I returned to Malawi on 5th November for my next block of six weeks at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS).

One of my first ports of call, on Friday 7th November, was the building site on the KUHeS campus where the new dental teaching facility is being constructed. Earlier posts about the construction process can be viewed here and here. I visited with Peter Chimimba and was astonished at the pace of progress over the previous six weeks whilst I had been in Scotland.

The first floor has now been added and the structure has begun to assume the shape of the model I wrote about previously. Peering into the interior it was even possible to make out the lift shafts, stairs and the stepped structure of the central atrium.

The site was a hive of activity with men hammering, sawing and pouring concrete…

The view from the basement level gave a very clear indication of the progress being made:

In one corner of the site, men were busy preparing the rebar for the reinforced concrete columns which will support the roof:

On Monday 10th November, the third formal site meeting was held, chaired by Patrick Calisse of MOD Architects.

After the formal meeting was concluded, I went on a walk around the site with Patrick Calisse and Soobhas Sobnack, our structural engineer, which was both exciting and illuminating. They explained to me in detail the drainage system that would protect the building during heavy rains:

We then ventured into the building’s interior. There was a dense network of scaffolding pipes providing support for the upper levels until the concrete has cured fully.

I followed Patrick and Soobhas into the central part of the building which will form the atrium. Seeing the stepped structure, which will be used as either lecture theatre seating for formal events or a communal space at other times, gave me a first glimpse into how the completed building will provide a very flexible educational space.

After climbing the steps, the view back towards the main campus demonstrated the scale of the project.

The view away from the main campus, towards the south, showed the extensive preparations underway for the construction of the next and final level of the building:

The target is to complete this final level before the rainy season proper begins, which will allow work to continue inside the structure, regardless of the weather. This represents a very tight schedule. Furthermore, the impact of climate change has resulted in uncertainty each year about the transition between seasons, and already in the last few days we have had several thunderstorms and some heavy rain. Time will tell!

This is the third guest post from Anna Smith, a BDS 5 student at the University of Birmingham, UK.

Anna has previously submitted a guest post describing her four week elective visit to Blantyre earlier this year and a second post on the joint work in global oral health that she is continuing to pursue with Mutoni Bisetso, a BDS 5 student at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi. This third post relates to a video documentary that Anna has made and which is now available on YouTube.

I am excited to announce the release of my documentary, “Community Engagement and Involvement: Exploring Children’s Oral Health, Blantyre, Malawi.”

The film shows my four-week elective in Malawi, focusing on community engagement and involvement (CEI) in paediatric oral health. 

Through community engagement and involvement, I co-created resources with the local community, capturing the realities of paediatric oral health in Blantyre and guiding future pre-implementation strategies.

This documentary highlights the challenges children face, the efforts of healthcare providers, and the power of collaboration to improve preventive care

I hope this film helps to raise awareness of paediatric oral health in Malawi and inspires others to explore the role of community engagement in improving health outcomes.

You can view the documentary here.

Historical links between Scotland and Malawi have existed for more than 150 years. In 2005, a Cooperation Agreement was signed between the governments of Scotland and Malawi. Since then, there has been an enduring friendship and partnership between the two countries, with a very large number of respectful people to people interactions, often at small scale, grass roots level. Details of many of these are available from the Scotland Malawi Partnership website. The Scottish Government, via its International Development Unit, has played a critical role through a variety of funding streams which have supported multiple programmes in areas such as health, education and climate justice. The MalDent Project has been a fortunate beneficiary of Scottish Government funding since 2018.

We were, therefore, delighted to hear that Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney MSP, would be visiting Zambia and Malawi between 14th and 20th October 2025 to celebrate the 20 year landmark since signing of the Cooperation Agreement, and to visit some of the projects that the Scottish Government has supported during that time. Excitement mounted further when we were informed that The MalDent Project would form part of the First Minister’s visit to Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) on Sunday 19th October. This blog post, written in collaboration with Dr Peter Chimimba who was present on the day, focuses solely on The MalDent Project component of the visit.

