By Bright Malenga, MUST
The Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) has committed to establish strong relationships with Japanese Government and universities in areas of research, innovation, infrastructural development and capacity building.
The remarks were made on May 23, 2023 when Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, His Excellency Youichi Oya visited MUST to appreciate services at the university.
MUST Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Jonathan Makuwira, said the institution, through the Japanese Embassy, was ready to establish robust relationships with Japanese universities and government.
“We are committed to tap into various opportunities offered by Japanese institutions of higher learning and the Japanese government as MUST. This would in turn enable us to help the Malawi Government in achieving the Malawi 2063 vision.
Meanwhile, we have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kagoshima University but it is our desire to partner with several other Japanese universities,” said Professor Makuwira.
“We really need some equipment that can add value to our activities at MUST because we know that for us to have an impact, we need to impart practical skills in our students that can facilitate social-economic growth of the country.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Oya urged MUST to utilize various opportunities offered by Japanese universities, agencies and government.
“I am glad that you have a relationship with Kagoshima University which is situated in the southern part of Japan. Explore other universities in other regions so that MUST can continue benefiting from Japanese universities.
“We also have several institutions in Japan that are into science and technology that can help this university to achieve its vision. This can boost Malawi’s capacity building to grow industrialisation ,” said the Ambassador.
Oya also urged MUST to start teaching Japanese language to bridge the communication gap between the two countries.
“I am requesting you to include Japanese as one of the foreign languages taught at this university. Japan is ready to support development of African countries including Malawi, and as such there is a need for African countries to learn the Japanese language. We are committed to continue supporting Malawi in areas like scholarships and vocational training,” said Oya.
The interactive meeting was attended by Directors of schools and institutes at MUST, namely Bingu School of Culture and Heritage, MUST Institute of Industrial Research and Innovation, Ndata School of Climate and Earth Sciences, and Malawi Institute of Technology.
