GRÓ Alumni Gather in Malawi to Initiate a Aational Alumni Network
GRÓ alumni gather in Malawi to initiate a national alumni network
Alumni in Malawi from all four GRÓ training programmes decided, at an alumni event held in Lilongwe on 26 March, to begin preparations for establishing a GRÓ alumni network in the country. This marked the first time alumni from all four programmes on geothermal, fisheries, land restoration and gender equality gathered in Malawi. The event was organized in partnership with alumni, the Embassy of Iceland in Lilongwe, and the GRÓ Centre in Iceland.
GRÓ alumni networks serve as platforms for collaboration, continued learning, and the development of new competences to advance sustainable development. They also help reinforce links with the Embassy of Iceland and create opportunities to connect alumni with UNESCO in their home countries, as GRÓ operates under the auspices of UNESCO. The alumni identified various areas of cooperation for the network to support their efforts as leaders and changemakers in Malawi through knowledge creation and dissemination. These ideas included joint research, consultancy projects, seminars, collaboration with academia, and raising awareness of the importance of sustainable development in their sectors, among others. The alumni established a task force to lead the process of creating a national alumni network.
Malawi is the fourth largest GRÓ partner country
Mr Davíð Bjarnason, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Iceland in Lilongwe welcomed participants and spoke about the bilateral development cooperation between Iceland and Malawi, which spans almost four decades.
Ms. Nína Björk Jónsdóttir, Director General of GRÓ, highlighted the purpose and objectives of establishing GRÓ alumni networks, as well as the importance of GRÓ alumni, now numbering almost 1,900 fellows in total, in supporting sustainable development around the world across four thematic fields: geothermal energy, fisheries, land restoration, and gender equality. In total, 84 fellows from Malawi have attended the GRÓ training programmes in Iceland, five have received scholarships for master’s studies, and six short courses have been held in the country. About half of them, or 40 fellows, attended the alumni event.
At the event, alumni introduced the work of the four programmes in Malawi, as well as the opportunities and challenges in their sectors. Alumni shared compelling examples of how they are making an impact. Presentations were delivered by Ms. Carolyn Munthali, GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme alumna from 2021; Mr. Kondwani Mhone, GRÓ Gender Equality Studies and Training Programme alumnus 2019 and Mr. Robert Chiwamba, who attended GRÓ GEST in 2022; Mr. Gift Wellington Tsokobombwe, GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme alumnus from 2012 and GRÓ GTP MSc Scholarship recipient; and Mr. Kennedy Adamson, who graduated from the GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme in 2023.
Ms. Lucia Victoria Chigamane, Senior Programme Officer at the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO, who attended the GRÓ LRT in 2025, gave a presentation on the work of the National Commission and the cooperation between the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme and GRÓ LRT.
Ms. Erla Hlín Hjálmarsdóttir, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Iceland, moderated discussions following breakout sessions, where alumni identified next steps towards establishing a GRÓ alumni network in Malawi.
The event concluded with a networking reception, where discussions on GRÓ alumni cooperation in Malawi continued into the evening. GRÓ congratulates alumni in Malawi on this important step towards establishing a GRÓ alumni network and wishes the task force great success in their work ahead in finalising the network.
