You completed your master’s degree in the UK before serving as attorney general of Malawi. Looking back, what difference did studying in Britain make to your career?
My studies in the UK were directly relevant to the work I went on to do in Malawi. The knowledge and skills I gained contributed significantly to my career, including my work in the financial sector before I became attorney general.
In Malawi, there is also a strong perception that postgraduate qualifications from established UK universities carry significant professional value. That is not to diminish the quality of education in Malawi, but UK qualifications are often highly regarded by employers.
Beyond the academic experience, studying in Britain also gave me opportunities to develop as a leader. Through the students’ union, I represented different communities, experiences that helped me build skills beyond the classroom.
Those connections continued long after graduation. When I was appointed attorney general, my former university recognised the appointment and celebrated one of its alumni reaching that position, demonstrating the lasting value of the professional networks that universities can provide.
International education has become an increasingly important pathway for many African professionals. From your experience, how do students from Malawi decide where to study?
I would be careful about speaking for the whole of Africa because every country has its own context. Speaking specifically about Malawi, international education, particularly at postgraduate level, plays an important role in developing the country’s public sector, academia and professional workforce.
Many students complete their undergraduate degrees locally before looking overseas for master’s and doctoral study, with affordability remaining one of the biggest barriers.
Students consider destinations including the US, Germany, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, but in my experience the UK remains the preferred choice. Many professionals across the public sector, private sector and international organisations have postgraduate qualifications from British universities.
That comes down to a combination of factors: longstanding historical ties, familiarity with British institutions, the global reputation of UK universities and the availability of scholarships such as Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships, which make studying in the UK more accessible.
You have spoken about universities needing to ask themselves different questions. What should institutions be asking when they design their courses?
The starting point should be: what is actually needed in the market?
Universities then need to ask how they can respond to those needs, what areas require further research, and what the people who ultimately use that knowledge – whether employers, governments, industries or communities – actually require.
Higher education should contribute to solving problems and generating innovation. Research is extremely important, including research that does not have an immediate commercial outcome, but institutions should still think seriously about the application and relevance of what they are teaching.
There needs to be a distinction between acquiring a qualification and acquiring knowledge and skills. Assessment should not simply demonstrate that somebody is capable of passing an examination; it should also demonstrate what that graduate is able to understand and apply.
If universities want to build stronger recruitment partnerships with countries such as Malawi, what should they be doing differently?
Universities should begin by understanding a country’s needs, not simply its recruitment potential. That means engaging with governments and institutions to identify skills gaps and development priorities, because every country has different workforce needs.
Research collaboration is one of the strongest ways to build those relationships. Governments invest in overseas education to strengthen their human capital, so universities should align their partnerships with those national priorities rather than focusing solely on student recruitment.
Those partnerships should also extend beyond government to include industry, academic collaboration and faculty exchanges. International recruitment is most successful when it forms part of a broader, long-term relationship between institutions and countries.
The UK has seen international student recruitment become more challenging in recent years. What do universities need to do to remain competitive?
There are several factors that universities need to consider. Immigration policy is one of them, and universities need to work closely with the UK government because immigration rules inevitably affect the attractiveness of the country as a study destination.
But universities also need to do a better job of communicating their value. Prospective students want more than a course title. There is still an information gap.
Universities have remarkable professors, researchers, leaders and alumni, but how visible are they to prospective students overseas? Students should be able to understand who is teaching at an institution, what those academics are researching, what its alumni have achieved and what impact the university is having.
The UK already has strong universities and a significant international reputation. The question is how effectively institutions communicate that value to the markets from which they hope to recruit.
