UNIMA students told to turn failure into success

The road to success is rarely straight, and students have been reminded that some of the biggest setbacks can become the turning point they need to move forward.

UTM Party Rumphi Central lawmaker Matthews Mtumbuka made the call on Sunday when he addressed members of the National Movement of Catholic Students (NMCS) at the University of Malawi (UNIMA).

Mtumbuka, who was UTM president Dalitso Kabambe’s running mate in the 2025 presidential election, urged students to believe in themselves, work hard and take advantage of opportunities regardless of their backgrounds.

“Failure is a stepping stone for success. Those who fear failure, fear success,” he said.

Drawing from his own journey from rural Rumphi to engineering, business and politics, Mtumbuka said his experience showed that humble beginnings should not determine how far young people can go.

He said he grew up as the son of two teachers at rural Catholic primary schools before enrolling at St Patrick’s Seminary with the ambition of becoming a priest.

He later changed direction and studied engineering at the then Polytechnic, now Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), where he held several student leadership positions.

Mtumbuka said he later founded a renewable energy NGO and won a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford, where he obtained his PhD at the age of 27.

He went on to work for Shell Oil in Scotland before returning to Malawi in 2009, later working for Airtel and serving as chief executive officer and managing director of two international engineering and information technology companies.

In 2023, he took early retirement to establish his own business, which he said now employs more than 80 people, including over 10 graduates.

Mtumbuka entered politics in 2024 following the death of former Vice-President Saulos Chilima and said he lost several elections before winning the Rumphi Central parliamentary by-election in March 2026.

He also acknowledged the challenges graduates face in Malawi, particularly unemployment, and called for more opportunities in mining, manufacturing and export-oriented industries.

Mtumbuka further proposed partnerships with countries facing shortages of skilled professionals to create employment opportunities for Malawian graduates abroad.

“With the excess graduates that we have, government should also partner with countries in need of skilled labour to send our young people there for white collar jobs,” he said.

He urged students to start with available opportunities, including internships, volunteering and small businesses, saying such experiences could open doors to bigger opportunities.

Mtumbuka cited two science students who volunteered for research opportunities at the Wellcome Trust in the early 2000s and later became professors as an example of how persistence can create opportunities.

He also encouraged students to maintain good health, develop a positive attitude, organise their work, surround themselves with supportive people and continuously improve their knowledge and skills.

He reminded the students that success should not only be measured by personal achievements but also by the ability to serve and contribute to society.