Nigerians nominated for top Africa innovation award
Five Nigerians are among 16 talented entrepreneurs selected from nine African countries for the 2021/2022 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
The Nigerians are: Adekoyejo
Kuye, inventor of an off-grid cold storage solution for farmers to store and
sell fresh produce without relying on the electrical grid; Virtue Oboro, who
created foldable photo-therapy cribs that treat jaundice in newborns; and
Mariam Eluma, founder of an online free-cycle platform where users can upload
unwanted or unused items in exchange for virtual currency with which to
purchase other goods.
Others are: Oluwatobi
Oyinlola, maker of an outdoor workstation—a solar-powered space where students
can connect to WiFi and off-grid electricity; and Femi Taiwo, creator of an
online platform that connects users to freelancers, so small business owners
can find and safely outsource key skills such as coding and accounting.
“Once again we have received
an inspiring calibre of applications for the Africa Prize. This year’s
shortlist demonstrates how technology can be used to drive development from a
grassroots level, and we look forward to supporting these innovators in
expanding their impact across Africa,” said John Lazar CBE, FREng, Africa Prize
judge.
Now in its eighth year, the Africa Prize is run by UK’s
Royal Academy of Engineering. It awards crucial commercialization support to
African innovators who are tackling local challenges with scalable engineering
solutions aimed at improving quality of life and economic development.
For the first time, half of
the 16-strong shortlist are women, including the first woman from Ethiopia to
be shortlisted for the prize. Other countries represented on the list are:
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, The Republic of the
Congo, Togo and Uganda.
