The finalists for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation used engineering to solve local health, energy, education and resource challenges

A 24-year-old Ugandan software engineer has won the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Brian Gitta is the first Ugandan to win the prestigious Africa Prize, and the youngest winner to date.

Gitta and his team developed Matibabu, a device which tests for malaria without drawing blood. Matibabu, which means ‘medical centre’ in Swahili, is a low-cost, reusable device that clips onto a patient’s finger, requiring no specialist expertise to operate. The results are available within one minute on a mobile phone that is linked to the device.

A red beam of light shone through the user’s finger detects changes in the shape, colour and concentration of red blood cells, all of which are affected by malaria.

Gitta wins the first prize of UK £25,000 (124 million Ugandan shillings). At an awards ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya on 13 June 2018, four finalists from across sub-Saharan Africa delivered presentations, before Africa Prize judges and a live audience voted for the most promising engineering innovation.

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. It encourages talented sub-Saharan African engineers, from all disciplines, to develop innovations that address crucial problems in their communities in a new, appropriate way.

Gitta and his team decided to develop the device after missing lectures, having had malaria several times. Matibabu is currently undergoing testing in partnership with a national hospital in Uganda and is sourcing suppliers for the sensitive magnetic and laser components required to scale up production.

Matibabu is aimed at individuals, health centres and diagnostic suppliers. The team also aims to set up the device on the streets to allow people to do a single test at a time.

Through their participation in the Africa Prize, the Matibabu team have been approached by international researchers offering support and are currently writing up their ground-breaking findings into an academic paper, to be published within the next few months.

“We are very proud of this year’s winner. It’s a perfect example of how engineering can unlock development – in this case by improving healthcare,” said Rebecca Enonchong, Africa Prize judge. “Matibabu is simply a gamechanger.”

The inventors of a cheap and sustainable recycling method to recover precious metals, an innovative smart meter that gives consumers more control over energy use and a textbook-sized science lab for kids were among the engineering innovators chosen as finalists for the prestigious 2018 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

Sixteen shortlisted Africa Prize entrants, from seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa, received six months training and mentoring during which they learned to develop business plans and market their innovations. The group received coaching on communicating effectively, focusing on customers and approaching investors with confidence.

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. It encourages talented sub-Saharan African engineers, from all disciplines, to develop local solutions to challenges in their communities. Launched in 2014, the Prize aims to stimulate, celebrate and reward engineers who have developed innovations that will benefit Africans and helps turn engineers with incredible ideas into successful entrepreneurs. The Prize selects innovators from across the continent and provides training and mentoring to help turn engineers with incredible ideas into successful entrepreneurs. The Africa Prize provides a unique package of support, including funding, comprehensive business training, bespoke mentoring and access to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s network of high profile, experienced engineers and experts, and their networks.

The three runners up, who each win £10,000, are:

Gitta commented: “We are incredibly honoured to win the Africa Prize – it’s such a big achievement for us, because it means that we can better manage production in order to scale clinical trials and prove ourselves to regulators. The recognition will help us open up partnership opportunities – which is what we need most at the moment.”

The fifth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is now open for applications. Individuals and small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa, and who have an engineering innovation, are invited to enter. Potential entrants can find more information here. The deadline for entries is 23 July 2018.

This year, the finalists came from Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe, with the latter working in South Africa. They were chosen for engineering innovations that provide new solutions.

“All four of our finalists have found novel ways to address critical challenges in their home countries – in fact, problems that are faced all over the world,” said Africa Prize judge, Rebecca Enonchong. “We’re proud to be part of the development of world-class African technologies, and to support emerging African entrepreneurs.”

The finalists were selected from a pool of 16 shortlisted candidates from seven countries spanning sub-Saharan Africa. For the first time, Zimbabwe and Ghana are represented by Africa Prize finalists.

“All 16 candidates have received tailored business mentorship, developing skills that last a lifetime. Engineers are among the best problem solvers in the world – and it’s imperative that we support those who embark on business ventures that advance technology in all fields,” added Enonchong.

The 2018 finalists tackled challenges in STEM education, household energy use, responsible resource use in the automotive industry and appropriate medical technologies for Africa.

