- This year’s shortlist includes innovators from seven countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Togo who will compete for a share of the £60,000 Africa Prize fund.
- Their innovations include 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 for monitoring residential energy use, electricity-free cold storage for small scale farmers, and a clean cooking alternative fuel made from recycled plastic.
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. It also boasts a thriving alumni network, with 71% of alumni generating revenue. Collectively, these alumni have secured $39 million in grants and equity funding.
The 16 shortlisted candidates for the 2025 Africa Prize, now in its 11th year, have each been selected for their innovative solutions designed to solve critical environmental, educational and health challenges to transform their communities.
Innovations from Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda include life-saving maternal and neonatal devices allowing at-risk pregnant mothers and their babies to reach health facilities safely from remote areas, as well as transformative smart agritech, upcycling and hybrid green energy solutions, and groundbreaking AI tools to support greater inclusivity for the hearing impaired. Innovative materials such as new packaging technology inspired by human skin are used for electricity-free cold storage, clean cooking gas and furniture are made from waste plastic, and disposable plates from agricultural waste (maize husks).
Neo Hutiri, winner of the Africa Prize in 2019 and the Africa Prize Alumni Medal in 2024 with his innovation, Pelebox, said: "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. Just 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."
Rebecca Enonchong, CEO of AppsTech and Africa Prize judge, said: "We are thrilled to see another round of 16 amazing innovators dedicating their lives to addressing important problems in their local communities through engineering. Their innovations showcase the power of local innovation, adapting existing technologies to create context-specific solutions that directly respond to the unique needs and challenges of their regions. This year, we have observed a trend in the themes chosen for their innovations – with a significant focus on neonatal healthcare, food security and upcycling. These all represent critical priorities within today’s innovation landscape. I am delighted to welcome these entrepreneurs to the Africa Prize community and look forward to following their journey as they develop their engineering solutions over the next few months."
UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance said: “Whether it’s through wearable tech that can boost healthcare, to cost-effective ways of harnessing clean energy, breakthroughs in engineering are central to efforts to grow the economy and improve lives right across the world. Through this prize, we are backing ambitious African innovators who are coming up with solutions that could help us address some of the biggest environmental and health challenges of our time. Ultimately this is work that makes us all healthier, wealthier and more secure, and supports the UK Government’s Plan for Change.”
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 through an intuitive emoji system.
- Community Kitchens Powered by Renewable Energy created by founder Peter Njeri in Kenya, are 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 through an app offering greater inclusivity for deaf people.
Once shortlisted for the Africa Prize, innovators will benefit from a comprehensive package of support designed to accelerate their businesses. This includes an eight-month training programme that covers key business skills, comprising financial management and market analysis to help the innovators turn their ideas into market ready ideas. Involvement in the Prize also includes access to expert business, technical, and sector-specific engineering mentoring and connecting the shortlisted candidates to the Academy's extensive network of engineers and business leaders across the UK and Africa.
Innovators are invited to submit a second application during their training programme, when the Prize’s panel of judges will select four finalists to move through to the final event, to be held in Senegal in October this year.
The winner of the Africa Prize will receive £25,000, with three runners up awarded £10,000 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 £5,000. All shortlisted candidates will become part of the Africa Prize Alumni of over 150 innovators, which offers access to exclusive opportunities for funding, development, and support.
Applications for Cycle 12 of the Africa Prize will open in early July, closing in mid-September. The programme will use a two-stage application process for the first time to streamline the process for both applicants and reviewers. Applicants should apply within this initial period to have a chance of being considered for the 2026 shortlist.
Notes for editors
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to developing African innovators and helping them to maximise their impact. It gives commercialisation support to ambitious African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to address local challenges, demonstrating the importance of engineering as an enabler of improved quality of life and economic development.
The Africa Prize shortlist takes part in an eight-month training and mentoring programme, during which experts provided tailored, one-on-one support designed to accelerate and strengthen the businesses of each member of the shortlist. Training covers business plans, scaling, recruitment, IP protection, sector-specific engineering mentoring, communication, financing, and commercialisation. Support from the Royal Academy of Engineering connects the alumni to global networks who can accelerate their business and technology development, The Africa Prize offers lifelong support through its alumni network.
The Africa Prize has been generously supported by the UK Government, including the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Official Development Assistance funding, as well as charitable trusts and foundations, individual donors and corporate partners over the last ten years.
The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.
Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.