MUST hosts Malawi, Tanzania military officers
By Peggy Mphonda, LCC3
The Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), on April 18, 2024 hosted the Tanzania and Malawi military delegates who visited the institution to appreciate some of its work.
The team comprised officers and students from the Malawi and Tanzania national defence colleges.
In his remarks, MUST deputy vice chancellor, Professor Wilson Mandala hailed the partnership between the university and other Government agencies.
“There is a lot that we can learn from each other in this partnership. On our part, we are ready to collaborate with the military on a number of areas, including technology,” he said.
"We can always build on what we already have. MUST could be a training ground for most of the MDF personnel in the long run. Already we are collaborating with MDF at the Staff Command College in Salima and we are ready to diversify our collaboration.”
Head of the delegation and MDF’s Brigadier General Professor Dan Kuwali, also seized the opportunity to share insights through a presentation titled “Leveraging emerging technologies for defence and security”.
In his presentation, among others, Brigadier General Kuwali highlighted the need to invest in emerging technologies.
“If countries were able to harness the capabilities of emerging technologies, they would be able to promote innovations because these technologies have an impact on defense and security. Quantum computing and cryptography, among others, will help us defend ourselves from hackings and threatening systems," he said.
Apart from Professor Mandala, the MUST team also had Executive Dean of the Bingu School of Culture and Heritage Dr Atikonda Mtenje-Mkochi, and former deputy vice chancellor, Professor Jonathan Makuwira, heads of department and members of staff.
The military delegates also toured the MUST campus and appreciated works under the African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA), the University Technology and Innovation Garage, the Design Studio and Ceramic Studio, among others.
MUST has a memorandum of understanding with MDF touching on a number of areas, including joint offering of the Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Studies targeting senior military officers from Malawi and the region.