Malawi student Kawonga wins K67.5m fellowship

Malawian PhD student at the University of Kentucky, Bettie Sindi Kawonga, 30 was on Thursday October 16 – World Food Day – formally honoured as  one of the four young entrepreneurs under the age of 40 as recipients of the $150 000 (about K67.5 million) fellowships to launch innovative social enterprise projects addressing hunger and poverty in Africa.

Kawonga was named on Wednesday as winner of the award together with Liberian Mahmud Johnson, Lilian Uwintwali from Rwanda and Emiliano Mroue from Sierra Leone at the World Food Prize international symposium organised the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), and the World Food Prize Foundation.

Kawonga (Right) wins K67,5m fellowship
Kawonga (Right) wins K67,5m fellowship

The ceremony was held at World Food Prize international symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

Kawonga, a lecturer in dairy science and technology at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), said she will use her 40 Chances Award to establish a network of community business incubation centres, which will enable underemployed Malawian youth to become successful entrepreneurs in the dairy sector.

The Community Business Incubation Centers will equip youth with leadership and technical skills in dairy husbandry and value addition, agribusiness management, loans and savings, and business proposal writing. Youth will be matched with business mentors and provided with start-up funds from an endowment to be created using a portion of the 40 Chances award money.

“The project aims at tapping into the current ‘sleeping giant’ of Malawi – the youth – who make up over 60% of the Malawian population but most of whom are either not employed or are un-employable due to lack of technical skills,” she said.

In his statement, Howard W. Buffett, trustee of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and co-author of 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, hailed the recipients, saying they have demonstrated that a single individual has potential to change the world.

“We are proud to partner with the World Food Prize Foundation and The Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative in recognizing these four extraordinary people. Each of the 40 Chances Fellows is living proof that a single individual has the potential to change the world, and we anticipate that their work will serve as a model for others hoping to do the same,” he said.

An extremely impressive array of leaders served as judges for this fellowship. They were Dr. Pedro Sanchez – World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Ruth Oniang’o – Chair of the Board, Sasakawa Africa Association, Dr. Daniel Karanja – Executive Director, Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, David Strelneck – Senior Advisor, Ashoka and Ms. Rachael Wilson – Staff member, World Food Programme Malawi.

Motivated by the conviction that investing in youth is essential to securing a positive future for Malawi, Kawonga has worked in the country to encourage entrepreneurship in the dairy industry.

Fact File

  • Kawonga  graduated from the University of Malawi (Bunda Collage of Agriculture) with BSc and MSc in Animal Science.
  • She worked in the Ministry of Agriculture as an Extension Officer before joining the University of Malawi as a Lecturer.
  • She is now pursuing a PhD
  • Her goal is to contribute to the development of Dairy Industry in Malawi through teaching, research and consultancy.

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Chengolopiyo
Chengolopiyo
9 years ago

@ 7.1 cheating at Nkhatabay Secondary School, oh yea? Check Nkhatabay secondary school is full of southerners and this causes cheating. True northerners do not cheat, kape iwe

Kachepandiko
Kachepandiko
9 years ago

Congrats Bettie my former schoolmate. St Michaels woye!!

carold kamphambale
carold kamphambale
9 years ago

akanapeleka kwa mulli brothers ngati iyeyo ndiye amadziwa kumanga thoyazi mxiewwww

VYOTO
VYOTO
9 years ago

IF IT WAS PETER MUTHALIKA CHOOSING THE WHO TO BE AMONGST THIS YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS AWARD, OBVIOUSLY THE BENEFICIARY COULD HAVE COME FROM EITHER THYOLO, MULANJE, PHALOMBE OR CHIRADZULU.KAONGA COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ON THE LIST JUST BECAUASE SHE COMES FROM CHITIPA

mopia
mopia
9 years ago

iWE 32 NDI NSO YAYI GALU WA MBULI ZONSE. ALIPO KAWONGA M’LAMBYA. BWANJI SIMUNSA AGALU INU!!!!!!

Brenda
Brenda
9 years ago

Congratulations Bettie. May God continue blessings showering His blessings upon you and your family.

shadreck mwalwanda
9 years ago

wabanywera botamya ba cheba

dongo dongo ku chigwere na ku half london mzuzu
dongo dongo ku chigwere na ku half london mzuzu
9 years ago

u r the one hu z not aware of wat u r writing. i doubt if u wen to the same xul all pipo go or sukulu ya ufiti, tchito yako i think ndi yokolopa zimbuzi za mu depoti . masamu ndi awa $150,000 x k 436.00 = k67,500,000.00 . timakuwuzani zilimbikani sukulu mungazachitise manyazi Alomwe anzanu sumumamva matama ndikuzikonda thoo makani opanda ntchito. Basi ntchito kunyoza atumbuka koma chonsencho mukumazabisala njara ku ma esiteti a fodya kumpoto kuno ndikumadyesedwa gaga ngath nkhumba. mbava inu eti. Mbuzi izi wati makongono tuu waka nge vya munkhwele vya mu chiweta ake.

Mbanangwa
9 years ago

If nyasatimes is biased towards the north, why don’t you make something to be biased towards your region? Ndiye ku panda brains kumneko. You are used to be given things on a silver platter, quota system no matter what will still make you brainless .

Statistics
Statistics
9 years ago
Reply to  Mbanangwa

Idiot, can you note see northeners are the ones getting fooled by the bias reporting, thinking and believing they are the only ones who can perform and crying victim all the time as a result. Badzichindani ndi zala

boid
boid
9 years ago

Dont worry guys, Makala Bondo comes from Goliati Area

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