The University of Glasgow was represented by Professor Iain McInnes, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences. This was especially appropriate for The MalDent Project, because it was through a meeting organised by Iain in 2016 at the University of Glasgow that I first met Dr Mwapatsa Mipando, who was then the Principal of the University of Malawi College of Medicine, the predecessor of KUHeS. It was a follow up discussion between Mwapatsa and I over coffee at 8am the next morning that proved the genesis of The MalDent Project – the rest is history. Iain has been heavily involved over many years with collaborative projects at KUHeS, especially the Blantyre Blantyre Project, which has established a state of the art biomedical research laboratory situated next door to the site of the new Dental School building currently under construction.

Until the new Dental School building is complete, the BDS students at KUHeS undertake their clinical training in the Ministry of Health Dental Departments at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe and the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre. This was an opportunity for the First Minister to visit the dental facility at QECH:

Once inside the clinical area, discussions ensued which included recounting the challenges, achievements and milestones reached to date:

The First Minister and his hosts then moved to the Main Library building on the KUHeS Campus, where the first cohort of dental graduates was waiting expectantly.

This was a wonderful opportunity for the First Minister to interact with these home-trained young dentists, whose career opportunity had been made possible by the Scottish Government’s support of the BDS degree programme at KUHeS. It was a very joyous exchange.

The phrase coined by Dr Mipando at the very beginning of The MalDent Project was proudly displayed on the backs of the new, Malawi-trained dentists’ T shirts – ‘Locally Relevant, Globally Competent’:

After the discussions, there was opportunity for a group photograph, which celebrates beautifully the impact of the funding provided by the Scottish Government for oral and dental health improvement in Malawi.

During his visit to the KUHeS campus, the First Minister saw the building site where the new Dental School is being constructed, and some suitable computer generated images of the much anticipated finished structure were displayed in the Library:

In a previous blog post, I recounted the story about the model of the building, which had been damaged in transit from the UK, but subsequently repaired by colleagues in the Department of Architecture at MUBAS. The model provided a perfect focus for a discussion with the First Minister about this new facility that has the potential to transform dental education and research at KUHeS and beyond.

This visit by the First Minister provided an opportunity for The MalDent Project team to thank him and the Scottish Government for its generous support. Moving forward, the continuing support through the Scottish Government Strategic Grant to KUHeS will ensure that the BDS degree programme reaches a point of long term independent sustainability. The Strategic Grant is also allowing KUHeS to strengthen its governance and management systems and enhancing the institutional capacity to monitor, evaluate and report on programmes. For The MalDent Project in particular, the work packages supported by the Strategic Grant will strengthen the capacity and inclusivity of dental education at KUHeS to produce highly skilled dental professionals who can improve oral health outcomes in the country.

It is these young dental graduates and the 124 dental students currently enrolled on the BDS programme at KUHeS who now take on the responsibility of advocating for improved oral health in Malawi and increased access to dental care. Some will also support dental education by joining the staff of the Department of Oral Health Sciences. It is a powerful demonstration of investing in education for a better future.

Ackowledgements

All the photographs were supplied by Dr Peter Chimimba, who had received some of them from Joanna Keating, Scottish Government International Development, who is duly gratefully acknowledged.

One of the objectives of The MalDent Project was to design a purpose-built clinical dental training facility and student teaching hub to be constructed on the Blantyre campus of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.

I was very lucky in 2019 to have a chance encounter in Glasgow with Professor Chris Platt, who was then the Mackintosh Professor of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art. My initial conversation with Chris was one of those moments when you feel scales dropping off your eyes, as he succinctly laid out the steps we needed to take on this design journey. The first step would be to hold a design workshop on site with all the potential users of the facility. Chris enthusiastically agreed to lead such a workshop in Blantyre with the key players, and you can read all about that very successful event here.

