MUST lecturer Stanley Chindikani Msiska develops digital app for propelling SDG6
A lecturer at Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), Stanley Chindikani Msiska, developed an app that he intends to use in propelling Malawi’s attainment of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
Msiska, who is currently pursuing PhD studies at Stellenbosch University, is working with his fellow critical thinkers from Israel, Mexico and Canada in developing an innovation called MAJI.
MAJI will help to locate and initiate maintenance of all broken water sources. Once the technology is in full use, Malawians will have easy access to sanitation and clean water as demanded by SDG 6.
In an interview on Wednesday, Msiska said MAJI is a digital platform that enables maintenance and provision of water systems in developing countries.
“This is a web app that will operate on smart phones and computers. According to Msiska the platform will also allow communication via text messages for people without internet access. The platform offers community members side jobs on demand as well as professional training and that it will enable data collection, in order to map the conditions of the water systems, and provide valuable information for improvement of water supply systems,” he explained.
Msiska stated that in order to provide quality services with ease, MAJI team will work hand in hand with private sector, governance and relevant non-governmental organizations.
Msiska was selected to help in pushing towards the implementation of UN’s 17 goals so that they should be achieved in 2030 through creation of innovative solutions under the organization called Unite 2030.
In order to deal with these challenges, Alyssa Chassman came up with an organisation called Unite2030 with an aim to bring youth together to innovate solutions on the SDG’s.
Following the advert for innovative people in RSA universities, Msiska applied and got selected to represent Stellenbosch University.
Apart from initiating the process, Stellenbosch University through USKOF bursary fund gave financial support to attend this event in Net York.
MUST, through the Centre for Agricultural Transformation (CAT), complemented SU’s support by providing a return air ticket to New York and back.
After the innovation camp in the US for a week, Msiska and his team came up with MAJI solutions to SDG 6 (water and sanitation).
His team won the group stages and then went to the finals and won 3rd place. All the winning teams one to three will be supported to implement their innovations. Their water innovation will be implemented in Malawi, starting from rural areas of Lilongwe.
Msiska is one such Malawian who joined the world’s top youth leaders in tackling world challenges in New York at Unite 2030’s initiative camp 2030 at the Adirondack National Park in New York from 12 to 18 September.
More than 200 young change-makers from over 61 countries attended the Innovation Lab to innovate and create solutions with the view that youth could bring change to their communities.
Unite 2030 has, since its inception in 2016, brought together about 16 000 top youth leaders between the ages of 18–35 years from over 50 countries across the globe.
Over the last six years, Unite 2030 has brought together more than 1 000 collaborations and connections between young delegates, including local and regional projects addressing certain SDGs.
This year’s Camp 2030 linked up with the UN’s Global Goals week (18 to 26 September), which is an annual week of promoting action, awareness, and accountability for the SDGs and partnership between civil society, business, academia, and the UN to push action on the SDGs.
Msiska’s participation formed part of 250 young change-makers selected from 1 900 applications received from global and national companies, NGOs, and other forward-thinking organisations and individuals interested in attending Camp 2030.
In 2015, the United Nations’ New York Summit led to the adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, with the promise to make the world a fairer, better, and safer place by 2030.
The Indaba brought together organizations which included the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens; UN Global Compact Network UK; Global Citizen; the World Humanitarian Forum; the Responsible Media Forum; Schneider Electric; The Elsevier Foundation; and the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation.
There is a need for the government and indeed all stakeholders to join hands and support MAJI Innovation so that people have the opportunity to access water since water is life (Madzi ndi Moyo).
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