman Environmental Prize winner, leads environmental campaigns against plastic, demonstrating that effective policies and civic mobilization can accompany sustainable projects.

Finally, Lucy Mtilatila, Director of the Department of Meteorology and Climate Change, is promoting the installation of weather radar for more accurate local forecasts, a key tool for rural resilience and hydropower projects. In a statement released in June 2025, she reiterated this:

“Weather radar strengthens communities’ agricultural and energy decision-making capacity.”

Towards an innovative, international and resilient Malawi

The interaction between SGP, the global AI agenda, and local leaders creates a robust and evolving innovation fabric. Projects like URRBAN and the eco-briquettes initiative directly address environmental challenges, while institutional commitment to AI demonstrates a new technological maturity.

It is crucial, however, that the Malawian government, donors, and stakeholders maintain a focus on monitoring and scalability. The SGP and HDR recommendations focus on transparent governance, women's inclusion, and strengthening local capacity.

As Dorothy Tembo Nhlema points out, it is essential

“commit resources to monitor and ensure tangible results.”

Green tech and policymaking have been compared on several occasions.

The institutional dialogue is part of a broader framework: the Lilongwe Government has launched initiatives such as the Youth Innovation Summits, scheduled for early July 2025, and the Green Innovation & Circular Economy Program, which aims to reduce energy impact and promote the circular economy.

The combined effort between community pilot projects, AI cross-referencing, and weather radar creates synergies that showcase Malawi as an emerging model for an African innovation ecosystem.

From ideas to impact for a cohesive and modern Malawi

The funding of eight community projects is just the tip of the positive iceberg. It's a powerful message: the Malawi It aims to innovate from the bottom up, sustainably, inclusively, and technologically mature. If UNDP, UNOPS, ministries, and local pioneers continue to collaborate, the country could become a global example of how to connect the environment, digital, and human development.

As Dr. Mtilatila stated,

“Technologies such as radar and hydropower cooperate with climate adaptation, they do not replace it.”

And Sibande adds:

“It is local talent that transforms innovation into opportunity.”

Through vision, data, and appropriate technologies, Malawi is preparing for a new chapter: one in which collective choice transforms resilience into shared progress.

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