In his characteristically collaborative fashion, Chris made contact with the Department of Architecture at the then University of Malawi Polytechnic (now Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences – MUBAS). The Head of Department at the time was Ike Phiri, and together with some of his staff, Ike joined us and participated fully in the workshop.

Jumping forward to 2025, the new building has been designed, and is now under construction. As part of the ongoing project, John McAslan + Partners (JMP), the architects who led design of the building, have produced a scale model for use in feedback to donors and to support future fund-raising.

The model was delivered to me in Glasgow on 31st July this year by Peter Lee, the architect who leads the Edinburgh JMP studio. The model was a work of art:

The model can be dis-assembled level by level to demonstrate the interior:

The day after delivery of the model I was scheduled to return to Malawi for my next block of six weeks at KUHeS. The model would travel with me. Peter had delivered it in a bespoke, custom-made carrying box which supported the model firmly whilst in transit. Since it was too large to fit in my carry-on luggage, I packed the model, in its carrier, very tightly into my large suitcase. At 10am on 1st August the model and I set off from Glasgow for Blantyre.

This particular journey to Malawi was characterised by bad weather and delays at both Frankfurt and Addis Ababa. The boarding process at Addis for my final flight to Blantyre was chaotic, but finally we touched down at Chileka Airport. After passing through immigration I headed to the baggage carousel and sadly, for myself and a large number of other passengers, our cases had not arrived. I completed the necessary paperwork and was informed that as the following day was a Sunday, with no inbound flights from Addis, the earliest my luggage might arrive would be the Monday afternoon. My good friends Peter Chimimba and Nelson Nyoloka had kindly driven to the airport to collect me and took me straight to a watering hole for a beer and calming chat.

By early afternoon on the Monday I had not received any notification from the airport, so I jumped in the car and drove to Chileka. It was a huge relief when I was informed that my two cases had arrived, and I was soon driving home with the reclaimed luggage. I hastily unpacked, only to find that despite the custom carrying box and careful packing, parts of the model had come apart during the journey – the chaos was continuing, even after arrival!

After a WhatsApp call with Peter Lee at JMP, I took the model to Patrick Calisse at MOD Architects, for his advice. Patrick was able to assess the damage without removing the model from its container and suggested that I should contact the Architecture Department at MUBAS.

I followed up Patrick’s suggestion and identified that the Head of Department was now Dr Grace Tamanda Khumalo, who I duly contacted. Grace kindly invited me to their Department at MUBAS so that she and her team could inspect the damage and deliver a verdict. When I entered the room, I was delighted to see Ike Phiri, who had participated in the original design workshop in 2019.

After a thorough inspection, I was massively relieved to be informed that Grace and her team were confident they could effect the necessary repairs – what a relief!

Everyone likes stories with happy endings and the smiles on the faces of Peter Chimimba and Chisomo Msefula say it all, as a member of Grace’s team hands over the beautifully restored model:

We are exceptionally grateful to Grace and her staff for their skilled and cheerful support. Despite the stress engendered by the damage to the model, there is a very satisfying symmetry to this story, with the involvement of colleagues from the Architecture Department at MUBAS in both the very first design workshop for the new building and now at the end of the design process. It’s yet another example of collaboration that has been the hallmark of The MalDent Project from its inception.

Shortly after delivery of the refurbished model, it would be pressed into service as part of a visit by a VIP – but you will need to wait for the next blog post to hear about that exciting event.

This is a guest post by Anna Smith, a BDS 5 student at the University of Birmingham, UK, and Mutoni Bisetso, a BDS 5 student at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi

Anna’s perspective

During my elective in Malawi, one of the most rewarding parts of the journey was connecting with fellow dental students at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS). Thanks to Benjamin Williams (BDS 5, KUHeS), I was introduced to Mutoni Bisetso, a fellow BDS 5 student.

Mutoni soon became an invaluable helper in my elective. Not only could she help with the logistics through driving, but she also brought support, cultural understanding and perspective that shaped the work we did together.

