Inside Africa's 2024 engineering innovation showcase

4 innovators from Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, and Uganda, chosen from a shortlist of 16, vie for the £50,000 (over $62,000) Africa Prize.
Their improvements embody recycling in building, AI instruments for healthcare and farming, and reengineered waste assortment, addressing essential societal wants.
The three runners-up will every obtain £15,000 (over $18,000), whereas a £5,000 (over $6,000) prize titled ‘One to Watch’ will likely be awarded to essentially the most promising enterprise among the many shortlist.
Since 2014, the Africa Prize has empowered practically 150 entrepreneurs throughout 23 African nations, creating over 28,000 jobs and positively impacting greater than 10 million individuals with their progressive services.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is ready to host the ultimate showdown of the tenth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, the continent’s premier engineering accolade, on June 13, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya. Out of an preliminary pool of 16 visionary innovators crafting sustainable, scalable engineering options throughout Africa, 4 standout finalists have been chosen to showcase their groundbreaking improvements earlier than a panel of judges and a worldwide viewers, each reside and on-line. Registration for this occasion is at present open.

In 2024, these 4 finalists have launched pioneering options, starting from an eco-friendly roofing materials crafted from recycled plastic to a cutting-edge healthcare platform granting direct entry to important medical info by way of WhatsApp.

Amongst them can also be a location-based cellular software linking customers with impartial brokers for on-demand waste assortment and disposal, in addition to a solar-powered device using AI and machine learning-enhanced cameras to detect and establish agricultural pests and illnesses.

Notably, these improvements immediately deal with the United Nations’ Sustainable Growth Targets, addressing vital points corresponding to eradicating starvation, enhancing healthcare accessibility, fostering sustainable city improvement, lowering inequalities, and combating local weather change.

Hailing from various backgrounds, finalists Kevin Maina and Esther Kimani symbolize Kenya, a rustic that has contributed considerably to the Africa Prize since 2014, together with producing a earlier winner, Norah Magero. Rory Assandey hails from Côte d’Ivoire, following within the footsteps of 2020 and 2021 laureates Charlette N’Guessan and Noël N’guessan. Martin Tumusiime represents Uganda, a nation boasting 19 earlier Prize alumni, together with two former champions, most not too long ago Anatoli Kirigwajjo in 2023.

This 12 months’s final victor will stroll away with a grand prize of £50,000, whereas the remaining three finalists will every obtain £15,000. Notably, this prize sum has been doubled in celebration of the Africa Prize’s landmark tenth anniversary. Moreover, all shortlisted innovators will likely be granted one minute every to current their groundbreaking concepts, with an viewers ballot figuring out the recipient of the £5,000 ‘One to Watch’ award.

This prestigious prize, devoted to the reminiscence of the late Martin Bruce, a Ghanaian alumnus of the Africa Prize and co-founder of Younger at Coronary heart, acknowledges a standout member of the shortlist recognized by the viewers as a promising future innovator.

These awards mark a major factor of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s dedication to investing over £1 million in African innovators by means of grants, prizes, and accelerator program placements through the Africa Prize’s momentous tenth anniversary 12 months.

The choice of the 2024 Africa Prize finalists follows an exhaustive course of, involving a shortlist of innovators devoted to making use of engineering experience to handle urgent group challenges. This choice was preceded by an intensive eight-month coaching and mentoring initiative, whereby consultants supplied tailor-made, one-on-one help aimed toward accelerating and fortifying the enterprise ventures of every shortlisted candidate.

Coaching modules encompassed various areas corresponding to enterprise planning, scaling methods, recruitment, mental property safety, sector-specific engineering steerage, efficient communication, financing avenues, and commercialization ways.

2024 Finalists for the tenth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

1. Early Crop Pest and Illness Detection Gadget, Esther Kimani, Kenya

Esther Kimani’s groundbreaking innovation is a solar-powered device geared up with AI and machine learning-enabled cameras. This cutting-edge gadget swiftly detects and identifies agricultural pests and illnesses, providing a game-changing answer for smallholder farmers.

By lowering crop losses by as much as 30 per cent and growing yields by as a lot as 40 per cent, Kimani’s invention considerably improves agricultural productiveness. Notably, the gadget offers real-time alerts inside 5 seconds of detecting an infestation, providing tailor-made intervention recommendations. Moreover, it alerts authorities agricultural officers to the presence of illnesses or pests, facilitating broader agricultural administration efforts.

What’s extra, this progressive answer is inexpensive, leasing for simply $3 per 30 days, making it a cheap various to conventional detection strategies corresponding to drones or agricultural inspectors. Moreover, it offers precious information for policymakers by means of an agricultural live-tracking information dashboard.

2. Eco Tiles, Kevin Maina, Kenya

Kevin Maina’s Eco Tiles supply an environmentally pleasant roofing answer crafted from recycled plastic. These tiles, stronger and lighter than conventional clay or concrete tiles, not solely fight plastic air pollution but additionally deal with the problem of excessive constructing prices. Maina and his group collaborate with 500 casual waste collectors to supply plastics, together with high-density polymers and lighter polyethylene.

The progressive manufacturing course of entails a custom-made extrusion machine that blends completely different plastics at various temperatures, eliminating energy-intensive processes like kiln-burning and lowering carbon emissions. Enhanced with UV stabilisation chemical substances and building sand, these tiles boast improved sturdiness and sturdiness. With a manufacturing charge of 1,500 tiles day by day, every tile is pressed in only a minute. So far, half 1,000,000 Eco Tiles have been utilized within the building of 348 homes, showcasing their tangible impression.

