NICO Pension donates K3 million to MUST’s ‘A gadget for a needy student’ initiative

Chima presents the cheque to Prof. Malata

* We are determined to always do our part when it comes to education

* Your education will always be yours. No one can take that from you

* You need to take it seriously and put more effort in your studies as well

* NICO has always supported initiatives that uplift Malawians in education, health and environmental conservation

By Duncan Mlanjira

NICO Pension has donated K3 million to Malawi University of Science and Technologies (MUST) in support of their ‘A gadget for a needy student’ initiative, which provides laptops and tablets that assist their academic studies.

At the handover ceremony, NICO Pension’s General Manager Gerald Chima said the donation cements the cordial relationship that NICO has with MUST for years and that the company is committed to maintaining its support to the education sector.

“We are determined to always do our part when it comes to education. That is why when the call for us to support this iniatives came, we did not hesitate,” Chima said.

He further encouraged the beneficiaries of the initiative to remain determined in pursuing their education. 

“Your education will always be yours. No one can take that from you, but you need to take it seriously and put more effort in your studies as well,” he said.

MUST Vice Chancellor, Professor Address Malata expressed gratitude towards NICO, saying it is absolutely pleasing to see that NICO is always willing to support them.

“The assistance for this initiative will go a long way in ensuring that all our students, regardless of their financial background, have the same opportunity of education,” she said.

Chima added that as a corporate citizen NICO Pension remains committed to ensuring giving back to the community it operates in.

As a leading financial services group in Malawi, NICO has supported initiatives that uplift Malawians in the areas of education, health and environmental conservation.

Last year, NICO Pension, together with NICO Life — another NICO Holdings subsidiary — responded to a call for help from University of Malawi (UNIMA) by donating personal protective equipment (PPEs) as they were preparing for resumption of physical academic classes that were suspended as part of the preventing measures in the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

The two companies also donated K6 million to College of Medicine to acquire lap tops for 30 needy of its undergraduate students, who were facing challenges to access lessons in the wake of the tertiary institution being closed.

In October, another NICO Holdings subsidiary, NICO Asset Managers donated K4.83 million to Hope for the Blind as continuation of the contributions the two partners has engaged in the past six years towards paying tuition fees for vision-challenged students studying at Chancellor College in Zomba.

Since 2014, NICO Asset Managers has been supporting some vision-impaired students through Hope for the Blind and the partnership was inspired to be continued following some of the girl students excellent performance during their studies right from secondary school.

In February last year, NICO Life and another NICO Holdings subsidiary, NBS Bank sponsored the official launch of the Student Society of Banking and Finance at the Polytechnic in Blantyre as a gesture of solidarity to foster a lasting partnership towards Banking and Finance degree programme.

NICO also has a programme running in which it provides academic materials for deserving tertiary students.