A visit to the Beehive feeding programme, where we did an oral health demonstration at St James Church, was our first joint activity. I had initially visited there alone, but having the added support made the experience better for myself and the children, as Mutoni was able to translate to Chichewa and apply her clinical knowledge:

At Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Campus, we held a mother oral hygiene teaching session alongside a discussion, Although a little nervous at first, Mutoni quickly stepped into the role of facilitator. She translated discussions, answered questions, and led the conversation with warmth and confidence. Watching her fall so naturally into this role was truly inspiring:

Of course, our time together was not only about work. We enjoyed dinner at Max & Sherry, one of Blantyre’s popular spots …

… and spent a memorable afternoon on a game drive at Game Haven safari drive, Blantyre:

These moments helped grow our friendship.

Later, when I was back in Birmingham and preparing my application for the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders (AOHAB) Student Leadership in Global Oral Health Class of 2026, I encouraged Mutoni to apply too. To our delight, we were both accepted, a testament to how shared interests and collaboration can grow into shared opportunities.

Mutoni’s Perspective

I first met Anna at the Premed Welcoming Function, a colourful event where she was one of the guest speakers. From a distance I listened to her speak, and thought to myself, “What a brave girl”. Her story that night gave me hope for my own future, because I realised I wasn’t alone in feeling uncertain about which path to take in my career .

The next day, my classmate Benjamin Williams asked if I could drive Anna to Chilomoni. For me, this was a chance to get to know her more closely. From translating for her, to sharing my heart on oral health education with young mothers at Beehive, something opened inside me. Anna helped me see more clearly the path I might take in my career. With only a few days left before travelling back to Lilongwe, I chose to make the most of every moment with her. 

Meeting Anna didn’t just bring inspiration and friendship it also came with opportunities. She shared with me the application for the AOHAB Student Leadership course, and by God’s grace, I was accepted. This was a turning point, and I remain deeply grateful to Anna for encouraging me.

Looking forward, I am excited to work alongside Anna again when she returns for her project next year, as I continue to grow in this career path and pursue my passion for public health.

Anna’s Reflection

This story is just one example of how connections between students can grow into opportunities for collaboration, learning, and shared impact. By supporting each other, we can open the door to new possibilities in oral health and beyond.

In a previous post I reported on the initial stages of construction of the new Dental School building on the Blantyre Campus of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences. Commencement of the construction works represented a major milestone for The MalDent Project and during my most recent period spent in Malawi, from the beginning of August to mid-September, it was very exciting to watch developments on an almost daily basis. This is a largely pictorial post to illustrate the progress that has been made since the previous blog post, using sequential illustrations.

By early August, the retaining walls for the basement were in place and work was underway to begin construction of the two lift shafts:

The building requires a complex drainage system and channels were dug in preparation for placement of piping in advance of the concrete base being poured:

The site offices, including toilets and other service facilities, had been completed …

… and there was a decent-sized conference room to accommodate meetings.

On 14th August the site was visited by a crew from Times TV who were making a documentary about the various further education and higher education buildings, like ours, that are being funded through the World Bank ‘Skills for a Vibrant Economy’ programme.

A newspaper article followed the visit by Times TV and we await an update on the documentary.

By 21st August, the concrete floor of the basement was undergoing construction…

… which for some reason made the overall footprint of the structure appear much larger:

The excitement of seeing the building emerging is evident in our smiles on this visit to the site:

By 27th August, the rebar steel reinforcement was in place ahead of casting the basement floor plate…

… and by 8th September, scaffolding had been erected in preparation for work on the next level of the building:

Whilst James, Peter and I were visiting the site on 8th September, we met our local structural engineer, Soobhas Sobnack, who has been making very frequent visits to the project to check on progress and accuracy of construction. Soobhas has been involved with the building design from an early stage and is a very good friend of The MalDent Project.

