- Home
- Aid by Location
- Malawi
Malawi
CoolRun Malawi
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Agriculture is the key industry in Malawi; however, given the sub-tropical, climate, the cold supply chain for fruit, vegetables and other temperature sensitive goods is lacking. In most of Malawi, the electricity supply is unreliable, and the increasing cost of fossil fuels makes it expensive to operate internal combustion driven generators and compressors. The lack of a reliable, affordable, and available cold supply chain leads to high levels of wastage up to 50% of some crops harvested. In rural areas, farming is mostly on a subsistence basis and a female occupation. Farmers either sell their produce directly (or via resellers) at markets or roadside walking up to 2 hours to reach their pitch. Because the crop is not chilled, it cannot be easily sold to shops or supermarkets where higher prices could be realised. Our innovation is to develop a micro, affordable, mobile, sustainable refrigeration system comprising a modular refrigerated box cooled by Phase Change Material (PCM) panels. The crop is pre-cooled at a central location using a solar powered refrigeration unit that also cools the PCM panels. Temperature integrity is monitored via sensors that monitor GPS position and temperature and the data is transmitted to a cloud database for verification by supplier and customer alike. The design and development work will be undertaken by Aston University in conjunction with its SME partners Hubl Logistics, Enterprise Projects Ventures Limited (EPVL), Malawi Fruits and Engineeronics Ltd in the UK and Modern Farming Technology (MFT) in Malawi. EPVL will supply the systems and the prototype will be evaluated in the field by MFT and Malawi Fruits. MFT will assess any gender related issues with the design. A digital twin of the design will be developed at Aston and performance of the prototype will be compared to the digital twin which will inform the final design. Aston University will conduct studies of the impact of the technology on gender and unrepresented groups. Fruit and vegetable farming and selling in Malawi are activities divided based on gender with land ownership male dominated with females relegated to farming and sales. The technology is being developed with farming and selling enterprises in Malawi in mind to empower women to develop their enterprise and social standing by adding value to their activities. CoolRun enables users to cut waste dramatically providing more to sell and reach markets where prices are higher thereby generating greater returns.
Bitesize Energy Portable Productive Power for Enhanced Energy Access and Productivity
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Despite its potential, Malawi's Mini-grid market remains in its infancy, facing barriers to realising full impact. These include, most notably, accurately forecasting Average Revenue per User (ARPU) and Average Weekly Time of Power (AWTP) when assessing potential locations, and initial low energy demand during evening hours, increasing battery storage costs. Building upon existing hardware and software developed by CREATIVenergie during Energy Catalyst 7, our approach stimulates impactful community demand for energy by integrating portable small-scale productive applications into a rental model that incorporates pay-per-use battery swapping, simultaneously generating local data on ARPU and AWTP to support accurate load projection analysis and de-risk prospective minigrid investments. To sustain operations, we will employ a two-tier 'franchisor-franchisee' model. As franchisors, Challenges Catalyst will partner with local aspiring mini-grid developers (MGDs) to act as 'franchisees', procure hub equipment, manage branding and set quality standards. Franchisees will own and operate the pay per use battery swap and PUE model, collecting ARPU and AWTP data and acting not only as the frontline for customer interactions, but also as community advocates for present and future energy needs. Guided by Malawi's Integrated Energy Plan, we will target communities where minigrids have been identified as the preferred electrification option. As we expand, we will also target more remote off-grid communities, inclusively recruiting and training local franchisees. This project includes the following key work packages: * Hardware and software development involves updating electronics hardware design, software design, casing design, prototyping, and testing for battery rental and management. * During the demonstrator implementation phase, tasks include installation, manufacturing hardware for trials, deploying and commissioning hubs, commissioning portable productive loads, installing communication systems, conducting trials, and data collection. Ongoing operation, maintenance, and data collection are also part of this phase. * Commercial implementation involves conducting baseline community and energy needs assessments, establishing franchisee relationships with MGDs for franchised hubs, providing commercial and franchisee training, mentoring, community marketing, implementing the hub model, and monitoring and evaluating hub performance. * The project focuses on MGD and government engagement, including convening a stakeholder technical advisory board, assessing data needs, developing an MGD value proposition, and establishing a complementary go-to-market strategy. * Franchise model development activities include establishing a franchise structure and legal framework, designing the franchisor business and revenue model, codifying operations and quality systems, optimising franchisee training and support programs, developing a marketing and branding strategy. * The development of a comprehensive business and financial plan.
