Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera Wednesday presided over a historic graduation ceremony where 114 students were awarded certificates, diplomas, and degrees from the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) in Blantyre. The event began with the historic installation of President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera as the first Chancellor of MUBAS at the Open and Distance e-Learning grounds.
In his address, Chancellor Chakwera encouraged the graduates to utilize their newly acquired skills to drive industrial growth, thereby aligning with the government’s goal of wealth and job creation.
“Today, we leave behind a past that focused on educating our youth to occupy a desk in an office and we press on towards a future that focuses on educating our youth to build industries.
“We leave behind a past that focused on making this institution dependent on the state and we press on towards a future that focuses on transforming this institution into a self-reliant and self-sufficient bastion of research and progress,” Chakwera said.
He encouraged management of the university to consider giving students the technical expertise which can reduce dependency on tools invented by other nations, instead should propagate and advocate for home grown innovations and grow the countrys economy.
Chakwera also said his government is committed to ensuring that university students who are focusing on innovations are supported and get to produce high-tech gadgets for Malawi.
He said government decided to increase students stipend in public universities from K350, 000 to K560, 000 to support the learning process in one academic year.
“All of you students at our public universities trusted me to deliver on this promise, and now that I have done my part, I am entrusting you to pay back the loan as soon as you begin to earn an income following your graduation from University.
“In so doing, you will enable us sustain the provision of this support to the innovators who are still studying in our universities, as well as the innovators who are yet to come to our universities,” he added.
Chairperson of the MUBAS Council, Professor George Kanyama Phiri congratulated President Chakwera for assuming the office of the Chancellor of MUBAS.
He said the installation of Chakwera as chancellor of MUBAS was a significant milestone in the history of the university.
Kanyama disclosed that MUBAS intends to widen access and inclusivity to tertiary education by establishing satellite campuses in Lilongwe, Salima and Mzuzu to contribute to Malawi 2063 development agenda towards the industrialisation drive to national prosperity.
Kanyama then congratulated the 2024 class for making it after passing through various challenges including disruption of classes due to the recent Tropical Cyclone Freddy and the devastating Covid-19 pandemic that saw schools in Malawi closing as a preventative measure.
One of the graduating students, Henry Mbale said graduating from the college was not an easy thing, expressing gratefulness to parents, guardians, fellow students and lecturers for their support towards attaining the academic accolade.
Mbale said as a business administration graduate, he was ready and eager to utilise the knowledge acquired to start his own business and create employment to others, in the long run.