3. La Ruche Well being, Rory Assandey, Côte d’Ivoire

Rory Assandey’s La Ruche Well being revolutionizes healthcare accessibility by means of its progressive platform connecting communities to important well being info, recommendation, and companies. On the coronary heart of this initiative is “Kiko,” an AI chatbot device out there on WhatsApp and cellular apps. Moreover, a digital backend answer streamlines documentation, billing, and information sharing for practitioners.

Recognizing the fragmented healthcare community in Côte d’Ivoire, La Ruche Well being addresses accessibility boundaries, significantly for the 43 per cent of the inhabitants with restricted literacy abilities. Kiko serves because the affected person’s preliminary level of contact, providing personalised screening and facilitating appointments with certified healthcare professionals. By Could 2024, the AI has facilitated over 150,000 consumer interactions and 189 in-home and teleconsultation appointments, processing over $18,000 in medical billings, underscoring its effectiveness and scalability.

4. Yo-Waste, Martin Tumusiime, Uganda

Martin Tumusiime’s Yo-Waste tackles Uganda’s waste disaster with a location-based cellular software connecting houses and companies to impartial brokers for environment friendly on-demand garbage assortment and disposal. This progressive expertise makes use of routing and scheduling algorithms to optimize waste assortment routes, thereby lowering prices and enhancing effectivity.

Moreover, GPS location expertise pinpoints assortment factors, overcoming the problem of casual residential areas missing official addresses. Presently serving over 1,500 prospects, together with houses, companies, and waste assortment brokers, Yo-Waste goals to achieve 20,000 customers by 2026. With solely 40 per cent of waste disposed of correctly in Africa, Yo-Waste’s progressive method performs a vital position in combating environmental air pollution and well being hazards related to open dumpsites.

events, together with native supporters, trade friends, engineering and entrepreneurial lovers, innovation hubs, buyers, and media, are invited to register without spending a dime attendance on the Africa Prize ultimate, both in particular person or on-line. You’ll be able to register by following this hyperlink. Moreover, an internet exhibition that includes the Africa Prize 2024 shortlist is accessible for viewing right here.

The ultimate occasion will happen on the Mövenpick Lodge & Residences in Nairobi. Roughly 100 Africa Prize alumni from 20 nations will take part to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Africa Prize.

This 12 months’s panel of judges consists of:

Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng (Chair of judges), former President of the Power Institute and Chair of EngineeringUK
Dr Ibilola Amao, Founder and Principal Advisor of Lonadek International Companies
Rebecca Enonchong FREng, Founder and CEO of AppsTech
Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, Co-founder and Common Companion of Enza Capital, and Raspberry Pi Basis
Sewu-Steve Tawia, Co-founder and Managing Companion of Jaza Rift Ventures
Visitor Decide: Sheena Raikundalia, Chief Development Officer of Kuza One (Kuza Biashara)

Reflecting on the impression of the Africa Prize, Dr John Lazar CBE FREng said, “The Royal Academy of Engineering has supported virtually 150 entrepreneurs throughout 23 African nations, fostering a group that has generated over 28,000 jobs and positively impacted greater than ten million people over the previous decade.

In 2024, the Academy is investing over £1 million in our alumni by means of grants, prizes, and accelerator program awards to make sure the continued success of their improvements.”

Dr Lazar additionally highlighted the issue in deciding on finalists from a file variety of purposes, emphasizing the distinctive high quality of this 12 months’s shortlist. The 4 excellent finalists—Esther Kimani, Kevin Maina, Rory Assandey, and Martin Tumusiime—exemplify engineering excellence in Africa and are poised to encourage the following era of changemakers.

Innovators are eligible for the ‘One to Watch’ award, valued at £5,000

Furthermore, the remaining shortlisted innovators are eligible for the ‘One to Watch’ award, valued at £5,000. Attendees of the Africa Prize ultimate could have the chance to vote for his or her favourite innovation from the next shortlist:

Beba-Beggie by Charles Oduk (Kenya)
Biomass Briquettes by Ludo Ntshiwa (Botswana)
Kiri EV by Christopher Maara (Kenya)
Kuza Freezer by Purity Gakuo (Kenya)
MakSol Cooker by Paul Soddo (Uganda)
MAVUNOLAB Photo voltaic Dryer by Dr Evodius Rutta (Tanzania)
Microfuse Stick Pc by Ivan Karugaba (Uganda)
Myco-Substitutes by Abubakari Zarouk Imoro (Ghana)
PenKeep by Adaeze Akpagbula (Nigeria)
Second-Life Batteries by Léandre Berwa (Rwanda)
The Kitchen Field by Tunde Adeyemi (Nigeria)

Every of those improvements represents a exceptional contribution to sustainable improvement and technological development on the African continent.

View a full set of pictures right here.

The Africa Prize runs yearly and is designed to convey collectively particular person innovators altering their communities, to kind a community that may remodel a continent. The 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation will likely be open for entries on 13 June 2024. People and small groups residing and dealing in sub-Saharan Africa with a scalable engineering innovation to resolve a neighborhood problem are invited to enter. Go to the ‘The best way to Apply’ information on the Africa Prize web site.

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