Kenya’s Kelvin Gacheru’s has been shortlisted for the for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation which is set to take place on May 23, 2017 in Nairobi.
Kevin’s innovation is Mobi-Water, a smart solar-powered water monitoring system.
(TOP: Kelvin Gacheru, the Mobi-Water founder).
In Kenya, where 40% of urban and 60% of rural residents lack access to a safe and reliable water source, the water resource engineer designed the Mobi-Water system to enable water tank owners to monitor and control the water levels in their tanks from any location using their mobile phones.
Mobi-Water sends a text message alert to up to 10 mobile numbers when water levels drop below a certain point. Users can remotely open and close valves and pumps if they want to refill the tank or redirect the water.
Kevin joins three other finalists from Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, who were chosen for their engineering innovations which provide solutions to local problems.
The winner will receive £25,000 (Ksh3.34 million) and £10,000 (Kshs 1.33 million) will be awarded to each of the runners up.
The four finalists were selected from a pool of 16 shortlisted candidates from across sub-Saharan Africa, who all received six months of training and mentorship.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, encourages talented sub-Saharan African engineers, from all disciplines, to develop local solutions to challenges in their communities. The Prize selects innovators from across the continent and provides training and mentoring to help turn engineers with incredible ideas into successful entrepreneurs.
Launched in 2014, the Prize aims to stimulate, celebrate and reward innovative engineers from across the continent. The Africa Prize is currently generously supported by the Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund, Consolidated Contractors Company, ConocoPhillips, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and UK Government through the Global Challenges Research Fund.
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