Africa-Press – Malawi. Malawi’s development ambitions risk collapsing under poor decision-making unless the country urgently invests in data analysis and biostatistics, professors at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) have warned.
Speaking during a day-long biostatistics symposium held at LUANAR on Friday, academics described data as the backbone of modern economies, arguing that policies, business strategies and public investments made without evidence are not only inefficient, but costly to national development.
Head of the Department of Basic Sciences and Data Analysis Dr. Thomson Sanudi said effective decision-making—whether in government or the private sector—cannot exist without credible data and skilled professionals to interpret it.
“For any business or policy decision to succeed, you need data,” Sanudi said. “That is why Malawi must deliberately build human capital in data analysis. These biostatistics graduates are not confined to laboratories; they can work across industries and government departments, generating and interpreting data that guides informed decisions.”
Sanudi stressed that when decisions are anchored in evidence, they align better with national objectives and produce measurable development outcomes.
Guest of honour Associate Professor Tasokwa Kakota Chibowa, an applied mathematician at LUANAR, said the biostatistics programme directly supports the Malawi 2063 development agenda, which emphasises evidence-based planning and accountability.
“As a country, we must move away from guesswork to evidence-based decision-making,” Chibowa said. “Biostatistics equips students with the capacity to analyse real data and provide decision-makers with accurate, reliable information.”
She warned that Malawi currently faces a serious shortage of expertise in biostatistics, a gap that is weakening both public and private sector performance.
“There is a clear skills deficit in this field,” she said. “We are calling on industry players and institutions—when you face data challenges, come to us. Our students and professionals are ready to provide solutions.”
For students, the message was clear: their skills are urgently needed. Chisomo Banda, a final-year biostatistics student at LUANAR, said he is determined to ensure that industries and public institutions benefit from the knowledge he has acquired.
“We have the tools to help organisations make better decisions,” Banda said. “My commitment is to ensure that this knowledge contributes directly to Malawi’s development.”
The symposium ended with a blunt conclusion from academics: without investing in data skills and evidence-based analysis, Malawi risks planning in the dark—undermining growth, wasting resources and missing its own development targets.
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