World Courant
Final evening, the Royal Academy of Engineering celebrated the tenth anniversary of the celebrated Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation by awarding a particular medal to the creator of Pelebox, a wise locker meting out system that helps folks dwelling with illnesses, equivalent to HIV or AIDS, handle their continual repeat drugs in lower than half-hour as a substitute of queuing for hours at healthcare amenities. Pelebox’s sensible lockers are actually operational in 123 communities throughout 3 international locations – already impacting the lives of 32,000 sufferers per 30 days, with over one million continual scripts processed to this point.
South African innovator Neo Hutiri, creator of Pelebox, was awarded a Jubilee Medal and £50,000 of funding to assist speed up its innovation, after pitching to a gaggle of six judges at a ceremony in central London. “I’m honored to have been acknowledged by the Royal Academy of Engineering and to have been chosen alongside such a gifted group of innovators. The award has performed an necessary position in accelerating Technovera-Pelebox Good Lockers over the previous 5 years. It has created a group that has supported and impressed us prior to now and continues to assist and encourage us as we transfer ahead. By way of this award, we need to scale up the work we now have been doing to achieve extra communities,” he mentioned. The medal is considered one of 35 anniversary grants, prizes and accelerator program awards, collectively price greater than £1 million, being invested in African innovators who’re fixing key growth challenges on the continent by the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences. This system is Africa’s largest award devoted to tech innovation and supporting entrepreneurs to maximise their impression and marks its tenth awarde anniversary this yr.
The 2 runners-up have been Aisha Raheem, with Farmz2u from Nigeria and Kenya, an organization that will increase effectivity for market gamers within the meals system by seamless operational programs, and Samuel Njiguna with Chura Restricted from Kenya, with a web-based multi-network system. which permits customers to maneuver airtime between their totally different SIM playing cards no matter service, buy airtime from service suppliers that can be utilized on any community, ship airtime to members of the family or staff, or alternate airtime for money. Each runners-up obtained £15,000 to additional develop their improvements. The remaining 10e anniversary funding will probably be supplied by grants and actions to stimulate the expansion and sustainability of corporations based in Africa. These initiatives embody authorized assist, digital abilities enchancment and world networking alternatives.
Over its first decade, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation has supported greater than 140 entrepreneurs in 23 African international locations with a rigorous enterprise coaching program, lifelong assist by its vibrant alumni community, and technical mentoring, communications assist and pitching alternatives. Alumni are working to deal with a lot of Africa’s most urgent growth challenges, together with entry to energy, meals and water safety, local weather change adaptation and bettering public infrastructure. Since 2014, its alumni have collectively raised greater than $39 million in funding, created greater than 28,000 jobs and launched greater than 470 services and products in additional than 40 international locations on 5 continents. Greater than 10 million folks have benefited from the technical improvements and employment alternatives created by Africa Prize alumni.
In line with Rebecca Enonchong FREng, jury member of the Africa Prize, “The spectacular Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation entrepreneurs have created options which are actively shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for greater than 10 million folks on the continent. The Africa Prize was established ten years in the past to actively enhance technical capability in Africa. Throughout this time, the continent’s tech ecosystem has continued to develop and thrive and we’re proud to have supported its vibrant panorama of innovation and collaboration.” Registrations for the following cohort of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation will open in spring 2024.
Shortlisted innovators included:
Farmz2u, Aisha Raheem, Nigeria and Kenya – Farmz2U is a dynamic provide chain expertise firm centered on growing effectivity for market gamers within the meals system by seamless operational programs.
Kitovu Know-how Firm, Nwachinere Emeka, Nigeria – an internet platform that helps smallholder farmers in rural and distant areas make data-driven choices to cut back prices, enhance yields and maximize gross sales.
Vertical and micro gardening-VMG, Paul Matovu, Uganda – VMG’s Vertical Farms makes use of the house to each develop a wide range of crops and compost biodegradable family waste, making sustainable agriculture accessible in city environments and contributing to meals safety and group empowerment.
Majik Water Applied sciences LTD, Beth Wanjiku Koigi, Kenya – Majik Water makes use of photo voltaic vitality to extract moisture from the air and convert it into inexpensive, clear ingesting water for communities off the grid.
Silmak-Genesis Care, Catherine Wanjoya, Kenya – Genesis Care is an Web of Issues (IoT)-enabled system to dispense after which eliminate female hygiene merchandise, giving girls and ladies better entry to inexpensive menstrual merchandise.
Technovera-Pelebox Good Lockers, Neo Hutiri, South Africa – Technovera is a social enterprise centered on inclusive expertise with the goal of bettering entry to treatment for continual illnesses in Africa.
Kamata On-line Safety Companies Ltd (KOPS Ltd), Edmand Aijuka, Uganda – Kamata, that means “seize,” is a prevention system that alerts regional utility facilities when energy is being tampered or manipulated.
Tuteria Training, Godwin Benson, Nigeria – Tuteria offers entry to inexpensive, personalised steering, particularly for college students with educational challenges or particular studying wants.
Science set, Ofori Charles Antipem, Ghana – The Science Set is a extremely customizable transportable toolbox that accommodates supplies wanted for each fundamental science experiment in numerous science curricula in Africa.
BleagLee, Juveline Ngum Ngwa, Cameroon – BleagLee makes use of an AI-based platform to rapidly establish open waste burning after which works with indigenous waste collectors to gather waste for processing into biofuels, creating sustainable employment for girls, males and youth.
Auto-Truck EA Restricted, Kenneth Guantai, Kenya – Auto-truck is an e-mobility firm specializing within the native manufacturing, customization and meeting of electrical two- and three-wheelers generally utilized in Kenya for last-mile connectivity.
Chura restricted, Samuel Njuguna, Kenya – Chura is a web-based, multi-network system that permits customers to maneuver airtime between their totally different SIM playing cards no matter service, buy airtime from service suppliers that can be utilized on any community, ship airtime to members of the family or staff, or alternate airtime for money.
South African innovator Neo Hutiri wins a tech award for a wise locker that cuts HIV therapy queues by hours
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