Msaka to universities: Start earning Malawi dollars to copy Zambia’s forex model

Malawi’s Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Bright Msaka, has thrown down a bold challenge to the country’s universities, demanding they step up and help mobilise desperately needed foreign exchange through their teaching and other services.

Speaking during the signing ceremony of public sector reform commitments with academic institutions in Blantyre, the minister openly questioned why Malawi’s universities weren’t cashing in on international students paying their fees in hard currency.

Msaka pointed to neighbouring Zambia as a prime example of how universities elsewhere have become genuine sources of forex, insisting Malawi’s institutions could easily replicate the same success.

“In Malawi we have a lot of students doing their studies in Zambia and they pay in dollars. We can also do the same, let’s improve our services and make our universities” competitive enough to attract international students, Msaka urged.

The minister didn’t hold back in demanding urgency from institutions signing up to the reform commitments, warning that Malawi cannot afford to simply wait around for universities to fail before taking action.

“Let’s work together and ensure that these commitments are implemented within the stipulated period. We should not wait for institutions to fail and start doing something. We need to develop early warning systems,” Msaka said.

Universities across the country responded by outlining their own reform priorities. Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) Vice-Chancellor Associate Professor Nancy Chitera revealed her institution has already made “tremendous progress” in expanding resource mobilisation, citing diversification of finance mobilisation streams, expansion and rehabilitation of infrastructure, and greater utilisation of Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL).

Chitera said the university is deliberately shifting away from a model where partnerships are largely project-specific, instead working to develop long-term strategic relationships that can sustain funding well into the future.

Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) Vice-Chancellor Associate Professor Mwapasa Mipando outlined three key reform areas of his own: process efficiency through digital transformation, stronger governance through oversight and compliance, and corporate sustenance through revenue diversification.

Meanwhile, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) Vice-Chancellor Professor MacPherson Mallewa revealed his institution’s reforms would centre on research and innovation, revenue generation, and teaching and learning.

Beyond the four public universities, the Malawi National Examination Board (MANEB) and Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) also signed up to their own commitment areas, with MANEB executive director Dorothy Nampota confirming her institution’s participation in the sweeping reform drive.

The push comes as Malawi continues grappling with a punishing foreign exchange crisis, with authorities increasingly turning to every available sector of the economy, education included, in a desperate bid to shore up the country’s dwindling dollar reserves.