On 13th September there was a formal site meeting, involving the contractor, the local supervisory team, KUHeS and (on-line) John McAslan+ Partners. The meeting commenced with a walk around the site for those present in person …

… followed by a detailed site meeting that was chaired by Patrick Calisse of MOD Architects:

These site meetings will now take place on a monthly basis. One of the highlights was the news that Jess Bailey, a UK-trained architect based in Malawi, has been appointed as the Clerk of Works for the project. Leon Grobbelaar (JMP) and I had met Jess previously when she had provided very valuable local input, as described in an earlier blog post. We look forward to working with Jess over the coming months.

I am currently back in Scotland, but I was recently sent photos taken on 29th September – many thanks to Peter Chimimba and Gift Kayuni for these images. They show significant progress with construction of the next level of the building, which will be the clinical teaching floor. This photo shows a close up view…

… whilst this image is taken from a distance:

The next two images show a view from above …

… as preparations continue for casting of the ground level floor:

The design process and ongoing progress with construction were described in a recent Malawi Cross-Party Group meeting at The Scottish Parliament:

The programme included on-line contributions from Peter Chimimba (KUHeS) and Patrick Calisse (MOD Architects Blantyre), with the bulk of the presentation focused on the design process, which was delivered in person by Peter Lee, Head of the John McAslan + Partners’ Studio in Edinburgh.

The event was chaired by Liam McArthur MSP and was also attended by Alexander Stewart MSP and Sarah Boyack MSP.

Peter Lee gave a detailed description of the design journey and there was a valuable question and answer session to complete the formal part of the event.

For those who attended in person, there was a networking session and an opportunity to enjoy a Malawi gin and tonic or soft drink after the formal part of the meeting had concluded.

For any who missed the CPG and would like to learn more, a recording is available on the Scotland Malawi Partnership web-site here. The WiFi signal in the committee room was somewhat unstable, so apologies for the occasional dropping out of the signal in the Zoom recording.

Acknowledgement

Thanks are due to Gift Kayuni, photographer at KUHeS, and Nasim Vadalia, Communications & Engagement Officer at the Scotland Malawi Partnership, for some of the photographs used in this blog post.

In an earlier blog post we described the exciting day when Malawi’s first cohort of Bachelor of Dental Surgery students graduated in the Great Hall of the University of Malawi in Zomba.

Subsequently, the Communications Team at KUHeS, Esther Masi and Serah Makondetsa, have created a documentary of the journey from initial discussions in 1992 about establishing a BDS programme in Malawi to the graduation of its first home-trained dentists on 30th April 2025.

If you would like to view the documentary you can watch Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

This is a guest blog written by Anna Smith, a Final Year Bachelor of Dental Surgery student at the University of Birmingham. For her dental elective project between BDS 4 and BDS 5, Anna spent a month in Blantyre, Malawi. This blog post describes some of her experiences.

Introduction

My name is Anna, and I am a Final Year dental student at the University of Birmingham. Public health has always been my favourite subject at dental school, and a lecture delivered on The MalDent Project by Professor Jeremy Bagg from the University of Glasgow as part of our Dental Public Health course in BDS 4 inspired me to come to Malawi.

For my elective, I undertook a community engagement and involvement (CEI) research study focused on paediatric oral health in Blantyre. The aim of my project was to learn through observations, conversations and interviews, and to document my experiences along the way.

First Impressions of Malawi

Arriving at Chileka International Airport, I was immediately struck by the stunning mountain views surrounding Blantyre. On my first day, I made time for both food and culture: a delicious meal at the Coffee House, where I tried grilled chambo (a local freshwater fish) for the first time.

Over the following days, I visited Kamuzu View, a breathtaking vantage point over Blantyre. The drive up and down the steep mountain roads was a little nerve-wracking, but the scenery was unforgettable.

Early Experiences in Blantyre

My first task was meeting two key stakeholders in The MalDent Project: Dr James Mchenga, who is Acting Head of the BDS degree programme at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), and Dr Peter Chimimba, who has led the new Dental School programme since 2017 and is the Malawi lead for The MalDent Project. Together, we discussed my plans and began mapping out the road for my elective.

