The winner of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation (APEI) is set to be announced this Thursday May 26 at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The four finalists – representing Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon and South Africa – will compete for the grand Prize of US $36,500 (£25,000). The finalists will have an opportunity to pitch live to the audience and judges, after which the audience members will vote and while judges deliberate. Thereafter, the overall winner will be announced.
(TOP: Felix Kimaru, Totohealth founder).
Among the four finalists is Kenya’s Felix Kimaru, the founder of Totohealth. Totohealth is a web-based network that supplies mothers and pregnant women with life-saving information and advice.
Others are Cameroon’s Arthur Zang representing Cardio-Pad, a portable heart diagnostic device that improves access to cardiovascular care; South Africa’s Matt Wainwright representing Standard Microgrid (an electricity utility-in-a-box that speeds up rural electrification and reduces energy costs) and Uganda’s Eddie Aijuka, founder of Kamata, a device which prevents electricity theft and gives national utilities more control over power distribution.
Eight innovators – including a young engineer from Tanzania – will be present to showcase the projects that won them a spot on the Africa Prize shortlist. Over the last year, they have undergone intensive training to grow their engineering innovations into entrepreneurial successes. Their businesses range from healthcare, agriculture and IT to energy and nutrition.
The inaugural Africa Prize winner from Tanzania, Askwar Hilonga, will also be at the event to award the Prize to his successor while Bright Simons, mPedigree founder, will be the keynote speaker..
A profile of the all the finalists and their projects is available here for download.
The Africa Prize is an initiative of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK.
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