FAWEMA Engages New Higher Education Director
On Monday [13 April 2026], FAWEMA paid a courtesy call to the Directorate for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education Science and Technology in Lilongwe and held an interface meeting with the new Director for Higher Education, Dr Robert Fritz Kadyoma and senior officials from his department.
During the meeting, FAWEMA Executive Director Mr Wesley Chabwera presented an overview of the organization and briefed the Director on the key programmes currently being implemented by FAWEMA.
Mr Chabwera highlighted the seven-year FAWE/Mastercard Foundation Phase II Programme, which is designed to expand educational opportunities for marginalized young people who have faced barriers to continuing their education. The programme offers a second chance for disadvantaged youth to access tertiary education.
Originally implemented in three countries—Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda—the second phase of the programme has now expanded to ten African countries, with Malawi, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Senegal, and Tanzania joining the initial cohort.
In Malawi, the programme aims to directly benefit 1,350 marginalized young women and men by facilitating access to higher education through:
Technical Education and Vocational Education and Training (TEVET) programmes offered at public technical colleges and health sciences programmes at the Malawi College of Health Sciences; and
Entry into public and private universities through bridging programmes to pursue courses in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Mr Chabwera reported that implementation of the programme in Malawi is progressing well, with 340 students from two cohorts already recruited and currently pursuing studies in different disciplines.
“All this progress has been possible because of the overwhelming support we continue to receive from the Ministry,” he said.
Mr Chabwera applauded the strong partnership the organization has with the Ministry of Education, National Council for Higher Education and various universities.
Among others, FAWEMA partnered with NCHE to disseminate bringing guidelines; assessment tools for bridging programs; and the development of the minimum body of knowledge for bridging curriculums.
In his remarks, Dr Kadyoma commended FAWEMA for being a long-time partner in the education sector and said his Directorate will continue to support the organization’s efforts aimed at increasing access to quality higher education.
“We see the [FAWE/Mastercard Foundation] bursary programme to being an important initiative as it targets the most vulnerable individuals in our communities,” he said.
