BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) is leaving no stone unturned in its effort to nurture scientific ideas by community innovators who have no access to college or university education.
As the university’s vision; “a world class centre of science and technology education, research and entrepreneurship” says it all, on Tuesday three community innovators, who were enrolled under Community Innovation Programme, got honoured with K500 000 each for their brilliant scientific ideas.
The three youths: Mulanje based creator of Pachikweza Broadcasting Corporation, Gabriel Kondesi; MUST biomedical engineering graduate Mike Lulu Ten and Chaminade Secondary School alumni Davie Jere received their prizes during the university’s second congregation held at the university’s campus in Thyolo District.
Under the guidance of expert mentors, Kondesi is working on how to improve his electronics related innovations that include making of electronic gadgets and his radio station; Ten is working on what he calls human powered nebulizer; and Jere is working on a switch that can respond to disasters and cut off power in a building or area to prevent fires caused by electricity in times of earthquakes, storms and other related disasters. He calls his innovation D.I AutoQuake Switch.
Presenting the awards, Director of Institute of Industrial Research and Innovation (MIIRI) Dr. David Mkwambisi said the institution came up with the programme so as to nurture ideas of innovators who lack support, irrespective of their education background.
“Mr. Chancellor, the university now presents prizes worth K500 000 each to three community innovators who are currently under the Community Innovation Programme where their ideas are being nurtured by expert mentors.
“Under this programme we want to diversify and cast our net wider by reaching out to those Malawians who have very good and innovative ideas but they lack support. These are youths, who irrespective of their education levels, have brilliant ideas that lack support to realise their full potential,” said Mkwambisi.
Community innovators include those in schools either primary or secondary, in industry, and communities who have no direct attachment to any research centre or university.
Kondesi, the creator of Pachikweza Broadcasting Corporation, made headlines in the media in Malawi and beyond the borders when he got arrested and jailed in 2008 for operating a pirate radio in Mulanje.
He was sentenced by the Mulanje Second grade Magistrate court to 10 months Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL), after he had failed to pay a fine of MK50, 000.
The story stunned Malawians both online and offline, who expressed their shock and anger on blogs, chat forums and other social media forums such as facebook.
“When will we have the instinctive ability to recognize innovation and not punish it?” queried one facebook user upon hearing the news of arrest of the young innovator.
Kondesi, after spending three days in jail, was released after his family and well-wishers raised the money and paid the fine.
Among the well-wishers was Gospel Kazako, the Managing Director of Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS), who is now the information minister in the Tonse Alliance government.
“As a radio-man, I am here to appreciate that this boy is a genius,” Kazako told journalists.
MUST’s rare opportunity for innovators comes at a time there is great need for speeding up innovation by repurposing the knowledge, resources, and technology Malawians already have at hand to accelerate economic development.
Nodding to the direction taken by the university, President Lazarus Chakwera also urged graduating students to be innovative and transform their communities by introducing ventures that will bring development.
He urged them to be part of the solutions to the challenges the Malawi is facing such as unemployment and abject and pervasive poverty.
Over 300 graduates were awarded certificates, diplomas, Bachelor and Masters degrees on Tuesday.
MUST has four operational schools: the Malawi Institute of Technology (MIT), Ndata School of Climate and Earth Sciences (NSCES), Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), and Bingu School of Culture and Heritage (BISCH).
