The Muuni Fund Call for Applications occurred between the 6th of September 2023 and the 6th of October 2023 attracted over 2,000 Malawians that showed interest in contributing to the development of Malawi through the ICT Research and Innovation Fund.

Muuni Fund, in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, Unity, and Culture, released a call for applications, calling for local researchers and innovators with ideas to provide solutions to the problems and opportunities that local councils submitted, called Intervention Areas. Malawians throughout the country applied to several intervention areas from each district, using the online portal system and in-person submissions through local councils across Malawi. During the Call for Applications, 2,421 interested individuals began the application process, and only 1064 successfully submitted their applications. Of the 1064 applications, 756 applications were submitted through the online portal system, while 308 applications were submitted physically through the local councils. Of the 1064 applicants, 84% of the applications were from males, while 16% of applications were from females. The applicant’s ages range between 18-72 years old, with the highest group of applicants within the 20-year-old to 25-year-old age group. Of the 1,064 applications, 810 applications were as innovations, and 254 applications were research proposals.

Over 2,000 Malawians showed interest in contributing to the development of Malawi through the ICT Research and Innovation Fund.

Malawians applied under four categories to the Fund. These categories were: Academia (Students Sub-category), Academia (Collaborative sub-category), Industry Sector, and The General Public. The General exhibited a pronounced interest in the Call for Applications, leading with 459 applications, followed by the Industry Sector with 359 applications. Finally, 256 applications were from the Academia category. Frome the 256, 141 applications were from the students’ sub-category, and 106 came from the Collaborative sub-category.

As we progress, we are excited to see what the applicants have brought forth that will undergo review at the district-level evaluations. We cannot wait to witness how much innovation is becoming the flame that ignites progress in Malawi.