The project's leader, Zipangani Vokhiwa, a science professor at Mercer University in the U.S. and a Fulbright scholar, described the centre as a catalyst for the development of Malawi.

Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) has established a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).

The centre, abbreviated CAIST, intends to meet the country's innovation and technology demands. It was founded with the help of several colleges in the United States.

Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Tech University, Morehouse College, Colorado University, Georgia Southern University, Clemson University, New York University, and Mercer University have all contributed to the creation of the centre.

The Malawi Institute of Technology's director, Michael Zimba, stated that the centre will use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), deep learning, and machine learning to solve Malawi's "wicked problems."

"We welcome collaboration with any like-minded Malawians and all people of good will, so that together and utilising new technologies, we could overcome the challenges our societies are facing," he said in an interview with ITWeb Africa.

MUST's flagship 'Centre of Excellence' champions the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

Zimba stated that the institution's new strategic plan (2024-2030) has emphasised technology, innovation, and enterprise as they try to contribute to the industrialization pillar of Malawi's (MW) 2063 agenda.

Malawi 2063 aims to transform the country into an affluent and self-sufficient industrialised 'upper middle-income country' by 2063.

"CAIST, alongside other centres and schools within the university, are essentially programmed to contribute to the realisation of the University's strategic plan which in turn contributes to the realisation of the MW2063," he told said.

Zipangani Vokhiwa, a science professor at Mercer University in the United States and a Fulbright scholar, praised the institution as a catalyst for Malawi's progress.