Outside of dentistry, I immersed myself in the city’s atmosphere, including attending my first-ever football match at Kamuzu Stadium, which was an exciting and engaging experience.

Early in the project, I recorded a video interview with Dr James Mchenga. We discussed the new dental course in Malawi, the first cohort of graduates, and the challenges and opportunities in paediatric oral health and prevention. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt like a journalist.

Clinical and Community Visits

At Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital I was warmly welcomed by Dr Wellington Chikuni, one of the dental surgeons, who introduced me to the staff, including the recently graduated dental interns. We agreed that I would visit twice a week to observe paediatric appointments, gather information, and film interviews. Although nervous at first, I quickly grew comfortable and deeply valued the experience. On my final day, with the help of Dr Emmanuel Kapinanga, we shared samosas with the staff – a very special farewell.

I also visited Chilomoni Health Centre, where it was inspiring to see the improvements made possible by the joint working between the charity AMECA and The MalDent Project.

There, I met Wisdom Maiza Mkandawire, who had been the dental therapist for many years at Chilomoni and who has now embarked on his BDS studies at KUHeS. Wisdom was a great support throughout my research.

Another highlight was meeting Father Felix Nyallo, who is Educational Director (Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Campus) at the Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise. Father Felix kindly connected me with the Beehive Outreach team. With their help, I conducted outreach activities at children’s feeding programmes and parenting meetings. I am especially grateful to Lubanji and Wadadie for their generous support.

Community Engagement Research

Conversations and Interviews

The heart of my elective project was conversations with parents, teachers, and health workers. Thanks to Beehive, I attended feeding programmes at St James Church on multiple occasions, conducting surveys and interviews, delivering oral hygiene demonstrations, and answering questions from children and parents alike.

With the support of Mutoni Biseto and Benjamin Williams (both BDS 5 students at KUHeS), I also visited Queen Mary Centre to lead an oral health session with mothers. Mutoni translated, allowing us to have rich discussions on topics such as the “worm theory” of dental pain which remains widely held, the cost of extractions, periodontal disease, when to begin brushing children’s teeth, and the use of adult toothpaste for children. These sessions were both impactful and insightful.

After the session, we took a group photo outside:

Pilot Study at Chilomoni Primary School

I was able to conduct a pilot study and an oral health session with 50 children aged 6–14 at Chilomoni Primary School. Assisted by Dr Emmanuel Kapinanga and Benjamin Williams (a BDS 5 student), we began with a survey, followed by an oral health tutorial, quiz questions, and a toothbrushing demonstration.

The children were enthusiastic and engaged, and the teachers provided excellent support.

However, one challenging but important question arose: “What can we do when toothbrushes and toothpaste are not available?” This difficult reality left me momentarily speechless but highlighted a critical issue that must be addressed. There is little point in teaching toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste if the necessary items are not available, and sadly in many sub-Saharan African countries, including Malawi, they are too expensive to be affordable for many families. This is challenge that requires urgent attention.

A Breath of Adventure

Outside of the project, I explored Malawi’s culture and cuisine. My favourite restaurant was Pamudzi (“At Home”), which specialised in local dishes, where I shared a wonderful meal with Mutoni Biseto.

I also went horse riding in Bvumbwe, enjoyed Blantyre’s cafés, and tried many new foods,  all experiences that added colour and joy to my elective.

A highlight was being invited to join the PREMED welcoming event for all the new entrants to the BDS course, which was a lovely experience. I was even given the opportunity to be a panel member on one of the activities during the evening, which was a great honour.

Reflections

Through this elective, I learned the power of listening first, asking for help, and being open to change.

Community engagement is not about imposing solutions but co-designing with those most affected. Developing my Community Advisory Board early on was especially valuable, as they supported me throughout every step.

