Inventors of an off-grid neonatal crib for jaundiced babies, portable vaccine fridges, a Visa-backed card that gives unbanked individuals access to the digital economy, and a fuel-cell-based hydrogen generator that converts gas into electricity have been selected as finalists for the prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2022.
The four finalists - three of whom are women - from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Togo, were selected from a shortlist of 16 African innovators for their ability to use engineering to solve problems for African communities.
The finalists were chosen after receiving eight months of training, mentorship and support, with expert volunteers providing bespoke, one-on-one support with business plans, scaling, recruitment, IP protection, financing and commercialisation.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation, and has a proven track record of identifying successful engineering entrepreneurs. Now in its eighth year, it supports talented sub-Saharan African entrepreneurs with engineering innovations that address crucial problems in their communities in a new way.
The 2022 Africa Prize winner will be selected on 15 June 2022 and will receive £25,000, along with three runners-up who are each awarded £10,000. Local supporters, industry peers, engineering and entrepreneurial enthusiasts as well as media are encouraged to attend the Africa Prize free, virtual event.
The final will be hosted by Dr Shini Somara, a mechanical engineer and fluid dynamicist turned TV presenter, children's book author, podcaster, TEDx speaker and mentor. Guest speakers will include:
Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng, judge on the Africa Prize panel, said “Once again, it was very tough to select the finalists from such a high-quality shortlist. But these four entrepreneurs stood out because their innovations could have huge potential impact in sub-Saharan Africa, and their businesses look destined for success. It’s great to again have three finalists who are women - and four different countries represented, with a finalist from Togo for the first time in our 8-year history.”
Ibilola Amao, judge on the Africa Prize panel, said “Delivering a consensus on the top four candidates from an exceptional sixteen is quite a task that gets tougher each year. The entries are becoming more impressive, year after year. Hearty congratulations to our 2022 winners who we know will make us very proud.”
The 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is now open for entries. Individuals and small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa with a scalable engineering innovation to solve a local challenge are invited to enter. The deadline for entries is 19 July 2022.
The remaining 12 candidates from the 2022 Africa Prize shortlist are now eligible for a One-to-Watch Award worth £5,000, which will be judged on the strength of their business pitch by the audience. They will compete for the public’s vote at the Africa Prize final on 15 June.
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For media enquiries please contact: Chris Urquhart at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0725; email: Chris.Urquhart@raeng.org.uk