The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation are pleased to announce the five finalist teams advancing to the final round of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing, competing for the prestigious US$1 million Grand Prize, the Milken-Motsepe Prize has become Africa’s premier engine of innovation.
The 2025 Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize, now recognised as Africa’s Largest Innovation Prize, marks a significant shift toward industrial-scale innovation, focusing for the first time on AI-driven manufacturing solutions designed to accelerate Africa’s entry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution as the continent moves towards the Fifth Industrial Revolution. The Prize’s model remains unique: it combines capital, coaching, and convening, offering winners not only funding but mentorship, global exposure, and access to investors and industry leaders.
The finalists were selected from a competitive cohort of teams, each of which received US$50,000 in unrestricted support before pitching at the Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit in Abu Dhabi on 5 December 2025. These finalists represent breakthrough technologies in manufacturing, sustainability, circularity, and industrial modernisation.
Finalist Teams (2025):
- BleagLee | Cameroon: Uses AI and specialised software to identify, collect, and recycle plastic, e-waste, and agricultural waste into high-value materials, including polymers, 3D printing filaments, and bio-carbon.
- Digitech Oasis Limited | United Kingdom / Global: Develops advanced AI and robotics systems that automate warehouse and fulfilment operations, bridging industrial automation and modern logistics.
- Freshpack Technologies | Tanzania: Provides AI-powered cold-storage and food-preservation systems designed to reduce food waste, especially within Africa’s informal and rural markets.
- Spiro | United Arab Emirates: Designs and manufactures accessible, affordable electric mobility solutions that can scale across African markets, supporting cleaner transport and job creation.
- Toto Safi Limited | Rwanda: A circular textile manufacturing platform enabling women-led cooperatives to produce reusable hygiene products, such as period pants and diapers, integrating AI, manufacturing, and social impact, demonstrating the potential for positive change.
“By focusing on AI and manufacturing, this award identifies and supports visionary teams transforming industry with advanced technologies, which has a multiplying effect by creating economic opportunity for communities across Africa,” said Emily Musil, PhD, Managing Director, Social Innovation, Milken Institute. “From the semi-finalist stage to beyond the prize, we are excited to provide a global platform and network for future-forward entrepreneurs and social impact companies.”
Now in its fourth year, the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Program has brought together visionary thinkers across sectors, from agriculture to financial technology, equipping them with the capital, resources, and networks needed to push their ideas forward. Since launching in 2021, the Prize community has grown to over 12,000 innovators and entrepreneurs from 136 countries.
The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing awards a total of US$2 million, including the US$1 million Grand Prize, recognizing impactful, scalable, and sustainable innovations that can accelerate industrial growth across Africa.
For more information about the finalists and the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Program, visit https://milkenmotsepeprize.org/
