CASE STUDY | MORIM

CASE STUDY

Engaging Government to build an Agritech & Agribusiness Centre of Excellence

MORIM STAMP Institutional Transformation Academic Strategy

The Challenge: Addressing Madagascar's Skills Gap

Madagascar faces a significant challenge: a large and growing youth population lacks the practical, job-ready skills required by the economy, particularly in the critical agricultural sector.

Informal Economy: Over 97% of jobs in Madagascar are informal, highlighting the urgent need for formal skills and business creation.
Agricultural Isolation: Existing agricultural training is often disconnected from the realities of the job market, failing to connect graduates to employment or entrepreneurship opportunities.
Youth Unemployment: A staggering 40% of the population is under 15, creating immense pressure on the job market. Each year, 300,000 young people enter the workforce with little access to formal agricultural training.

At MORIM, we believe that lasting economic transformation is built from the ground up through practical skills, local entrepreneurship, and strong government partnerships. Our approach goes beyond traditional training; we focus on creating self-sustaining ecosystems that address the root causes of youth unemployment and food insecurity.

This case study highlights our innovative approach in the agricultural sector in Madagascar, where we work side-by-side with the government to develop a replicable model for economic empowerment.

Strategic Direction: Partnering with Government to Design a Sustainable, Locally-Adapted Solution

At the heart of our approach is a commitment to genuine collaboration with government. We do not arrive with a pre-packaged, one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, we begin by engaging with the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Training (METFP) to deeply understand the government's strategic priorities for the sector and the unique challenges faced by Malagasy youth. This collaborative, consultative approach ensures that our model is not an external imposition but a homegrown solution designed for lasting impact.

A Model Built for Affordability and Resilience

Through our dialogue with the METFP, we identified the critical challenge of low purchasing power of Malagasy families. A training model reliant on high student fees would be neither accessible nor sustainable. This understanding was fundamental to our design process and led to the creation of a radically different financial model.

Our Centre of Excellence does not depend on student fees to survive. Instead, its self-sustaining income is generated through a diverse portfolio of activities:

Production and Sale: Students learn by producing high-value agricultural goods (crops, processed foods) which are sold in local markets.
Commercial Services: The centre offers for-profit services to the local agricultural industry, such as equipment rental, soil analysis, and technical consulting.
Incubation and Investment: The centre fosters agripreneurs by incubating their start-ups and taking a small equity stake in the businesses it helps to launch, creating a virtuous cycle of investment and return.
Fee Income: Student fees remain a supplementary income source, ensuring the centre is accessible to all.

This model ensures the centre is accessible to all, regardless of their financial background, while simultaneously equipping it with the resilience and resources to grow and sustain its impact for decades.

The Solution: A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for a Centre of Excellence

We have designed a replicable model that turns these challenges into opportunities. Our approach is built on three pillars:

Pillar 1: A Genuine Public-Private Partnership

By partnering directly with the Government of Madagascar, we ensure that our centre is not an isolated project but an integrated part of the national strategy. Our partnership with the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Training (METFP) is structured to create a centre that directly contributes to the national goals of formalising the economy and creating jobs.

Pillar 2: A Unique "Learn by Producing" Model

Our centre breaks the mould of theory-heavy instruction. We have developed a "Learn by Producing" model where students earn while they learn by generating real revenue through their work.

Our diverse curriculum, designed in collaboration with the government and industry leaders, includes programmes such as:

Agritech & Smart Agriculture
Agribusiness & Agricultural Entrepreneurship
Food Processing & Agro-industry
Agricultural Equipment Maintenance
Sustainable Natural Resource Management
Agricultural Trade, Logistics, and Export

With 75% of training being practical and including strong components on business management, entrepreneurship, and English, our graduates are prepared to lead, not just work.

Pillar 3: An Incubator for the Next Generation of Agripreneurs

Creating a practical skills pipeline is only part of the solution. We are building an incubator within the centre to ensure that our graduates create the businesses and jobs of the future. By linking students with essential entrepreneurial training, financial institutions, and established players in the sector, we are fostering a new generation of agripreneurs. This is how we help to formalise Madagascar's economy from the grassroots up.

An Integrated, Self-Sustaining Model

The centre is designed to be financially self-sustaining, generating income through its internal production, business services, and partnerships. This ensures its long-term viability and reduces its reliance on ongoing government subsidies.

Why It's Working: Built on Proven Foundations

Our model is built on proven best practices and research:

Government's own strategy: Our work aligns with Madagascar's Stratégie Nationale de Formation Agricole et Rurale (SNFAR) , ensuring that our efforts directly support the national vision for agricultural development.
The power of an integrated approach: By bringing together education, entrepreneurship, and commercial production, we create a synergy that is greater than the sum of its parts. Graduates are not just trained; they are launched into a supportive ecosystem designed for success.
Replicable model: This model is not a one-off project. It is designed to be replicated in other regions of Madagascar and across Africa, creating a network of economically empowered communities.

MORIM STAMP Institutional Transformation Academic Strategy Madagascar

YOUR TURN

Ready to Build the Next Generation of African Agricultural Leaders?

Agriculture remains one of Africa's greatest opportunities for economic growth, job creation and food security. Yet unlocking this potential requires modern skills, innovation and stronger links between education, technology and industry.

MORIM partners with governments, universities, TVET institutions, agribusinesses and development organisations to design future-ready programmes in Agritech, Agribusiness and agricultural innovation. From curriculum transformation and centres of excellence to workforce development and strategic partnerships, we help institutions prepare learners for the realities of a rapidly evolving agricultural economy.

Whether your goal is to modernise agricultural education, develop an Agritech ecosystem or position agriculture as a strategic growth sector, MORIM can help turn that ambition into measurable impact.

Let's build the talent and institutions that will power Africa's agricultural future.

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CASE STUDY