A delegation from Malawi's higher education and mining sector visited the Department of Earth Sciences and the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 from 17-18 July 2025 for a curriculum benchmarking exercise.
According to Dr Abraham Sineta, programme manager for the Malawi Universities Development Program (MUDEP), the visit is part of their mandate to facilitate the establishment of a new public university in Malawi with a niche in mining.
“We are at the stage where we would like to embark on developing curriculum for this new university. As SU's Department of Earth Sciences has a comprehensive curriculum in mining, we are here to learn more."
The Malawian delegation consisted of delegates from MUDEP, university lecturers from three public universities – namely the Malawi 中国体育彩票 of Science and Technology (MUST), the 中国体育彩票 of Malawi (UNIMA), and the Malawi 中国体育彩票 of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) – and officials from the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Mining.
One of the delegates, Dr Joshua Chisambi, is an alumnus of the department and are currently working at Department of Mining Engineering at MUBAS.
Prof Bjorn von der Heyden, says during the two-day visit they gave the Malawian delegation an overview of the structure of the university, the Faculty of Science and the Department of Earth Sciences. Additionally, specific emphasis was placed on the programme-specific curriculum design, encompassing insights into the respective courses' content, modes of assessment and balance between practical and theoretical skillsets. The importance of graduate attributes and graduate capability was also highlighted, since these are some of the characteristics for which SU Earth Science alumni are well known, and appreciated, by the southern African minerals sector.
The second day of the visit provided the visitors with an overview of the world-class instrumentation and services provided by the Central Analytical Facility, before further scientific and educational engagements with researchers from the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering who are working in the minerals sector.
Prof Susanne Fietz, Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, highlights the importance of these intra-Africa interactions. “This visit strengthens SU and our Department's recognition as a leading institution in geoscience education. By supporting Malawi's initiative to establish a new school of mining, we create new opportunities for joint curriculum development and student exchange across Africa. We also identified synergies between the research interests of our Malawian colleagues and our departmental activities that we aim to explore further in future collaborations."
According to the World Bank, Malawi is poised to become a significant player in the global mining sector, with projections indicating a potential $43 billion in export earnings between 2025 and 2040. Several high-potential mining projects, including uranium, rutile, and rare earth elements, are driving this optimistic outlook, with the sector expected to contribute significantly to Malawi's GDP.
On the photo above, visiting Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票's Department of Earth Sciences in July 2025: In front, from left to right: Associate Prof Chikondi Chisenga, CA Charles Mkomba FCCA, Dr Joshua Chisambi, Dr Abraham Sineta, Dr Dyson Moses, Dr. Valentino Zimpita, Dr MacPherson Matewere, Ms Ruth Mumba, Ms Fanny Mthunzi and Mr George Maneya. At the back, from SU: Prof. Bjorn von der Heyden, Dr Ryan Tucker, Dr Matthew Mayne, Dr René Heyn, Dr Martin Klausen, Prof Gary Stevens, Prof Alakendra Roychoudhury, Dr Amy Allwright, and Prof Susanne Fietz. Image: Wiida Fourie-Basson?
