Newly appointed SMEDI chief Kondwani Kachamba Ngwira’s unclear academic background raises eyebrows

By Lyson Swala

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Some Malawians on social media have taken on newly appointed Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kondwani Kachamba Ngwira for failing to clearly indicate the academic institutions where he obtained his qualifications.

The criticism follows an update shared by the SMEDI announcing Ngwira’s appointment, in which several of his academic qualifications were listed without mentioning the institutions where they were obtained.

According to SMEDI update,Ngwira is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics in Malaysia and holds several advanced qualifications, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a forthcoming Master of Science (MSc) in Entrepreneurship from Malawi, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Business Management.

In addition, he holds a Certificate in Economics for Public Policy from the University of Oxford and has obtained professional certifications from the World Bank Institute.

Says one of the Facebook users Phiri Kapito Maurices:”Congratulations! koma this is incomplete infoomation. Kamufuseni bwino bwanayo akuuzeni his academic background, experience and his interest.”

Another Facebook user Chawala Banda writes:”1. At which institution is he a PhD candidate?

2. Which university did he get his Master’s degree from?
3. What are the names of his two companies?
4. Where is Oxford University located?
5. What certifications does he hold from the World Bank Institute?.We want to confirm.”

“They have managed to mention the school for the certificate, what about the schools for the Bachelors, Masters and PhD…which schools are those…like PhD in economics from University of Malawi, MSc in Business administration from MUBAS, BSc in business administration from MUBAS…. that will add more fire …tell them to restructure the post….anyway congratulations,” writes another Facebook user Redson Mwandama.

“When presenting academic papers. They have to be well explained without reasonable doubt. With how it looks, his academic qualifications are not stating clearly where he got them from, tingova ma BSc, MSc and PhD. Osanena ma institutions omwe anatengerako and corresponding years,” comments another Facebook user Emmanuel Malamba.

Another Facebook user Hudson Innocent Kawinga writes:”Some are saying that we shouldn’t question his academic status …. We should because he is holding public office and we are the public. If it was private zinali za bho bho komanso it’s not nsanje, ndipo we don’t wish kuti asakhale CEO koma zotinamizazo ayi, be clear basi. Aaah athu mukumabakila zopusa bwanji.”

“At last some people are speaking the truth about Kachamba. I know where his clinic or lab as he claimed sometimes was. I know he treated 2 people that I know very well. When I asked a question, the science he explained to me was strange. I told the relative to immediately stop going to the clinic. We had paid several instalments for the treatment. By then, he told me that he was a PhD student at Mekelele University. He claimed to be sending information to professors at Makelele to assist in interpretation. He claimed to have worked for Irrigation Department in Ministry of Agriculture before going into medicine. Dont trust what comes out of his mouth,” says another Facebook user .

Meanwhile , the newly appointed SMEDI CEO has not yet responded to the accusations.