Meeting Malawi’s energy future: Driving SDG 7 through renewable energy research
In a fortuitous turn of events, I had the privilege of connecting with Desire C. Mussa, an MSc. Sustainable Energy student at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) School of Engineering, who is also a recipient of the Liechtenstein REED / TEA-LP Scholarship. Having recently completed his Masters’ thesis, Desire is set to defend it soon before the start of an exciting academic and professional career. He shared with us what drew him to the field of sustainable energy, his current research and activities, and his career goals.
On the scholarship opportunity and Masters’ programme, Desire shared that: “[It] enables me to promote UN SDG 7 and address energy issues as a multifaceted problem embedded in policies and socio-economic development. My thesis applied renewable energy’s capacity to address Malawi’s practical community, societal, and environmental needs. It also applied engineering principles and soft skills acquired during my Master’s’ studies.”
UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Through his Masters’ research, Desire has made a promising contribution towards SDG 7 by identifying opportunities in which renewable energy can be implemented to help address energy access challenges in Malawi. Since he is Malawian-born, the research that Desire conducted hit close to home.
He went on to explain that; “Energy access in Malawi is extremely low. So far, around 19% (urban plus rural) of Malawi’s population has access to electricity, with only 5% of the rural Malawi population electrified (World Bank, 2023). More than 80% of Malawi’s population is based in rural areas. Hence, sustainable energy development-oriented initiatives and entrepreneurship can help alleviate these challenges…
“I wanted to gain advanced skills and knowledge in sustainable energy development for the socio-economic growth of Malawi, Africa and the world at-large. Low energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa [has] prompted me to draw to the sustainable energy field to study how to improve energy access in the region.”
Desire highlighted that a key takeaway from his research has been gaining a holistic understanding of the pivotal role that sustainable energy (SDG 7) plays in achieving all 16 SDGs: “For instance, my study solved SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) challenges by utilising solar UV energy to treat water for maternal healthcare facilities in underserved rural communities. My research revealed that most societal problems require sustainable energy solutions. So, the moment I note a societal issue, I think, “How can I use sustainable energy to solve the problem?”
Desire with colleagues at the AICCEES 2024. Source: Desire C. Mussa
Last year the TEA-LP supported 21 dynamic scholars to attend the Africa International Conference on Clean Energy and Energy Storage (AICCEES) in Nigeria. Desire was selected by the AICCEES conference committee as one of the attendees from a competitive pool of 319 applications. Here he presented his Masters’ research and subsequently had his paper published, titled; “Design and Assessing the Effectiveness of Solar Disinfection Systems in Treating Rooftop Harvested Rainwater for Sanitation and Hygiene Purposes in Rural Maternal Health Facilities”, which can be accessed HERE.
“Attending the AICCEES conference has taught me that young professionals in the energy sector have a significant role to play in increasing energy access across Africa. The AICCEES has shown me that I don’t need to be older to contribute to sustainable energy access development. I have been motivated that I can make a difference even in my youth days.”
Desire has been inspiringly active in his career development. He is a member and volunteer at IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), IEEE Power and Energy Society, IEEE PES Young Professionals, and leads the establishment of the IEEE Smart Village Student Branch in Malawi at MUBAS. In 2024, he also participated in three other conferences as both a presenter and attendee; IEEE PES/IAS Power Conference in Johannesburg, the MUBAS School of Engineering 1st Annual Conference in Blantyre, and the 2024 WASH Innovation Fair and Symposium in Lilongwe.
Desire presenting at the School of Engineering Annual Conference MUBAS in 2024. Source: Desire C. Mussa
The launch of the IEEE Smart Village Student Branch at MUBAS. Source: Desire C. Mussa
Desire is currently working as a Research Assistant at MUBAS and is set to defend his Master’s thesis in the near future, with the goal of graduating by June this year. He plans on furthering his studies in sustainable energy while addressing energy access issues in off-grid communities through entrepreneurship, capacity building, and innovation. Inspiringly, he also noted his intention of mentoring future students in sustainable energy development.
Congratulations on your hard work, Desire, we look forward to following your journey from here and wishing you all the best for the future. If you would like to connect with Desire about his research or potential collaboration, see his Linkedin profile HERE or reach out at desiremussa@gmail.com
– Andrea Fitzpatrick
