Ten winners of Africa-wide Innovators’ Challenge announced and receive advanced training in Nairobi

Ten winners of the 4th edition of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge, drawn from Tanzania, Nigeria, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Kenya have been announced and awarded in Nairobi at a Ceremony attended by leaders from the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) and Huawei Technologies, the lead sponsor for the Challenge. This year’s challenge focused on identifying and supporting innovators from across the continent leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The ten winners have come to Nairobi for a Training Programme organised in collaboration with Strathmore University’s @iLabAfrica – a Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovation and Development – to further enhance their start-ups’ capabilities to leverage AI and to enhance their business models.

(TOP: The winners of the 4th edition of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge with ATU Secretary General, John Omo).

Christopher Wambua, Director of Corporate Communications at CAK presided over the closing of the Programme together with the ATU Secretary General, John Omo; Huawei Director of ICT Strategy and Policy for sub-Saharan Africa, Sherry Zhang; and the ITU Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Emmanuel C. Manasseh. In addition to receiving the all-expenses paid AI training programme, the winners also received a Huawei Matepad each.

Congratulating the finalists, John Omo noted that this year’s Challenge attracted innovators working on a wide range   of subjects. “I am proud of the outstanding AI-powered solutions that have emerged. I am also excited that they are addressing the continent’s most pressing challenges, including; food insecurity, financial exclusion, climate change, unreliable energy access, and curbing counterfeit products,” he said.

Omo also thanked the Challenge sponsors for making the Programme possible, acknowledging that the milestones achieved by the initiative, “are a reflection of the commitment of partners such as Huawei and others in the private sector to Africa’s digital transformation through strategic collaboration.”

Main sponsors of the Challenge, Huawei, highlighted Africa’s potential in the digital space. “AI can have a transformative impact in Africa, as shown by these innovators who are already using it to solve real challenges, and I am delighted that Huawei can build on our longstanding support for local innovation by supporting them through this Challenge” noted Sherry Zhang. She further called on stakeholders to enhance access to high-speed connectivity, cloud and computing infrastructure, and skills, which she said would “enable the growth of the ecosystem of local innovators which is a significant factor in ensuring Africa can capture the benefits from this amazing technology.”

Huawei has operated in Africa for over 25 years, developing innovative technology solutions to local challenges together with telecommunication companies, enterprises, governments and individuals. Huawei allocates over 20% of its revenue to innovation and research and development (R&D).

Innovative solutions showcased by the winners include: Fresh AI, a device to detect food spoilage and reduce waste by Mohamed Alpha (Sierra Leone); Tausi Africa, an AI-based credit scoring platform for inclusive lending by Alex Mkwizu (Tanzania); Farmer Lifeline Technologies, an AI solution for managing agricultural emissions by Esther Kimani (Kenya); MedPack, a mobile app streamlining pharmaceutical procurement by Henry Mathayo (Tanzania), and PowerBox, an AI-powered battery module by Promise Okwuchukwu (Nigeria).

Other solutions include Spana, an AI platform for foiling the sale of counterfeit vehicle spare parts by Julius Mbungo (Tanzania); Kavel Decodes, an assistive learning tech for visually impaired students by Chifuniro Misinde (Malawi); Agro-Gen AI, an AI chatbot for farmers by Kelvin Pius Paul (Tanzania); Chameleon Tools, a soil moisture detection system by Alinafe Kaliwo (Malawi); and ClarioAI, an AI assistant for product information and customer behaviour analysis by Asya Haji (Tanzania).

⁠Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, ITU Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) said: “I congratulate the winners. Our partnership with ATU on the Africa Innovation Challenge is a strategic multi-stakeholder initiative for identifying and nurturing young African talent in innovators. This initiative will enhance the capacity of these innovators to contribute effectively to socio-economic development across Africa.”

Topics at the Training Programme were aligned to meet the emerging issues on the continent and globally. The finalists were trained on ethics and responsible AI, refining their AI prototypes, business models for AI development, among other topics. They were also engaged in hands-on workshops at the @iLabAfrica ICT laboratory facilities.

Leading subject matter experts who facilitated the training include, among others: Amr Farouk Safwat, the chairperson of the AU Working Group on AI;  Mohamed Ba-Senior coordinator, Digital Innovation Ecosystems at ITU; John Sergon, Senior Fellow on Cyber Space Policy at Strathmore University; Dr. William Murithi, Senior Faculty at Strathmore Business School in Entrepreneurship; and Philip Oyier, Lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and Huawei Certified Instructor in AI and Cloud Computing.

With the conclusion of the fourth edition, the fifth edition is set to be unveiled in the coming months and innovators on the continent are encouraged to be on the lookout.

An Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO), ATU is the specialised organ of the AU in the field of Telecommunications/ICTs/Digital, and also the ITU’s regional telecoms organization (RTO) for Africa. The Union represents 52 Member States, and 56 Associate Members. It is an autonomous, membership driven organization whose mission is promoting digital transformation in Africa and ensuring Africa is an equal-player in global digital matters.

Huawei is a global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices. Established in 1987, Huawei is committed to building a fully connected, intelligent world, providing innovative solutions across areas including cloud computing, 5G networks, AI, and consumer electronics. With operations in over 170 countries and regions, Huawei’s mission is to enable organizations and individuals to create value through technological advancement. The company invests heavily in research and development, making significant strides in areas such as 5G technology, smart cities, and enterprise solutions.