Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, Naito Yasushi, has officially opened a biofertiliser production unit at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District.
The initiative is expected to strengthen food security and promote economic resilience among refugee women through a refugee women-led organisation, Solidarity of Refugee Women for Social Welfare (SOFERES).
It is part of a $106 million (approximately K183 billion) partnership between the Government of Japan, UN Women and the Government of Malawi under the Strengthening Food Security and Economic Resilience for Refugee Women project.
Yasushi said refugee women are among those most affected by food insecurity, and the initiative aims to improve household food security, strengthen resilience and reduce dependence on external support.
He commended Malawi for its continued commitment to hosting refugees, saying he is optimistic that the knowledge and skills imparted to the women will create lasting resilience.
UN Women Interim Country Representative, Fatima Mohammed, said the initiative will increase availability of affordable farm inputs while helping to bridge the national gap in imported agricultural inputs.
Mohammed said she is confident that proceeds from the production and sale of biofertiliser will enable the women to support their families while contributing to the country’s economic recovery.
Commissioner for Refugees in the Department of Refugees, Ignacio Maulana, said the fertiliser-making skills have come at the right time as this is the last month that camp residents are receiving support from the World Food Programme.
Maulana said the skills will help refugees become more self-reliant and improve their livelihoods.
More than 300 refugee women are benefiting from the project, which is expected to run until February 2027.
