On Wednesday, the Royal Academy of Engineering announced that 16 engineering innovators from seven African countries have been shortlisted for the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
This prestigious award, launched in 2014, is the continent’s largest prize dedicated to fostering engineering innovation. Its mission is to stimulate, celebrate, and reward innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.
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Innovations and innovators
The shortlisted innovators hail from Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Togo. Their innovations address a wide range of challenges, including lifesaving postpartum care for mothers and babies in rural areas, upcycling and hybrid green energy solutions for farmers, smart agritech for food crops, fisheries, and beekeepers, groundbreaking AI tools for the hearing impaired, and electricity-free cold storage for small-scale farmers.
Here are the 16 shortlisted innovations and their respective entrepreneurs:
Aquamet (Ghana) – Developed by Frank Owusu, this device checks water quality in fisheries and sends real-time alerts to farmers’ phones to improve fish yields.
Neo Nest (Uganda) – Designed by Vivian Arinaitwe, it is a neonatal warming and monitoring device that relays key health indicators of a newborn in real-time to medical professionals to prevent neonatal deaths.
Autothermo (Uganda) – Created by Nura Izath, this innovative bracelet-like device monitors and transmits real-time data on temperature, fever, and respiratory issues through an intuitive emoji system.
TERP 360 (Kenya) – An AI-powered sign language translator.
Clean Cooking Alternative Fuel (Togo) – Made from recycled plastic, this innovation provides a clean alternative for cooking.
Electricity-Free Cold Storage (Tanzania) – A solution for small-scale farmers to store perishable goods without electricity.
Smart Agritech (Nigeria) – Solutions for food crops, fisheries, and beekeepers.
Upcycling and Hybrid Green Energy (Mozambique) – Solutions for farmers to improve energy efficiency.
AI Tools for Residential Energy Monitoring (Kenya) – Groundbreaking AI tools to monitor residential energy use.
Lifesaving Postpartum Care (Ghana) – Innovations for lifesaving postpartum care in rural areas.
AI Tools for the Hearing Impaired (Nigeria) – Groundbreaking AI tools to support greater inclusivity for the hearing impaired.
New Packaging Technology (Tanzania)- Inspired by human skin, it is used for electricity-free cold storage.
Clean Cooking Gas (Kenya) – Made from waste plastic.
Disposable Plates from Agricultural Waste (Togo) – Made from maize husks.
Innovative Materials from Waste Plastic (Mozambique) – Used for furniture and other products.
Smart Beekeeping Solutions (Uganda)—Although not detailed, this is part of the broader smart agritech innovations.
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Impact and Awards
Since its inception, the Africa Prize has supported 149 businesses from 22 African countries, providing invaluable training, mentoring, and communication resources. These businesses have created over 28,000 jobs and benefited more than 10 million people through the innovative products and services developed.
The winner of the Africa Prize will receive GBP25,000 (approximately US$32,000), while three runners-up will each be awarded GBP10,000 (approximately US$13,000). Additionally, the audience at the award ceremony will vote on the “One-to-Watch” award winner for the most impactful pitch, who will receive GBP5,000 (approximately US$6,500).
Neo Hutiri, the winner of the Africa Prize in 2019 and the Africa Prize Alumni Medal in 2024 noted, “Being part of the Africa Prize was a game changer for me. Before the Prize, I struggled to get an audience with key decision-makers in the National Department of Health in South Africa. Two weeks after the announcement, the media coverage opened doors, leading to a pivotal meeting with the Head of Access to Medicine. Today, Pelebox is in over 100 healthcare facilities across South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia—proof of the Prize’s lasting impact. I’m excited to see how this year’s shortlist will benefit from this incredible platform”.
The Africa Prize has a thriving alum network, with 71 percent of alums generating revenue and collectively securing $39 million in grants and equity funding. This year’s shortlist reflects the diversity and creativity of engineering innovation across Africa, with each innovator offering unique solutions to pressing health, educational, and environmental challenges in their communities.
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