Side hustles offer students path to self-employment

Malawi’s graduate unemployment remains a pressing challenge, but some university students and former graduates are transforming small-scale businesses started on campus into sustainable sources of income, underscoring the growing role of entrepreneurship as an alternative career path.

Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (Mubas) former student Wisdom Kaunda, who graduated in 2020, said in an interview on Thursday that his entrepreneurial journey began in 2014, years before he enrolled at the university.

Nyirongo: It offers practical response. | Nation

He said that while studying, he was selling soap and kitchenware, building business skills and experience that later helped him to establish an agribusiness venture, which is now his primary source of income.

“The business experience I gained while at the university laid the foundation for what I am doing today,” said Kaunda.

Kaunda said he aims to expand the venture and eventually export agricultural products to regional and international markets.

For some students, entrepreneurship serves both immediate financial needs and a longer-term investment in economic independence.

A fourth-year student at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Thomas Chirwa said he started his business to supplement his income while studying and plans to scale it up after graduation.

“I want to expand into a larger shop or an online store once I complete my studies,” he said.

Scotland-based Malawians economist Veli Nyirongo said in an interview on Thursday that student entrepreneurship offers a practical response to Malawi’s limited formal employment opportunities.

He said: “With graduate jobs scarce, small businesses started by students can evolve into sustainable enterprises.

“Instead of waiting for employment after graduation, some young people are creating work for themselves and over time, generating jobs for others.”

Nyirongo said unlocking the full potential of youth entrepreneurship will require stronger support systems from universities, government and financial institutions.

He urged stakeholders to expand access to practical business training, mentorship programmes and affordable financing, arguing that many aspiring entrepreneurs possess viable ideas, but lack the skills, experience and capital needed to commercialise them.

“Universities can help students develop and test business ideas while they are still studying,” he said.

The trend reflects a broader shift among young Malawians towards self-employment as they navigate a challenging labour market, with small businesses increasingly viewed not only as a way to meet education costs but also as a pathway to long-term economic resilience.

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