UNIMA Law students lead in international essay competition
Three University of Malawi Bachelor of Laws (LLB) students recently emerged victorious in the 2022 Lex: Lead (Lawyers for Economic Advancement and Development) international essay competition. Students had to submit essays responding to the topic, “How developments in Fintech impact upon economic development and how it should be regulated.” The three, Mukeya Chirwa (4th Year), Davie Manjawira (3rd Year) and Uchizi Manda (2nd Year), have been awarded $500 each, which will go towards their tuition and or books.
According to information on their website, Lex:Lead is a group of international lawyers and friends who support economic development focusing on the world’s least developed countries. Participants in the essay competition are students currently studying in 39 least developed countries in Africa, Americas, and Asia.
One of the winners, Mukeya Chirwa, who is in the final year of his Law degree studies, said the competition has given him confidence to believe in his abilities that he can compete on the international stage. He said that he researched and read widely in preparation for the competition which he believes was key for his essay to be among the successful ones.
He added that he made a personal commitment to participate in any competition or activity in order to broaden his knowledge and skills. “I made a conscious decision to not lose opportunities as they come,” he said. “Participating in academic competitions and other activities is one thing I think I can use to improve as a student.”
Chirwa said that emerging as one of the winners in an international competition where participants are drawn from various international universities is confirmation that University of Malawi students are capable of competing on the international stage. He then urged fellow students not to miss opportunities in fear of compromising their grades.
On her part, Uchizi Manda, a second year Law student, said the competition gave her a platform to test her abilities. “This competition was an opportunity to take on a new challenge while at the same time standing the chance of obtaining an award that could go towards my tuition fees,” said Manda. She added that in preparation for the competition she read essays by previous winners on the LEAD website and researched quite widely on the topic to know how best to approach the question.
She also urged fellow students to take up challenges in order to broaden their skillset as the job market requires graduates who can innovate and take up challenging tasks.
Since 2010, the essay competition is conducted annually with funding from International Bar Association Foundation. 117 awards have been given so far, totalling nearly $60,000.