Africa Prize innovations have made an impact in a variety of countries and sectors, addressing problems like climate change, food security, utilities infrastructure, and access to transport and education. The 2018 finalists tackle challenges in STEM education, household energy use, responsible resource use in the automotive industry and appropriate medical technologies for Africa.

Ugandan innovation Matibabu tests for malaria quickly, accurately and without drawing blood. Matibabu, which means ‘medical centre’ in Swahili, was developed by computer scientist Brian Gitta. It is a low cost, reusable device that clips onto the user’s finger. The results are available within one minute and no special expertise is required to operate it.

A red beam of laser light shone through the user’s finger detects changes in the shape, colour and concentration of red blood cells, all of which are affected by malaria. Gitta’s team is working closely with a large local hospital to run tests, and academic papers document their innovative work.

Of the 400,000 global deaths every year due to malaria, 90% are in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria kills more children under five in this region than HIV. All available tests for malaria require blood samples, which are invasive, expensive and time-consuming, and rely on well-resourced laboratories.

Zimbabwean chemical engineer Collins Saguru developed AltMet, a process that recovers the precious metals found in the autocatalytic converters of all petrol and diesel vehicles. The common car part reduces the toxicity of vehicle gas emissions, and the converter itself contains the Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) platinum, palladium and rhodium. These are all valuable and useful for industrial processes, and on the European Union’s Critical Materials List, making a strong case for recycling them.

Existing recycling methods require high temperatures, and consequently, a lot of energy. Saguru dismantles used autocatalytic converters, crushes and leaches them before extracting the PGMs, using much lower temperatures than current recycling methods. This means the process is more affordable and emits fewer toxic gases. The chemical reagents used by AltMet are cheap, relatively common and environmentally friendly. Saguru, who lives and works in South Africa, is in negotiations with local partners to set up a comprehensive pilot project in the near future.

Nigerian innovation iMeter helps prevent tampering with electricity meters and gives consumers more transparency and control over their energy use. Developed by electronics engineer Ifediora Ugochukwu, the Intelligent Meter (iMeter) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) software is already set for rollout in two Nigerian municipalities, with private and public partnerships in place.

More than 30% of meters in Nigeria are tampered with or bypassed, and as a result, power utilities resort to bill estimation. The iMeter and AMI system gives consumers transparency and ensures they are billed only for the energy they use.

iMeter measures energy usage and connects to cell phones or computers equipped with AMI software so that consumers can manage their energy supply remotely. The system notifies power utilities of tampering, which discourages vandalism, improves power supply and reduces deaths from electrocution.

Finally, Ghanaian mechanical engineer Michael Asante-Afrifa developed Science Set, a mini science lab that contains specially developed materials needed for science activities and experiments.

Science Set is the size of a textbook and fits easily into a school bag and on a school desk. Science Set contains 45 different parts, ranging from circuit boards and wires to an electromagnet and mini lightbox. With these, students can perform 26 experiments that are already part of Ghana’s primary and junior high school syllabus. The kit is affordable, easy to use, quick to set up and designed to integrate seamlessly into the classroom. Asante-Afrifa’s team can produce 1,000 units a month and they have already sold more than 4,000 sets in Ghana.

The Africa Prize is the continent’s biggest prize dedicated to developing the entrepreneurial skills of engineers and the winner receives £25,000 with £10,000 awarded to each of the runners up.

The fifth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is now open. Individuals and small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa, and who have an engineering innovation, are invited to enter.

“Engineering is an economic and social change agent that is under-supported in Africa. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s programme provides a unique package of tailored support that includes funding, comprehensive business training, bespoke mentoring and access to a high-profile network of experienced engineers and experts. Anyone who participates in the Africa Prize will find a lifetime of value from this support,” said 2017 winner Godwin Benson, who developed the Nigerian education app, Tuteria.

The fifth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is now open. Individuals and small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa, and who have an engineering innovation, are invited to enter. Potential entrants can find more information here. The deadline for entries is 23 July 2018.

The other 12 candidates on the 2018 Africa Prize shortlist were:

The Africa Prize is supported by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund and the UK Government's Global Challenges Research Fund. Further information can be found here:

https://www.shellcentenaryscholarshipfund.org/ and here: https://www.ukri.org/research/global-challenges-research-fund/