President Lazarus Chakwera has challenged Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) graduates to focus on turning their education into enterprises, saying scientific and technological skills are a must for Malawi’s development agenda to become a reality.
He was speaking this morning during the graduation ceremony for MUST graduands at the university’s campus in Thyolo where he was also installed as MUST Chancellor.
Chakwera said science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates are integral to Malawi’s Vision 2063 – the vision for Malawi to become an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant, industrialized, upper middle-income country.
He noted that Malawians need to end poverty and unemployment and this can be done by equipping people with skills and creating industries that require those skills.
“To create industries in any sector of the economy, we need STEM graduates of schools like MUST to turn their education into bankable enterprises,” said Chakwera.
He added that pillars for creating wealth and self-reliance such as urbanization, industrialization and agriculture commercialization cannot be achieved without the use of science and technology, skills which the graduands have acquired.
He also urged graduands to get more skills that are necessary for creation of entire enterprises.
Speaking earlier, MUST Vice Chancellor Address Malata said the university has released the graduands into the market confident that they have acquired right knowledge, skills and attitude to contribute towards the realization of a wealthy and self-reliant nation.
“We have exposed them to entrepreneurial and innovative skills which will enable them to make significant contribution to the country,” she said.
Today’s graduation was the second congregation of the university. MUST has over 3000 students and offers 22 undergraduate programmes.
