- Entrepreneurs with engineering solutions in sub-Saharan Africa invited to apply for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
- The 2024 prize will mark a decade of support for innovators enhancing economic, environmental and social development in Africa
The Royal Academy of Engineering has opened applications for the 2024 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation as the programme approaches its 10th anniversary. The Africa Prize supports ambitious entrepreneurs and innovators developing local and scalable solutions to everyday challenges on the continent.
The Africa Prize
will welcome its tenth cohort in November 2023. Since 2014, the programme has
supported more than 130 entrepreneurs across 20 African countries with a
rigorous business training programme and lifelong support through the Africa
Prize alumni network. More than 70% of the alumni’s engineering and technology
businesses now generate revenue. Between them the Africa Prize alumni have raised
more than USD 14 million in grants and equity funding, and created more than
3,600 jobs, almost half of them for women.
The Africa Prize
is now looking for the next 16 promising innovators with engineering
technologies to improve lives, launching applications today at the 10th
Sankalp Africa Summit in Nairobi, Kenya – an event that showcases the
entrepreneurial ecosystem working towards sustainable development in Africa.
The aim of the Africa Prize is to support the crucial role that
engineers play in addressing societal challenges including access to power,
food and water security, adapting to climate change, and improving
telecommunications, education, financial services, healthcare and other public
infrastructure. With applications from 37 African nations to date, and
shortlisted candidates from 20 nations, the Africa Prize continues to nurture
the wealth of diverse engineering talent across sub-Saharan Africa.
The winner of the Africa Prize receives £25,000 and three runners-up
are each awarded £10,000. Up to 16 shortlisted applicants receive a unique
package of support over eight months to help them accelerate their businesses, including
comprehensive and tailored business training, sector specific engineering
mentoring, communications support, pitching opportunities and access to the
Academy’s network of high profile, experienced engineers and business experts
in the UK and across Africa.
The Academy’s judges, mentors and expert reviewers have provided over
2,500 hours of support over the last ten years, valued at almost USD 1.5
million, and the alumni continue to contribute directly to the UN Sustainable
Development Goals as their enterprises scale.
“The Africa Prize boosted my success as an
African entrepreneur by helping me grow, providing training and international
mentoring support to my water solution for Tanzania,” said inaugural winner
Professor Askwar Hilonga, who created the NanoFilter system. “The Prize changed
my life, and the future of thousands of Tanzanians who now have access to safe
drinking water.”
The Africa Prize today counts Ivorian, Togolese, Sierra Leonean and
Gambian innovators among its alumni. While the programme provides support in
English, it has steadily seen more participation from French-speaking African
regions over its ten-year history, with two Francophone African winners to
date.
“Supporting African engineering innovators means supporting disruptive
but appropriate technologies. Africa Prize alumni have typically created
something that is based on engineering and suitable to local users. Appropriate
technologies can only come from innovators who understand their own environment
and communities, local perspective, and that’s what we are supporting,” said
Ettridge.
Spotlight – Nigeria
Nigerian finance specialist, Faith Adesemowo, was one of the four
finalists selected in 2021. Her business, Social Lender, was established to
provide access to formal and informal financial services to farmers, traders,
artisans, young professionals, small business owners, and students. Users can
access the platform through the internet, SMS, USSD, apps, or partner bank
ATMs.
“Great ideas have been birthed as a result of the Africa Prize, and
the support was phenomenal,” said Adesemowo. “I heartily encourage engineers
out there to do their very best to become a part of the programme. Simply put,
the Africa Prize is worth your time!”
African entrepreneurs from all engineering disciplines, and with an
innovation that can provide scalable solutions to local challenges, are invited
to enter the tenth round of the Africa Prize. Applications are now open to
individuals or small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa. Submitted
innovations should have a social, economic or environmental benefit, and should
be at an early stage of development, with the potential for upscaling and
commercialisation. The Prize is open to hardware and software innovations, as
well as innovative processes and systems.
The deadline for applications is 25 July 2023 (4pm BST). Visit the ‘How to Apply’ guide on the Africa Prize website and submit applications through the online grants system.
0 comments:
Post a Comment