By Cliff Kawanga
The African Centre of Excellence in Neglected and Underutilised Biodiversity (ACENUB) has awarded incubatees for the Community Action Research for Enterprise Development (CARP-E) program. Community projects were awarded grants of $5,000 each, while individual incubatees received $2,000 each.
ACENUB is at the forefront of action research, bringing together communities, researchers, and local entrepreneurs to develop and promote marketable products that create tangible value for both producers and consumers across Malawi. Following a needs assessment, ACENUB invited community members and interested individuals to apply for the Community Action Research for Enterprise Development (CARP-E) program.
Dr. Mavuto Tembo, ACENUB’s Director, highlighted the centre’s collaborative efforts with community groups and entrepreneurs.
“We support incubatees and cooperatives by helping them register their products, a critical step in formalizing and growing their businesses. To ensure quality and trust, we work closely with the Registrar General and the Malawi Bureau of Standards to establish recognition and credibility for local products in the market,” Dr. Tembo explained.
In the initial phase of the program, selected awardees received 25% financial support to develop actionable business plans and connect with key organizations that assist in product registration.
Once these foundational steps are completed, recipients will focus on operationalizing their businesses. This phase emphasizes refining production processes, improving product quality, and addressing logistical challenges to build resilient and scalable enterprises.
The final phase will be the launch of the products into the market.
