Universities all over the world serve as institutions of knowledge generation, retention and dissemination. Besides this, members of the academy also play a leading role in expressing their opinions, lead in debates and give guidance where critical and topical issues of public interest are interrogated. In doing this, universities fulfill their expected mandate of utilizing their available intellectual capital to use systematically synthesized evidence and foresight in influencing the nature and direction of national policies and programming thereby impacting on the delivery of public and social services.

As the university of Malawi celebrates its Golden Jubilee under the theme “UNIMA@50: A time for celebration and reflection”, it appreciates the fact that there are many critical issues in Malawi which are of public interest and require a candid and objective debate.  These include, among others the following:

1. Interrogating the role of higher education institutions in the implementation of national development initiatives, strategies and policies (e.g. The National Education Sector Plan, MGDSII, Vision 2020) as well as  international development aspirations and frameworks such as the AU 2063 Agenda and the Post 2015 Sustainable Development  Goals;
2. Current trends in funding higher education;
3. Climate Change and  Human resilience;
4. National Disaster preparedness;
5. Private-public university partnerships;
6. The interface between cultural and national values and their relevance  to development, and
7. Research and community engagement.

In this regard, the University of Malawi has organized a Thought Leadership Dialogue where the issue above will be discussed by selected keynote speakers and panels of discussants from the public and private sector, government ministries and departments, national and international organizations, higher education institutions, civil society, media and other stakeholders.

The Dialogue will take place in the Great Hall at Chancellor College in Zomba from 30th September – 1st October, 2015. Members of the general public are invited to participate on self-sponsorship at USD250 per delegate.

Contact person:

• jsaka@unima.mw (+265 999 472),
• vc@unima.mw (+265 881 558 235)
• pmitundu@unima.mw (+265 888 120 194).