Sixteen engineering innovators from seven African countries have been shortlisted for the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, by the Royal Academy of Engineering, with applications received from a record 30 countries.
Launched in 2014, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is the continent’s largest prize dedicated to fostering engineering innovation, with a mission to stimulate, celebrate, and reward innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.
Since its inception, the prize has supported 149 businesses from 22 African countries with invaluable training, mentoring, and communication resources, employing over 28,000 people and benefitting more than 10 million people through the innovative products and services developed.
The 16 shortlisted candidates for the 2025 Africa Prize have each been selected for their innovative solutions designed to solve critical environmental, educational and health challenges to transform their communities.
The winner of the Africa Prize will receive GBP25,000 (US$32,000), with three runners up awarded GBP10,000 (US$13,000) each. The audience at the award ceremony will also vote on the winner of the “One-to-Watch” award for the most impactful pitch, who will receive GBP5,000 (US$6,500).
These are the shortlisted innovations and entrepreneurs:
- Aquamet, developed by Frank Owusu in Ghana, is a device that monitors the quality of water in local fisheries sending real time notifications to the farmers’ mobile phone to ensure higher yields.
- Autothermo, designed and created by Nura Izath in Uganda, is an innovative bracelet-like device worn by newborns that monitors and transmits real time data to carers such as temperature, fever and respiratory issues via an intuitive emoji system.
- Community Kitchens Powered by Renewable Energy created by founder Peter Njeri in Kenya, re clean cooking community kitchens that use a new, alternative clean cooking gas made from plastic waste.
- E-Safiri, founded by Carol Ofafa in Kenya, is championing the adoption of electric mobility by expanding charging stations and battery swapping points nationwide, harnessing both renewable and grid energy.
- Eco Plastic Wood, is a solution by Edgar Edmund Tarimo in Tanzania, converting discarded plastic waste into high quality lumber and furniture.
- Eco-Plates, created by Rui Bauhofer in Mozambique, are disposable plates made from recycled maize husks that are fully bio-degradable and infused with seeds that will germinate and grow once discarded.
- FarmBot is the brainchild of Sam Kodo in Togo – an autonomous robot that can monitor crop health and plant growth whilst detecting any pests and gathering soil data, all shared with farmers in real time.
- FreshPack, created by Editha Mshiu in Tanzania, is a cold storage solution that was inspired by human skin and is made from phase change materials, ensuring that produce can be stored and kept fresh for longer without the need for electricity.
- Hybrid Solar Dryers, designed by James Nyamai in Kenya, are agricultural dryers powered by biofuels as well as solar for all weather conditions to reduce losses during the rainy season.
- Mkanda Salama, created by medical student Paschal Kija in Tanzania, is a massaging device designed to be worn around the abdomen to manage post-partum haemorrhaging and reduce maternal death rates.
- Neo Nest, designed by Vivian Arinaitwe in Uganda, 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.
- Play and Learn Web App, developed by Chinelo Okafor in Nigeria, is an AI powered device that enhances digital skills and develops individual pathways for each user to improve digital training.
- Smart Hive Device and Precision Pollination Technology, by Margaret Wanjiku from Kenya is an AI powered device that monitors key features within a beehive to combat bee colony collapse and boost crop yields.
- Smart Luku is a smart meter designed by Shabo Andrew in Tanzania, that allows individual tenants to measure and pay for their own electricity within a shared residence, with the option to share their electricity with other tenants.
- A Sustainable Agro-Tech Solution, by Ahmed Maruf from Nigeria, is an upscaling solution for scrap metal transformed into affordable agricultural and industrial machinery.
- TERP 360, created by Elly Savatia from Kenya, is an AI powered device that translates words into sign language in real time via an app offering greater inclusivity for the hearing-impaired community.
