MUST third-year Chemical Engineering student, Idrisa Gama, secured third place in the Falling Walls Lab pitching competition held on August 14, 2026 at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources NRC Campus.

The competition brought together 12 finalists from different institutions, with each participant given three minutes to pitch an innovative idea addressing a pressing global or local challenge.

Gama’s journey to the competition began when he responded to a call posted on the MUST Design Studio page and he was later selected and invited to pitch as one of the finalists.

In preparation for the main competition, finalists participated in virtual sessions from August 8 to 10, followed by in-person boot camps from August 11 to 13. 

According to Gama, the sessions prepared the finalists for the final pitching competition and were offered by Synergy, sponsor of the event.

“My pitch was entitled ‘Breaking the Wall of Inaccessible Assistive Technology’ and focused on an ongoing project to develop low-cost prosthetics for people living with limb loss, particularly in low-resource settings. The technology is being developed with the support of the MUST Design Studio, with the aim of creating affordable and locally accessible prosthetic solutions,” he said.

Gama and his team are currently working on developing the prosthetics using recycled plastics and metal scraps, with the aim of making the technology more affordable and locally accessible. 

The team is also integrating sensors that detect muscle activity to control the prosthetic, allowing it to perform movements that more closely mimic those of a natural limb.

“The project seeks to address the high cost and limited accessibility of prosthetic technology by developing solutions that can be produced, repaired and maintained locally,” said Gama.

Falling Walls is an international non-profit platform and annual science summit based in Berlin, Germany and was inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

It asks “which are the next walls to fall?” and provides a platform for showcasing breakthrough scientific, technological and societal innovations.

Gama’s achievement, therefore, highlights the innovative work being undertaken by students at MUST to develop practical, locally relevant solutions to real-world challenges and contribute to the global conversation on the next barriers that can be overcome through innovation.