Empowering impactful development across rural Malawi through clean Energy HUBs
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the country faces severe challenges in multiple aspects of the society. Only around 16% of the population aged 25 and above have completed secondary school, 70% of Malawi's population between 15 and 29 are not employed by formal organisations. Only 18% of the Malawi population has access to electricity services. And the lack of a culture for operation and maintenance often results in that for instance installed solar energy systems are not taken care of and stop functioning after just 2-3 years while their technical life-time is often 15-20 years. Differ Community Power is specialised in providing reliable energy services to schools and health facilities in developing countries. In Malawi, DCP, with SteamaCo, has more than 100 sites in operation, and at all of these sites there is excess energy available during daytime that currently is not used. This project seeks ways to use this excess energy to solve some of the challenges mentioned above, including earning money to do O&M on the solar energy systems at the health facilities. We are doing this by selling electricity services to off-takers. These off-takers must afford paying for the energy, and this ability to pay is the main risk to whether we are able to create a viable business. Examples of off-takers and related businesses are: Water Services for agriculture irrigation: Using excess energy to pump water into water tanks during daytime and farmers can use irrigation systems and gravity for water feeding the soil during nighttime. 80% of the population is involved of agricultural activities, and providing water so that the farmers potentially can have more than one harvesting season, is promising. Cooling service for agriculture proceeds: Using excess energy to offer cooling services for the agriculture proceeds. The loss of proceeds and value will be significantly reduced Energy services for households: Using excess energy to charge batteries that are rented out to households that cannot afford their own solar home system. Milling services for farmers: Using excess energy to run maize mills the farmer so far have been using diesel generators for. All of these services imply selling electricity and if successful, the impact will be very positive on several of the SDGs, e.g. on health services (SDG3), education (SDG4), clean energy (SDG7), economic growth (SDG8) and climate change (SDG13).
Generation Malawi: A study of family, maternal and childhood mental health
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
A lack of research training, resources, infrastructure and data in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) greatly limits their ability to conduct studies of common mental health conditions. Nowhere is this more true than in Africa generally and in Malawi specifically, where sparse mental health care alone limits not only clinical research capacity, but also the ability to attract inward investment. In a partnership between UK and Malawian institutions, we propose to directly address this challenge by building clinical research capacity through the coordinated appointment of new researchers and research assistants, a programme of education and dissemination, and the development of a population mental health dataset focussed on an area of great unmet need - the mental heath of mothers and their children. After a period of piloting our research assessments and obtaining the necessary approvals, we will recruit 5000 mothers prior to delivery of their child from antenatal clinics in Lilongwe and Karonga districts, selected to represent urban and rural populations respectively. We will assess the mental health of mothers before and after birth, and the mental health of their spouses and other family members with a view to identifying the major risk factors for mental health disorders and mitigating variables that promote resilience. We will then examine the impact of maternal and, where possible, paternal mental health on the neurodevelopment of their offspring. In addition to creating new and highly valuable data, we will also create the bioresources needed for future genetics and 'omics based research. We believe this is essential to prevent the current imbalance in genetic research favouring rich countries of predominantly European ancestries leading to greater entrenchment of global health inequalities. As part of the proposed work, we will develop internationally competitive research capacity and datasets in Malawi, augment standard of care treatment, develop research training and the availability of affordable and effective interventions for depression and other common mental disorders, such as the "Friendship Bench" intervention. Our research will be multidisciplinary, involving experts from psychiatry, clinical psychology, nursing, reproductive and child health, and social sciences in both UK and Malawi. Throughout the project, we will carefully monitor our progress and impact on the participants and their communities. The project, if funded, will lead to a step change in mental health research capacity in Malawi, paving the way for new inward investment and the development of evidence based interventions and policies.
