Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia

Honorary Doctorate of the University (DUniv)

Graduation Ceremony: Thursday, 20 June, 2024

President Hakainde Hichilema travelled to the Edinburgh campus where he was conferred with the academic title of Doctor of the University as part of the summer graduation programme.

A self-made and successful businessman, President Hichilema, in his first budget, made education free for every person in the country, leading to over 1.6 million young people entering the education system, and recruiting over 39,000 new teachers.

After receiving his reward in front of fellow graduands, President Hichilema, said: “We are greatly honoured by this gesture from the University.

"We dedicate the award to the people of Zambia, who continue to share our belief that education is the greatest equaliser, and the greatest investment we can make."

Links between Scotland and Zambia have strengthened in recent years with Zambia named as one of the Scottish Government’s four international development partner countries. It has received £10million from Scotland between 2017 and 2021 for projects benefitting healthcare, education and small-scale farming.

One of these projects is Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh Business School MBA programme. Launched in 2019 in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) offered 20 fully funded scholarships to women in Zambia who are passionate about business and tackling gender inequality.

Last year, the University celebrated the milestone of welcoming its 1000th graduate from Zambia.
Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University said: “At this University, we deeply value our connection with Zambia and we were proud to welcome our 1000th graduate from the country last year.

“In recognising the President of Zambia with this honorary degree, we acknowledge his visionary leadership but also his dedication to advancing education and fortifying the economy of the nation. This was perhaps best demonstrated when President Hichilema fulfilled his pledge from three years ago to provide school education for every Zambian.

“This noble undertaking is now illuminating the path towards a brighter future for all of Zambia and is an inspiration to us all to always strive for excellence.

“Congratulations to President Hichilema on his award.”

In 2023, with support from donors, Heriot-Watt University launched the Denis Goldberg Scholarship Programme in Zambia. Named after the social campaigner who was imprisoned for 22 years for resisting apartheid, the scholarship is designed to help talented graduate employees in Zambia to study an online, part-time Master of Science (MSc) without having to leave their home country.
It offers MSc degrees in Renewable Energy, Construction Management and Real Estate Management.