History of the Malawi Millennium Project
The Malawi Millennium Project (MMP) was founded on Malawi's historical links with Scotland and the University of Strathclyde. These links were established through explorer and missionary David Livingstone, who studied at Strathclyde in the 1830s.
The Malawi Millennium Project is based on self-help and sustainability. Its original main aim was to assist in educating the personnel necessary to train future generations of Malawian teachers, nurses, scientists, technicians, and engineers. This was to ensure that they could manage some of the health and education problems in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The Project was a collaborative venture between the University of Strathclyde and the University of Malawi. Strathclyde has had academic links to the University of Malawi that date back to the early 1990s.
The then Principal, Professor John Arbuthnott, University Secretary, Dr Peter West, and Professor Alan McGown were responsible for setting up the MMP. They remained the driving forces behind it until their respective retirements.
Co-operation Agreement
The Project initiated a campaign to formalise links between Scotland and Malawi. This led to a Co-operation Agreement between the two countries in 2005.
Signed by Scotland's First Minister and the President of Malawi, the Agreement allowed increased collaboration in the areas of Civic Governance and Society, Sustainable Economic Development, Health, and Education.
The Agreement was signed when the President of Malawi at that time (His Excellency Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa Mutharika) visited the Scottish Parliament to attend a major conference. This was organised by the Scotland Malawi Partnership.
The Scotland Malawi Partnership, of which the Malawi Millennium Project is a founding member, was set up in 2005. It provides a networking forum for individuals and organisations in Scotland with an interest in supporting Malawi.