“Biometrics can drive sustainable development by creating pathways for innovation that can reform many critical sectors like healthcare, security, agriculture, and finance. ”, . Associate Professor Chomora Mikeka, of the Ministry of education made these remarks at the International Biometric Society Symposium (IBS) which took place at the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme on 24 and 25 August 2023.

The IBS Symposium was held with the aim to find common ground, exchange ideas and elevate the biostatistics/biomathematics research being done in Malawi in readiness for the IBS sub-Saharan African Region conference.

“The Ministry of Education is emphasising skill building, research, and science as multiplier effects that can help Malawi develop. The statistics and data science at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme are of paramount importance to the national development agenda” said Mikeka.

IBS President for the Malawi Chapter Dr. Tsilizani Kaombe also highlighted the importance of the meeting to IBS and researchers in Malawi.

“This gathering has brought people together and interact. It has also put some value on research, statistics, and mathematics to answer the health challenges that Malawi is facing.  As a country, we are very far in terms of statistical and mathematical research so our meeting has gathered the minds that can help us reach a better stand,” explained Kaombe.

The meeting was attended by a mix of scientists and researchers from different institutions and departments including Professor Samuel Manda from the University of Pretoria, MLW’s Associate Director Associate Professor Janelisa Musaya, and Dr. Collins Mitambo from the Ministry of Health.

The International Biometric Society (IBS) exists for the development and application of statistical and mathematical methods in agriculture and health science