Innovation Prize for Africa 2014 Finalists Announced
African Innovation Foundation (AIF) has been focusing their microscope to identify the best African innovators who are using their creativity to make the continent a better place. This year scanned through various innovations ranging from Domestic Waste Biogas Systems to World’s First Injectable Skeleton Regeneration Protein and came up with the following list of 10 best of the best innovators:
- Ashley Uys (South Africa): Credited for the OculusID Impairment Screening Device, a machine that can measure pupil response to light emissions and hence used to determine substance abuse, fatigue and physiological defects without invasive surgery on the subject.
- Daniel Gitau Thairu (Kenya): Credited for the Domestic Waste Biogas System, an innovative kind of biogas digester that digests any kind of material that can decompose as opposed to the conventional bio-digester which relies exclusively on animal dung.
- Elise Rasel Cloete (South Africa): Credited for the GMP Traceability Management Software CC, a software that enables the capturing, storage and tracing of data on livestock and the data transmission happens in real-time.
- Joshua Okello (Uganda): Credited for the WinSenga, an innovative cheap mobile phone-based antenatal diagnosis kit that can capture the heart beats sounds and give a diagnosis which is then sent to the mother as an SMS. It also comes with the option of uploading the data to Cloud storage.
- Logou Minsob (Togo): Credited for the Foufoumix, a miniature electrical food processor that can prepare discreet and hygienic foufou under just 8 minutes, immensely cutting down the time uses to prepare this dish using mortar and pestles.
- Dr. Nicolaas Duneas (South Africa): Credited for the Osteogenic Bone Matrix (Altis OBT TM), the world’s first bone-graft that can be directly injected into the body made up of complex mixture of various bone growth compounds obtained from the porcine (pig).
- Maman Abdou Kane (Niger): Credited for the Horticultural Tele-Irrigation system, an innovative technology which allows growers to remotely control the irrigation system for their market garden by simply using their mobile phones or landlines from anywhere.
- Melesse Temesgen (Ethiopia): Credited for the Aybar BBM, a low cost device that can be used for farming in waterlogged fields. It easily drains the water turning unavailable fields and soils to high yielding farming grounds.
- Sulaiman Bolarinde Farmro (Nigeria): Credited for the Farmking Mobile Multi-crop Processor, an innovative technology that utilizes centrifugal force to process sweet potatoes, she-nuts, cassava, cereals and grains. This extractor cuts down from the current 3-4 days into a matter of just 5 minutes process but with higher quality products output, compared to the current technology of crude fermentation and pressing which are not.
- Viness Pillay (South Africa): Credited for the WaferMatTM, an alternative way of making the pediatric ARV therapy into wafer that easily dissolves within the first 3 seconds when placed inside the mouth. Thus making the process of administering ARV drugs to children very easy and its absorption quite efficient.
The above named innovators are the top 10 selected as the finalist to be awarded the prestigious Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2014.
