President pledges support to RUFORUM

Nyasa Times 24 August 2018

Malawi’s President Professor Peter Mutharika, ‘champion for higher education in Africa’, has pledged to support the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) activities in advancing broader investment in higher education with a focus on science and technology, writes Manasse Nyirenda-Mana for Nyasa Times.

Speaking on Thursday when he hosted a RUFORUM delegation at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, Mutharika said he is committed to the enhancement of higher education in Africa through promotion of investment at this level of education. “No country can develop without proper investment in higher education and that is why my government has invested substantial financial resources in this area and vocational skills development through construction of community technical colleges,” Mutharika said.

The president further said there was need to increase the number of qualified staff to PhD level in institutions of higher learning in Malawi and across Africa in order to find solutions to challenges haunting the African continent. Executive Secretary for RUFORUM, Professor Adipala Ekwamu, lauded Mutharika for his commitment to higher education as evidenced by the Malawi government’s substantial budget towards this level of education. “Malawi is the first country in Africa to allocate 1% of gross domestic product to higher education.”
Full report on the Nyasa Times site

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