On a personal level, I grew in confidence delivering oral hygiene advice and learned new skills. I witnessed first-hand the gaps in access to oral health care, as well as the extraordinary resilience of communities. This experience deepened my commitment to preventive dentistry and strengthened my desire to pursue a career in public health.

Looking Ahead

I am currently working on a documentary situational analysis of paediatric oral health in Blantyre, Malawi. Once completed and loaded onto YouTube, a link will be provided to the video in a follow-up blog post. I hope my work contributes, even in a small way, to improving preventive care for children.

Personally, this elective confirmed my desire to devote my future career to public health and global oral health, and I plan to pursue a PhD. I have also been selected for the Alliance of Oral Health Across Borders Student Leadership in Global Oral Health Class 2026, where I will focus on establishing community-based paediatric dental care –  a pre-implementation study using school-based interventions to empower non-dental health workers to provide preventive care, including the roles of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) and fluoride varnish (FV).

I look forward to returning to Malawi next summer!

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my supervisor at the University of Birmingham, Dr Vahid Ravaghi, Professor Jeremy Bagg of the University of Glasgow / KUHeS, and The MalDent Project team. My gratitude also goes to the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Department of Oral Health Sciences, the staff at the Dental Department of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, and Father Felix Nyallo and the Beehive Centre for Social Enterprise outreach team. Thanks are due to Mutoni Biseto, Benjamin Williams, Wisdom Mkandawire and Emmanuel Kapinanga for their friendship and support. Finally, many thanks are due to Nelson Nyoloka, Lecturer in Pharmacy at KUHeS and a close friend of Professor Bagg, who provided so much support in arranging the logistics associated with accommodation and travel during my visit.

This is a guest post by Dr James Mchenga, the Acting Head of the Department of Oral Health Sciences at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi

Representatives from 24 African nations gathered on July 11-12, 2025, at Université Mohammed VI des Sciences de la Santé (UM6SS) in Casablanca, Morocco for the inaugural African Dental Education Symposium. I was privileged to be the delegate representing Malawi and the Department of Oral Health Sciences at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS).

This landmark event, whose theme was Unity and Collaboration for Dental Education in Africa, was hosted by King Mohammed VI University and led to the formation of the Association for Dental Education in Africa (ADEA). This new organisation aims to transform dental education and delivery of oral healthcare across the continent.

Statistics from the World Health Organization indicate that Africa has just 0.44 dentists per 10,000 people. This contrasts sharply with the approximately 7 per 10,000 found in many high-income countries. Currently, Africa has 84 dental schools across 26 nations.

The symposium brought together deans and directors from dental schools across Africa with an ambition to encourage cooperation, innovation, and sustainable dental education programmes.

Establishment of the symposium was initiated by Professor Ihsane Benyayha, Dean of UM6SS Dental School.

Professor Benyayha emphasised the need for African leaders, professors and dentists to help each other. She noted that there were American and European Dental Education Associations, so why should Africa not have such an organisation?

The symposium was supported by the international surgical charity Mercy Ships.  Dr. David Ugai, Mercy Ships Country Director for Guinea, commented that it was unacceptable for any country to have one dentist per million people and that now was the time to solve this.

It was very exciting to join dental leaders from the 24 African nations attending this symposium, all intent on fostering collaboration, sharing resources, and improving dental curricula and infrastructure.

I was privileged and very proud to be the delegate representing my colleagues from the Department of Oral Health Sciences at KUHeS in Malawi.

In addition to the formal sessions, this symposium was an excellent chance for me to meet with colleagues old and new, providing valuable networking opportunities. It was a pleasure to meet again with Dr Nalumino Sayela from Levy Mwanawasa Medical University Dental School and Dr Cris Mumena from Copperbelt University Dental School, Zambia, both of whom have visited our BDS programme in Malawi for symposia and external examining activities.

Meeting Prof Londi Shangase of the University of Pretoria reminded me of the times we shared together as postgraduate students when we were contemporaries at the then Medical University of Southern Africa in South Africa.

