LUANAR Triumphs in ‘Shifting the Power’ Debate as Students Challenge Foreign-Aid Dependency

The Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) has emerged victorious in this year’s Shifting the Power Inter-University Debates, a high-stakes intellectual contest designed to confront one of Malawi’s most sensitive questions: Who should control the country’s development agenda?

Organized by the Tilitonse Foundation in partnership with Media Institute of Southern Africa Malawi (MISA Malawi), the debates are part of a wider campaign pushing for development models that are driven by local ideas, local resources and local leadership rather than donor dependency.

At the packed grand finale, Minister of Education Bright Msaka said the debate was more than an academic contest—it was a platform where Malawi’s future leaders are challenging long-standing power structures in development aid and governance.

“Tonight is not simply about debating skills,” Msaka said. “It is about interrogating the power dynamics that have shaped development aid, philanthropy and governance. What we are witnessing is the birth of ideas, the sharpening of civic consciousness and the rise of a generation determined to re-imagine socio-economic development on its own terms.”

He said the discussions align with the country’s long-term national vision, Malawi 2063, which seeks to transform Malawi into “an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation.”

According to Msaka, the vision places young people at the centre of national transformation, noting that more than 60 percent of Malawi’s population is youth.

“These students are not only practicing critical thinking,” he said. “They are shaping the Malawi we want—a country built on dignity, agency and self-reliance.”

The debates also resonate with the vision’s focus on Human Capital Development, which prioritizes education, skills development, science, technology and innovation, as well as the crucial pillar of mindset change—a shift from dependence to self-driven development.

Executive Director of the Tilitonse Foundation, Robert White, said the initiative was deliberately designed to bring difficult conversations about development into university spaces where young minds can challenge old assumptions.

“For too long, development conversations have been dominated by external actors,” White said. “We wanted to bring these discussions to universities so that young people begin to understand the global development system and develop ideas that shape how Malawi should pursue its own development.”

He said the core philosophy behind the ‘Shifting the Power’ initiative is to promote development that is grounded in local leadership, local assets, local resources and local knowledge.

“This debate has created a space where young people can imagine the future they want and articulate how development should work for Malawi,” he added.

LUANAR Vice-Chancellor Emmanuel Kaunda praised his students for demonstrating intellectual courage and analytical depth in tackling complex development issues.

To celebrate the victory, the university announced a K400,000 cash award for each member of the winning debate team.

The debate series has increasingly become a breeding ground for future policymakers, activists and development thinkers, challenging Malawi’s next generation to rethink how the country engages with aid, governance and economic transformation.

And this year, LUANAR’s victory sends a clear message: the debate over who holds the power in Malawi’s development is only just beginning.

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