United States (US)-funded projects in some public universities have been halted, including financial support for students.
This follows US President Donald Trump’s January 20 2025 Executive order suspending all foreign assistance and the shutting down of the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid), which spends billions of dollars in aid across the globe supporting a wide range of sectors.
The public universities affected, according to separate memos we have seen, include Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar) and Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must).
The situation has since brought uncertainty to both staff and students who were relying on Usaid for their projects and tuition, among other forms of assistance.
Kuhes registrar Christopher Namagowa, in a memo to staff and students dated February 4 2025, said the stop order has led to failure to access and utilise funding for the university’s various projects and initiatives.
He said: “As a result, we must suspend all activities related to US-funded programmes, effective immediately.
“In the meantime, principal investigators [PIs] for US-funded programmes will ensure regular updates and guidance are provided to all affected staff and students.
“We understand this is a challenging time and we encourage you to reach out to your PIs with any immediate questions or concerns you may have.”
Similarly, a memo dated February 3 2025 from the office of the registrar at Luanar said the institution had no choice, but to suspend all activities.
“All staff that were working in Usaid- funded projects are, therefore, advised to immediately stop working.
“Similarly, students that were getting support from Usaid projects are advised that their funding is no longer there; hence, may consider to either drop out or look for funding alternatives,” reads the memo.
The memo further stated that Luanar does not have resources to continue with the Usaid-funded projects and affected students and staff must abide by what has been communicated.
In its memo dated February 6 2025 from the office of the registrar, Must has also advised affected students to consider seeking funding alternatives.
Part of the memo reads: “Consequently, all staff involved in Usaid-funded projects are kindly requested to cease work on these activities with immediate effect. Similarly, students who were receiving financial support under the Usaid-funded projects are advised that this funding is no longer available.
“We encourage affected students to explore alternative funding options to continue their studies. Please note that the university does not have the resources to sustain these activities independently.”
According to the memo, the university will be providing updates as soon as any further information relating to the situation becomes available.
Reacting to the developments on Friday, Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe in an interview said the situation will have severe consequences in public universities, especially in areas of research, student funding and institutional development.
He said many students, in particular those from poor backgrounds, will be forced to drop out, worsening access to higher education and deepening inequality.
He said: “For universities, the suspension of donor-funded projects will weaken institutional capacity, limit research opportunities and reduce the quality of education.
“Many critical programmes that contribute to national development, including those in health, agriculture and governance, may suffer setbacks.”
To mitigate such risks in future, Kondowe said government must apply an adaptive management strategy that ensures sustainable financing for the education sector.
Most importantly, he said government must take decisive action to reduce corruption and promote the efficient use of domestic resources.
“Strengthening accountability and transparency in public spending will not only restore donor confidence, but also enhance the resilience of Malawi’s higher education system, reducing dependency on external funding,” he said.
In a separate interview education expert Limbani Nsapato said in the interim, government should step in to provide scholarships or loan facilities to students.
He said: “As a long-term measure, government needs to reduce dependence on donors for development projects, including in tertiary education.
“There is need to intensify domestic revenue mobilisation and innovative strategies such as introducing higher education levy, diaspora contributions, using idle pension funds and investing more in mining and tourism. Such methods can help increase revenue locally.”
Nation on Sunday’s efforts to speak to Minister of Higher Education Jessie Kabwila on Friday proved futile as he did not pick our phone calls or respond to our questionnaire.