SMART-H: SMART-Health-care facilities towards resilient, green, and sustainable medical systems.
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
SMART-H is the first step towards establishing SMART (e.g., resilient, sustainable, and green) Health-care facilities in Malawi and ensure continuity of operations of critical services before, during and after disasters and health crises to promote better community health and provide better services for patients and staff. A novel roadmap for stakeholders will be implemented to assess the adequacy of existing healthcare facilities and establish the selection criteria to identify those facilities eligible for mitigation strategies. It will provide an informed pathway on how government, business and society should intervene to prepare medical facilities to meet global standards and respond to disruptive events. The novel concept of this research consists of creating an integrated analysis framework to i) assess multi-hazards by probabilistic analyses, ii) identify medical baselines (e.g., health-care building types with similar structural and architectural features) on a variety of parameters collected through field investigations, iii) develop dynamic structural and thermal models to assess the physical and energy performance, and estimate direct and indirect losses and health and wellbeing of people associated with disasters driven by climate change for prioritising vulnerable baselines, iv) recommend mitigation strategies and optimize them using life-cycle approaches to reduce CO2 and improve energy efficiency, and v) produce cost-benefit analyses to plan mitigation investments for reducing future impact from multi-hazard-risks and health crises. This work will deliver a dataset, which will encourage stakeholders to take risk-informed and inclusive decisions at local, regional, and national level and promote medical facility renovations. The results will demonstrate that multi-disciplinary research is crucial to prioritise the extent and nature of repair of medical facilities. Depending on the policymakers' primary concerns different pathways should be considered to improve multi-hazard preparedness and response to health emergencies and disasters. To maximise the impact of the proposed research, a workshop in Malawi will be delivered to illustrate the potential of the proposed strategies amongst policy makers and industries operating in health emergency planning and response. This will create additional drive across sectors for financial initiatives and alternatives for inclusive healthcare. Dissemination of the research will be through publications in high profile journals and key conferences in this field.
Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a widespread and lucrative criminal activity causing major global environmental and social harm. The IWT has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year. Nearly 6,000 different species of fauna and flora are impacted, with almost every country in the world playing a role in the illicit trade. The UK government is committed to tackling illegal trade of wildlife products and is a long-standing leader in efforts to eradicate the IWT. Defra manages the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which is a competitive grants scheme with the objective of tackling IWT and, in doing so, contributing to sustainable development in developing countries. Projects funded under the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund address one, or more, of the following themes: • Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT, • Strengthening law enforcement, • Ensuring effective legal frameworks, • Reducing demand for IWT products. By 2023 over £51 million has been committed to 157 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013. This page contains information about Rounds 7 onwards. For information about Rounds 1 to 6, please see the IWTCF website -https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/
Darwin Initiative
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Darwin Initiative is the UK’s flagship international challenge fund for biodiversity conversation and poverty reduction, established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The Darwin Initiative is a grant scheme working on projects that aim to slow, halt, or reverse the rates of biodiversity loss and degradation, with associated reductions in multidimensional poverty. To date, the Darwin Initiative has awarded more than £195m to over 1,280 projects in 159 countries to enhance the capability and capacity of national and local stakeholders to deliver biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction outcomes in low and middle-income countries. More information at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/the-darwin-initiative. This page contains information about Rounds 27 onwards. For information about Rounds 1 to 26, please see the Darwin Initiative website -https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/
3D-printed gas turbines for efficient conversion of biogas to power in rural communities of the Global South
