PROF SAJIDU APPOINTED AS VICE CHANCELLOR

The University of Malawi has new leadership in the person of Professor Samson Mkali Idruss Sajidu who was, in March 2022, appointed to helm the institution. His appointment follows the interviews that took place on 5th January 2022.

Professor Sajidu becomes the 10th Chancellor of the University, but the first in that position since the institution became a fully-fledged university, following the delinking process. Professor Sajidu’s appointment is as a welcome development for an institution which is treading new ground, in a climate that is very different from the one in previous years. With his appointment, all stakeholders of the University of Malawi are optimistic that the running of the institution will take a turn for the better. The appointment of the Vice Chancellor is the first step towards filling the key management positions in the university.

In the speech which he delivered during the 13th April 2022 graduation ceremony, which many took to be his inaugural speech, the new Vice Chancellor confirmed his commitment to uphold the ideals and beliefs of the University, the Council, the Senate and the entire University community to achieve the excellence that has long been associated with the institution.

Professor Sajidu has an impressive portfolio of teaching, research and leadership. He has served as Vice Principal, as well as Acting Principal, of Chancellor College. He has also led the Faculty of Science as Dean, and has also been Head of the Chemistry Department. He holds an MPhil in Chemistry (2001) from University of Cambridge, and was awarded a PhD in Chemistry (2008) from the University of Malawi and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

The new Vice Chancellor is a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society and in 2010 he received the AU-TWAS Young Scientist National award for Malawi. Professor Sajidu serves as a member of Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) sub-committee on customer and consumer forum. He is currently serving as a co-opted senate member of Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST). He has also served on the Board of Council for National Herbarium and Botanical Gardens of Malawi. He is an invited reviewer of articles in a number of international peer reviewed journals.

Professor Sajidu is a seasoned academic, specializing in water chemistry. In this field, he has conducted research in a number of areas, including the identification of water fluoric areas in Malawi, use of locally sourced materials such as gypysum, bauxite and clays in water defluoridation, use of Moringa oleifera, Moringa stenopetala and clays in heavy metal detoxification in water.

Professor Sajidu has authored numerous internationally refereed journal articles. He has also presented a number of papers at international conferences, and is a renowned consultant within the country. He was also the editor of the Malawi Journal of Science and Technology, and is one of the founding editors of the UNIMA Bulletin.