Malawi’s Education Minister commends partnerships

Malawi’s Minister of Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, has praised collaborations between the country's six public universities and the University of Dundee.

This year marks the first anniversary of the Blantyre Declaration, a shared commitment between six of Malawi's public universities and the University of Dundee to empower individuals, both in Scotland and Malawi, through a combination of education, research, and community service.

In celebration of the anniversary, Professor Iain Gillespie, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at Dundee, travelled to Malawi to gather with partners for a Malawi Summit. 

While in Malawi, the Principal also had the opportunity to meet with the country’s Minister of Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, to discuss progress made by partners in the one year since the signing, which include the launch of Africa Doctoral Fellowship scheme. 

The Minister was particularly delighted to hear that three Malawian individuals found success in the first round of awards. 

Ms Wirima explained how the education system in today’s world, as a global village, must have a ‘global flavour’, and how the aspirations of the people of Malawi, highlighted in the country’s development vision, Malawi 2063, is to be an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation. She noted that she believes that universities have to play a critical role to achieve this status. 

The Minister gave assurance that the partnerships have the Malawi Government’s full support.