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
HyperGen through this project aims to adapt a novel design of Micro Gas Turbine (MGT) for use with biogas from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) by developing a Multi Fuel Injector (MFI) that can handle a variety of fuels, e.g., pure biogas, BioLPG, or diesel. The HyperGen MGT (HMGT) is aimed at competing with Piston Engine Generators, particularly diesel (DPGs) in small scale applications (<500kW). MGTs are simpler, lower maintenance, cleaner emission, and easier to multifuel. HyperGen's platform goes further by providing a basis for significantly higher efficiency and adopting a wide array of fuels, whilst providing consumers with affordable, reliable, low carbon electricity. This project focuses specifically on working with biogas and developing resilience to the corrosive biogas combustion gases through material testing and less interference between biogas and corrodible surfaces. The MFI is critical in ensuring a smooth transition to low carbon fuels given the dearth of availability of small-scale engines for operation on pure biogas without added diesel. The MGT could provide an alternative to DPG in minigrids, including solar PV ones in developing countries. Biogas storage is cheaper than batteries and cleaner than diesel for peak or back-up generation. This project will focus on farm cooperatives in Malawi that are supported by our partner Malawi Fruit. These communities currently have very limited access to electricity. Malawi Fruits will provide a consumer view on competing technologies and assess how access to 24/7 clean power from MGT could change the lives of these farmers. Production of biogas for cooking and fertilizer from Anaerobic Digestion is also a likely side benefit that could be deployed early on. The project will 1) Deliver a working MFI and conceptual design of Balance of Plant around the MFI/MGT (from biogas to heat and power) adapted to the feedstocks for biogas available on Malawian cooperatives. 2) Investigate methods allowing the MFI/MGT to handle the corrosive biogas, while maintaining energy efficiency. This may include biogas purification e.g., zinc oxide bed, filtration, the challenge being that these methods must be adapted if applied in the field in Malawi or ODA countries in a continuation project. 3) Assess resources, energy needs and attitudes of Malawian farming community through surveys and workshops conducted by Malawi Fruits. This will inform Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) when specifying the whole plant around feedstock availability and collection, as well as uses for the biogas and waste heat beyond power generation.
14 Trees
British International Investment plc
14Trees is a joint-venture between LafargeHolcim, a global leader in building materials based in Switzerland, and CDC. The venture aims to accelerate and scale up the production and commercialisation of Durabric bricks - an environmentally-friendly, affordable alternative to the clay burnt bricks widely used across sub-Saharan Africa, and other innovative green building solutions.
UNICAF
British International Investment plc
UNICAF is Africa’s leading online and blended learning higher education provider. The company provides international-standard post-graduate degree programs to working adults across Africa, but at a price-point that is up to 80 per cent less than the cost of those degrees in the UK or US.Founded in 2012 by Dr Nicos Nicolaou, UNICAF partners with international universities, and offers its own locally accredited degrees. It has grown rapidly and now reaches approximately 15,000 students, growing at more than 50 per cent each year.The company has a physical presence in nine African countries, including branch campuses in Malawi and Zambia.
UNICAF
British International Investment plc
UNICAF is Africa’s leading online and blended learning higher education provider. The company provides international-standard post-graduate degree programs to working adults across Africa, but at a price-point that is up to 80 per cent less than the cost of those degrees in the UK or US.Founded in 2012 by Dr Nicos Nicolaou, UNICAF partners with international universities, and offers its own locally accredited degrees. It has grown rapidly and now reaches approximately 15,000 students, growing at more than 50 per cent each year.The company has a physical presence in nine African countries, including branch campuses in Malawi and Zambia.
UNICAF
British International Investment plc
UNICAF is Africa’s leading online and blended learning higher education provider. The company provides international-standard post-graduate degree programs to working adults across Africa, but at a price-point that is up to 80 per cent less than the cost of those degrees in the UK or US.Founded in 2012 by Dr Nicos Nicolaou, UNICAF partners with international universities, and offers its own locally accredited degrees. It has grown rapidly and now reaches approximately 15,000 students, growing at more than 50 per cent each year.The company has a physical presence in nine African countries, including branch campuses in Malawi and Zambia.