The aim of the newly formed Association for Dental Education in Africa is to address the critical shortage of dental professionals and to strengthen dental education across the continent.

I was delighted to sign the declaration of the symposium on behalf of Malawi.

A transparent nomination and voting method was used to elect a 13-member board of directors to oversee the activities of the association over the next six years.  Two representatives were chosen from each of the five regions in Africa: North, East, West Central, and Southern Africa. 

As a result of the ballot, Prof Jeff Yengopal and Prof Fiona Makoni were elected to represent our region, Southern Africa.

Dr Benoit Varenne, Oral Health Programme Officer at WHO in Geneva, delivered an online presentation, updating us on the Global Strategy and Oral Health Action Plan 2023-2030, emphasising the ambition for Universal Health Coverage for oral health by 2030.

There is good link here, as Drs Jessie Mlotha-Namarika and Innocent Lanjesi had attended the WHO Global Oral Health conference in Bangkok in November 2024, representing Malawi, when the Bangkok Declaration was accepted. Work is now ongoing in Malawi through the Ministry of Health to finalise the WHO Oral Health Roadmap for the country.

Dr Varenne also provided information on the newly defined WHO Package of Essential Oral Health Care:

Clearly an important component of dental education in African dental schools is to ensure that students are fully aware of these WHO initiatives and of the content of national oral health policies in the respective countries.

My participation in workshops covering areas like university governance, curriculum development and social responsibility provided valuable insights for me as we continue to develop our BDS programme in Malawi.

I was also very interested to view the teaching facilities in the Dental School at the King Mohamed VI University, which were very impressive.

At this stage of our own Dental School development in Malawi, with a new building under construction, I was reminded what a difference it makes having access to high quality teaching infrastructure.

Another exciting element of the meeting was the opportunity to engage in open discussion and networking with colleagues from the American Dental Education Association and the Association for Dental Education in Europe. Their support for the new Association for Dental Education in Africa will be of value not only to the organisation itself, but to individual dental schools such as ours at KUHeS.  

Finally, I would like to thank the organisers of the symposium for the generous hospitality afforded us during our stay, particularly the beautiful local cuisine:

In summary, my attendance at this ‘first of its kind’ Symposium of Dental Education in Africa, representing Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and Malawi, was extremely worthwhile. Connections, networking, collaborative efforts in research, and sharing of curricula that are relevant to the African context will be of great value to us all moving forward. To have been in Morocco as one of the founding members of the new Association for Dental Education in Africa was an immense privilege and one that I don’t take for granted.

The new BDS programme at KUHeS has been established through The MalDent Project as a collaborative effort by multiple local and international partners. Our engagement with the Association for Dental Education in Africa extends that partnership, and reminds us that:

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” — Helen Keller

Acknowledgements

Grateful thanks go to Dr David Ugai and his team from Mercy Ships for the seamless organisation and arrangements for this symposium.

Thanks also to Professor Ihsane Benyayha, Dean of UM6SS Dental School, and her team, for their hospitality and for looking after us all so well.

We were delighted recently to be invited to deliver a webinar as part of an ongoing series being delivered by the team of the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme. The programme aims to inform NHS staff working in Scotland about global citizenship activities and to encourage interested colleagues to become involved. It was established in 2018 following publication of a report from the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow entitled ‘Global Citizenship in the Scottish Health Service’, authored by Stuart Fergusson and Mike McKirdy, which provided eight recommendations for a more structured approach to global citizenship activities across NHS Scotland. 

Other recent webinars have focused on the themes of ‘Environmental Sustainability’ and ‘Power and Partnerships’. My colleague Dr Peter Chimimba and I were asked to deliver a webinar about The MalDent Project from the perspective of ‘Alignment’ of the programme of work to the needs of Malawi. The recording of the webinar is now available on line.

We would like to thank the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme team for providing us with this opportunity to share our experiences.

If you would like to watch the recording of our webinar on alignment you can do so here.