Research for agro-entrepreneurship open university concept in Zambia

By Tiia Madekivi

Ambitious.Africa is collaborating with PBL-BioAfrica and ESGROW to find opportunities for an open university concept in Zambia that focuses primarily on Agro-entrepreneurship. The PBL – BioAfrica is funded by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Higher Education Institutions Institutional Cooperation Instrument (HEI-ICI). The project contributes to the HEI-ICI program’s long-term impact by strengthening the capacity of bioeconomy HEIs to provide pedagogically innovative, work-life relevant, and accessible higher education for large student numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa. ESGROW co-creates pathways for organizations to meet demanding environmental, social, and governance expectations. They guide leaders and organizations with customized solutions to become future-resilient.

Agriculture is a popular field and creating business for many in Zambia, but there are still many gaps in education on agro-entrepreneurship. We, as Ambitious.Africa and ESGROW, are researching the opportunity to provide open university programs to fill these gaps.

We have a research group of around 10 Ambitious Zambia community members interested in the field and three ESGROW consultants to facilitate the research project.

“The agriculture industry is among the fastest developing sectors in Zambia. This program will be an elaborately tailored program to meet all specific criteria to run agri-enterprises or to play a role in the agricultural sector, with a keen interest in which innovations can work down the supply chain accommodating various skill sets. The program will be technical so that everything learned can be put into practice.”

– Elizabeth Maanda Sianga, Founder of Agro Queens Trading and Member of Ambitious Zambia

During the research, we will find out several key aspects including: the current status of agro-entrepreneurship; the regulatory framework; open university pilots in the country; suggest potential NGO partners as well as potential students; find out opportunities and gaps in the current system; and finally, develop a concept for implementing the open university.

We aim to develop a solution of high-level education that would be inclusive for all, regardless of physical location in Zambia, and we have a particular focus on youth and women. We collaborate with Mulungushi University and the University of Zambia.

“As a consultancy that values holistic sustainability, ESGROW saw this as a very timely and relevant project. Strengthening the open university concept for agro-entrepreneurship education in Zambia will render agriculture more attractive and accessible, especially for those in remote areas. This means a more efficient and innovative agriculture industry which will enhance productivity, food security and income generation.”

– Theresia Bilola, co-founder of ESGROW

The research is funded by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and is channeled through Fingo.