UNICAF
British International Investment plc
UNICAF is Africa’s leading online and blended learning higher education provider. The company provides international-standard post-graduate degree programs to working adults across Africa, but at a price-point that is up to 80 per cent less than the cost of those degrees in the UK or US.Founded in 2012 by Dr Nicos Nicolaou, UNICAF partners with international universities, and offers its own locally accredited degrees. It has grown rapidly and now reaches approximately 15,000 students, growing at more than 50 per cent each year.The company has a physical presence in nine African countries, including branch campuses in Malawi and Zambia.
Jacoma Estates Limited
British International Investment plc
Jacoma Estates is the parent company of Tropha Estates, an agribusiness in Northern Malawi developing over 1,000 hectares of irrigated macadamia orchards.? The company is focused on producing macadamia nuts for export, and has three nucleus farms and a macadamia processing facility. It has also established smallholder outgrower schemes, supporting over 5,000 independent farmers who produce paprika and birds eye chilli for sale into export markets.Jacoma is continuing to expand the irrigation and processing facilities at its sites to increase the yield and quality of its core products.
UK Aid Match II Fund
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To support the achievement of the Global Goals through funding UK-based civil society organisations to deliver projects that assist in ending extreme poverty and building a better world by 2030. The programme will also provide opportunities for the UK public to engage in international development issues and have a say in how a portion of the aid budget is spent.
Transparency and Accountability to improve economic development and service delivery(TRACTION)
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To improve accountability responsiveness in the delivery of public goods (including business environment) and services at local and national levels. This will be achieved through changes in the way government does business such as improvements in oversight in use of public finances, improvements in how budgets are allocated to reflect needs and more politicians seeking to legitimise themselves based on the delivery of public goods - both at election time and between elections.
The Evidence Fund - 300708
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
The Evidence Fund procures and manages research and evaluations that primarily benefit ODA eligible countries. Most research and evaluations paid for by the Evidence Fund are country-specific, and all respond to requests for evidence to inform programme or policy decisions. Primarily serving research requests from HMG’s Embassies and High Commissions in ODA eligible countries, and from HMG policy and strategy teams, the Evidence Fund strengthens the evidence behind the UK’s priority international development investments and development diplomacy. The Evidence Fund also invests modest amounts of non-ODA, to strengthen the evidence behind wider UK foreign policy.
Building Resilience and adapting to climate change in Malawi
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
This programme aims to strengthen the resilience of poor households in Malawi to withstand current and projected weather and climate-related shocks and stresses. This will in turn halt the annual cycle of humanitarian crises that blights people’s lives, harms poverty reduction efforts and swallows up resources. The UK will invest up to £90.5 million over eight years [2018-2027] to provide direct benefits to 1.7 million poor and vulnerable people in Malawi [approximately 300,000 households].The programme also supports environmental and resilience outcomes through reducing deforestation directly and indirectly.
Umoyo Wathu Health System Strengthening Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
To reduce rates and inequalities in maternal, under-5 and new-born deaths; as well as reduce stunting in under-5s, by strengthening the quality and coverage of a package of essential health services through lower level district administration. The programme will increase the provision and uptake of quality, highly cost effective life-saving primary healthcare services provided free at the point of use, and so better protect the most vulnerable against the financial consequences of ill health. By 2028, the programme will contribute to reducing maternal mortality from 439 to 350 per 100,000 births; neonatal mortality from 27 to 22 per 1,000 live births; child mortality from 64 to 48 per 1,000 live births; stunting in children under five years of age reduced from 37% to 31%; and impact of communicable disease outbreaks and epidemics.
Malawi Trade and Investment Programme
UK - Foreign, Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO)
MTIP aims to stimulate a step change in Malawi’s growth by promoting higher value export sectors, cutting time and costs of trade and logistics, and raising international and domestic investment in new exports. Underpinning this will be a focused effort to improve the business enabling environment. Higher economic growth is expected to translate into sustained poverty reduction, creating new jobs and income generating opportunities and much needed revenue to fund the public services needed for a fast-growing population. Specifically, programme aims include reducing the costs of trade for Malawi by 10% and converting over 5,000 hectares of land to more productive high value export crops.