University of Glasgow Connect

Best practice in partnering with Malawi

By Dr Mwapatsa Mipando and Professor Paul Garside

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

Perhaps you have heard the African proverb above, it very much typifies the ethos of the team that established the Blantyre-Blantyre Research Facility based at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), formerly the College of Medicine, University of Malawi.

The team is headed up by Professor Paul Garside, Senior Advisory Fellow in the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, and Dr Mwapatsa Mipando, immediate past principal of the former College of Medicine, both University of Glasgow. Over the last six years, the team has successfully established a state-of-the-art research facility out of an old lecture theatre on the KUHeS campus.

Today the facility is complete and houses cutting-edge research and diagnostic equipment, including advanced microscopy and a clinical sample repository and management system. The project came about after Professor Garside spent a three-month sabbatical in Malawi during which he met Dr Mipando. It soon became evident that by working together to build the new laboratory facility they could develop research programmes that would have mutual benefit for healthcare in both their home countries by comparing the causes of poor health and low life expectancy in Blantyre, Scotland and Blantyre, Malawi. Hence the lab facility's name, Blantyre-Blantyre.

The facility is funded from an award of £1.2 million from the Scottish Government International Development Fund with match funding from the World Bank and the Wellcome Trust. The laboratory has already attracted interest from across the globe, with academic researchers and pharmaceutical and industry partners seeking to use the services and facilities available to develop a wide range of projects.

In the early years, it rapidly became clear that creating the correct training environment to support future staff and further strengthen capacity in Malawi would be key to the facility’s long-term success. By developing a pipeline of local research leaders and a critical mass of biomedically trained Masters’ students, doctoral fellows and senior researchers, essentially by designing a road map for local talent to compete on an international basis, the project has ensured a ready supply of trained expertise. To this end the University of Glasgow linked up with The Beit Trust to jointly fund Masters’ training at University of Glasgow for Malawian students. A perfect example of capacity building in action.

Similarly, the importance of professional services staff in areas such as administration and finance was also recognised with two-way training visits proving very important as the facility and its services develop and expand. For example, the appointment of a commercial manager who implemented a business plan to ensure that the facility will be self-sustaining secures its longevity and is a valuable asset for KUHeS.

Powered by sustainable green energy

As it has gathered momentum, the Blantyre-Blantyre project has also attracted additional components. A highlight has been the installation of solar power to the laboratory. Investment secured from the Scottish Funding Council Global Challenges Research Fund allowed the management team to install 80 solar panels on the roof. All the lab’s energy needs are now provided by this clean green energy solution with excess energy being distributed across the KUHeS campus.

It’s envisaged that using this exemplar model, surplus energy will be sold back to the Malawi energy supply companies. Critically, the solar power installation was by a company from Botswana (African Sun Energy Ltd) established by a UofG graduate and providing a great example of south-south cooperation. The knowledge and experience gained from the solar installation project also benefitted the wider Malawian community: it trained solar engineers in installation methods and created full-time employment for a female trainee. The solar power project has been so successful there are now plans for it to be rolled out to other rural healthcare settings. Thus, some rural clinics should soon be powered by Malawi’s 3,000 plus hours of sunshine each year.

Why has the Blantyre-Blantyre Research Facility project been so successful?

The project was recently mentioned in a European Commission, Director General for Research report with its management team being congratulated as an exemplar of best practice in working with African partners.

Moreover, it has influenced the way in which The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities approaches equitable partnership. "The example of the Blantyre-Blantyre Research Facility – and the personal commitment of the researchers from the University of Glasgow – have been a deep inspiration to me personally, and to our entire network," explains Prof Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General, The Guild. "They helped change us, and how we want to foster research collaborations between the global north and the global south, for the benefit of science, and for the benefit of humanity."

"Africa is ready and made a call for respect and for scientists to work together and listen to each other for mutual global success."

Perhaps its success is due to the emphasis on mutual trust and the realisation that one-way benefit for partners is not sustainable in the longer term. By taking the time to establish a respectful working environment and listening to African partners’ needs, the management team continually puts an emphasis on experiencing and seeing face-to-face the in-country challenges faced by African colleagues.

The management team prioritised resources in support of better financial accountability and lab quality assurance. Professor Garside explains, "Dr Mipando and I pulled together a cosmopolitan team from different backgrounds with a variety of skills: research scientists, grants administrators, technicians, marketing, PR and IT specialists. These professionals from both Malawi and Scotland came together to develop a mutually beneficial partnership that has had tremendous impact and resulted in valuable knowledge transfer. With the Blantyre-Blantyre Research Facility, we have established a lab open to all researchers, which will have international accreditation and provide the necessary infrastructure for a conducive research and academic environment. Malawian scientists told us what they needed, and we listened and worked with them resulting in a quality research environment in which to study an array of multimorbidities and priority research areas that will ultimately benefit a global audience."

"In recent years, the world experienced a global pandemic and only by collaborating to share data, techniques, vaccines and newly discovered knowledge have research scientists made headway in how best to tackle COVID-19."

Global partnerships built on mutual understanding and respect

Successful global health partnerships generally have positive impacts in achieving objectives: they raise the profile of the diseases/areas studied, they mobilise commitment, accelerate funding and are often able to leverage additional funding. A truly successful global health partnership will fit within country national priorities and deliver wider benefits beyond the original objective and tackle broader issues.

The Blantyre-Blantyre project achieved all the above and the added value achieved from partnerships, strong collaborations and further research. Ongoing funding applications that have emerged are immense and will have long-term benefits for both Scotland and Malawi.

In Malawi, a common first greeting is Muli bwanji (How are you?). Start your conversation with African partners with something similar, ask what they need, don’t tell them what you think they need, listen to them, get an in-country view of what would help - and you are on the right track for success.

In a recent address at The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) conference held in South Africa, Dr Mipando said "Africa is ready and made a call for respect and for scientists to work together and listen to each other for mutual global success."

First published in College Voice, Spring 2022. Updated February 2024.