The University of Malawi (UNIMA) says it is committed to building strategic partnerships with the private sector as one way of enhancing staff retention and productivity.
UNIMA’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samson Sajidu, said this on Wednesday during the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University and NBS Bank on financial services benefiting both members of staff and students.
Professor Sajidu described the partnership as an opportunity for staff development and expressed his excitement, saying it will go a long way in promoting staff welfare.
“One major challenge we have is that of staff retention because at times we do not have the capacity to give them enough support and if they are challenged in their families they end up looking for opportunities elsewhere. So, we are extremely excited as a university because this initiative will significantly contribute to staff development and retention efforts,” said Sajidu.
In her remarks, Chief Retail Banking Officer for NBS Bank, Victoria Chanza, said through the MoU, the bank offers tailor made solutions on financial inclusion such as training UNIMA staff members on financial management and investment.
“As a bank we will also be involved in financial inclusion by training UNIMA staff on how they can handle, invest and manage their finances and we believe that the challenges that they had before this MoU was signed are over,” she said.
