UCAM was created at the first International Conference on Higher Education in Malawi held at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi from 27th to 29th June 2018. It was attended by 112 delegates from within Malawi and abroad. A total of 34 Higher Education Institutions (hereinafter, HEIs) and stakeholder organisations participated.

The 2018 Nkopola Lodge Conference was organised by public and private universities in Malawi, including, representatives from the Association of Private Universities Malawi; Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; National Council for Higher Education and Friends of Higher Education.

In 2018, the conference theme was ‘Higher Education in the 21st Century. The conference aimed at bringing academics, higher education managers, policymakers and other stakeholders together to discuss opportunities and challenges facing Higher Education in the 21st Century. Participants and paper presenters shared experiences, opportunities, and best practices on how to deal with the challenges. It was clear that our community needed to interface routinely, hence the idea was born to propose the establishment of an association at the national level to promote HEI issues. The Association has since been established and annual conferences are now part of the Association's agenda.

The overall control, accountability and responsibility related to policy for UCAM operations are exercised on behalf of UCAM by the Board of Trustees. Trustees are unpaid members. The day to day operations of UCAM is undertaken by the Secretariat whose duties and responsibilities are spelt out in UCAM Conditions of Service. The Secretariat headed by the Executive Director who is also the Secretary to the Board.

While UCAM is an emerging organization, the Board of Trustees is comprised of highly seasoned senior leadership from Malawi’s top Public and Private Universities. This team takes an active leadership role in the management and oversight of the association.