UMODZI Consulting is a leading managing consulting firm with activities that span across all sectors of the economy and include business start-up, incubation, research, project design and management, facilitation of workshops, mentorship and coaching, among others. The team has three directors who are also shareholders with distinct professional and academic qualifications and backgrounds, which have been instrumental in the growth and sustainability of the firm. UMODZI currently has three main offices, with the head office in Blantyre, providing services across Malawi.

Our team at SEED is thrilled to be collaborating with UMODZI Consulting, as we are continuously working on improving the ecosystem of support for green entrepreneurship in the country. We conducted an interview with Tione Pascal Kaonga, Managing Director of UMODZI Consulting, in order to promote their work and support as hosts of the SEED Hub in Malawi.

Tell us about your role as SEED Hub in Malawi. What has been the focus for the partnership?

We are part of the SEED Global Hub and our partnership has stood the test of time and is based on mutual understanding, respect and a passion to see a better Malawi through the promotion and sustainable deployment of business development services that catalyse and prepare eco-inclusive business models to be resilient and achieve unprecedented growth. Through the partnership with SEED, we have been able to revitalise in our little capacity the Malawian economy which is affected by climate change through direct technical and financial support to enterprises and ecosystem building.

Our role has been to build and protect the SEED brand name through provision of top-notch business advisory services. We are responsible for managing stakeholders and the facilitation of training and coaching sessions to the enterprises. We also coordinate events such as workshops, field visits and monitoring.  

In turn, adelphi research through SEED has capacitated our employees through the different toolkits in addition to monetary benefits. Our employees are exposed to new knowledge and are connected globally through the SEED Global Hub, where they have an opportunity to interact and share their experiences. We have free access to high quality toolkits which we would not have managed to develop on our own. Through adelphi and SEED, we have been able to enhance our credibility such that we have been able to forge partnerships with other international organisations.

What do you take away from the collaboration with SEED, as a SEED Hub?

We have a few main takeaways from this collaboration:

• No business can survive without nature and the need to pay attention to it.
• Understanding of Sustainable Development Goals and how in our individual capacities are called to contribute to their achievements.
• Eco-inclusive business models do not exist in a vacuum and there is need to create a conducive environment to support them.
• At times, little can be more, one needs to put in place proper strategies. SEED’s ticket size grants have been very impactful compared to some of the projects that have provided significant amounts of grants because SEED’s approach is not just about giving out the money but realises the need for technical capacity to survive in a competitive business environment.
• Partnerships based on mutual benefits are more rewarding, sustainable, and impactful.

What do you value most about the partnership with SEED?

In short, the exposure, resources and knowledge sharing and willingness by SEED Global Team to accommodate and value our views and insights have made our partnership to last long and reach more SMEs.

In your opinion, how do eco-inclusive enterprises benefit from such partnerships?

We have been able to bring on board the local context when providing our support. This allows the SMEs to relate and simulate what they learn from the workshops. We have also been accessible by the enterprises as we have continued to refer to them further opportunities.

What is upcoming in 2024 for your organisation and the SEED Hub?

The Malawi National Dialogue Forum is coming up in April and we would like to bring together over 150 stakeholders. Additionally, we will continue to promote the activities of SEED and with our work in Malawi.