University of Malawi Trains Police Officers in Computer Skills

With computers playing an increasingly central role in various jobs including law enforcement, the University of Malawi (UNIMA) has launched a training programme aimed at equipping female police officers with digital skills to perform their duties more effectively.

The University, through its Department of Computing, is hosting a two-day computer training programme for police officers.

The training has brought together 75 female police officers, alongside male officers, from different departments of the Malawi Police Service, including Public Relations, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Prosecution and Human Resources.

Speaking during the opening ceremony for the training on Thursday 13th August 2026, the University Librarian, Mr Brian Sitima-Ndau, encouraged the participants to take full advantage of the training and apply the knowledge gained to their daily work.

Mr Sitima-Ndau, who represented the Vice-Chancellor of UNIMA, thanked the Department of Computing for engaging the Malawi Police Service, describing the Police as an important stakeholder of the university.

He also stressed the importance of ensuring that women are not left behind in Malawi’s digital transformation and development efforts.

“Women should not be left out. Women are a large part of Malawi’s population. You cannot talk about any development while excluding the largest population,” Mr Sitima-Ndau said.

Coordinator of female police officers at Malawi Police Service, Superintendent Josephine Chigawa, described the training as important because of the growing reliance on computers in the workplace.

“This training is very important because we are in a digital world. You cannot do much at work without computers,” Chigawa said.

Among those present at the opening ceremony were the Head of the Department of Computing, Dr. Kondwani Munthali; Dr. Chipo Kanjo, a Senior Lecturer in the department and UNIMA-IDT4M Coordinator; and representatives from UNDP, Phylis Chibisa and Diana Asante-Darko.

The two-day training is expected to strengthen the officers’ computer skills and improve their efficiency in an increasingly digital working environment.

The training forms part of broader efforts to promote gender inclusion in Malawi’s digital transformation. By equipping women in the Malawi Police Service with digital skills, the initiative seeks not only to empower individual officers but also to contribute to a more effective, professional and digitally capable police service.

The training is being conducted under the Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi (IDT4M) programme, a broader initiative supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which commenced in 2024.

The initiative further demonstrates UNIMA’s commitment to community outreach and its efforts to make digital skills accessible to key stakeholders and communities beyond the university.

Through initiatives such as IDT4M, the Department of Computing is using technology not only as a tool for education, but also as a means of empowering people, strengthening institutions and creating opportunities for digital participation.