The scholarships presentation ceremony took place on 5 January, 2024 at MUBAS main campus in Blantyre. The total value is approximated at MK16 million which is targeting students who are pursuing ICT related programmes. 

The Director of Student Affairs at MUBAS, Dr. Getrude Sitolo, expressed gratitude to Werkix for the scholarships as she pointed out that the donation will enable the beneficiaries to concentrate on their studies with a peace of mind as they will not have to worry about tuition fees.

“As MUBAS, we welcome this partnership as it will help the institution achieve its mission of developing human capital that can drive the pace of economic transformation at the local and global levels, thereby contributing to the attainment of Malawi’s 2063 agenda,” said the Director of Student Affairs.

Sitolo added that just as MUBAS offers programmes in ICT related fields, the sponsoring company commitment to support MUBAS ICT students will help the students in discovering their potential and explore innovations with peers in web and software development, cyber security, and networking. 

Speaking in an interview, Mr. David Baliles, the co-founder of Werkix company, acknowledged the significant role that MUBAS is playing in training and producing ICT specialists. He further added that the scholarships will help Malawi to develop its own human resource in software management instead of relying on sourcing ICT expertise from other countries.

“We encourage the students to not just have the degree at the end of their education, but they should actually have a chance to explore innovative ideas from well experienced experts in software development, graphic designing and IT administrative works and be able to transform the country’s ICT landscape,” Baliles said.

Baliles also said that the financial assistance has been provided to inspire and motivate the students and give them a new view of life in the world of technology. 

Besides the financial assistance, the students will be provided with internship and employment opportunities at Werkix once they graduate.

The two institutions hope to establish a long term partnership which may possibly lead to the establishment of an e-Learning academy at MUBAS for the benefit of the community.