Johannesburg, South Africa, April 18, 2014: A low-cost mobile phone based antenatal diagnosis kit that captures foetal heart beat sounds and provides diagnosis which is sent to the mother through SMS. A software programmed to capture, store and trace data about livestock and enables data to be captured in real-time. A horticultural tele-irrigation system that allows growers to remotely control their market garden irrigation system through a mobile. Sounds like solutions flowing typically from, innovators addressing Indian challenges, right? Wrong!
Yes, we call ourselves IndiaTechOnline -- but sometimes we can find inspiration for innovation from similarly situated nations. Which is why we bring you this special feature highlighting the work of ten African innovators whose solutions to everyday problems are being considered for the prestigious Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2014 that The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) will announce on May 5.
Here are the ten innovations in th final shortlist:
- Ashley Uys (South Africa): OculusID Impairment Screening
The OculusID Impairment Screening device is designed to measure pupil response to light emissions. The pupil response can then be measured against pre-determined benchmarks. These benchmarks are applied to measure substance abuse, physiological defects and even fatigue. The device is a far less invasive procedure than existing methods.
- Daniel Gitau Thairu (Kenya): Domestic Waste Biogas System
The Domestic Waste Biogas System is a new type of biogas digester which utilizes any material capable of decomposing instead of relying on animal dung to generate gas. Materials that can be used include dirty water, leftover food, spoiled grain, and vegetable and fruit peelings. This makes biogas usable even by households that cannot afford animals.
- Elise Rasel Cloete (South Africa): Traceability Management Software CC
This software is programmed to capture, store and trace data about livestock and enables data to be captured in real-time. The data is then stored in an ear tag placed on livestock and backed up on a remote server.
- Joshua Okello (Kenya): WinSenga
This innovation is a low-cost mobile phone based antenatal diagnosis kit that captures foetal heart beat sounds and provides diagnosis which is sent to the mother through SMS. The data can also be uploaded to cloud storage.
- Logou Minsob (Togo): Foufoumix
This is a device designed to replace the mortar and pestles used in preparing the popular West African dish, foufou. The “FOUFOUMIX " is a small electrical food processor that allows generates discreet, quick and hygienic foufou in 8 minutes, substantially reducing the amount of time needed to prepare the dish, while also enhancing the hygienic conditions during production.
- Nicolaas Duneas (South Africa): Altis Osteogenic Bone Matrix (Altis OBM)
Altis OBM is the world’s first injectable bone-graft product containing a complex mix of various bone growth compounds derived from porcine (pig). It is used to stimulate the host’s own tissue regeneration system in a way that leads to the healing of a fracture or bone void, much in the same way as occurs in a normal unassisted fracture healing processes.
- Maman Abdou Kane (Niger): Horticultural tele irrigation
The "Horticultural Tele-Irrigation system is a technological process that allows growers to remotely control their market garden irrigation system through a mobile or landline regardless of geographic location.
- Melesse Temesgen (Ethiopia): Aybar BBM
The Aybar BBM is a low-cost farming device that can be used by farmers to plough fields that are usually waterlogged and helps them easily drain the water. This turns soils or fields that were otherwise unavailable for farming into high yielding fields.
- Sulaiman Bolarinde Famro (Nigeria): Farmking Mobile Multi-crop Processor
The innovation uses centrifugal forces to process cassava, sweet potatoes, soy, she-nuts, grains and cereals. It helps to separate the tubers from liquid, particles and impurities/toxic elements. The extractor is designed to replace the present crude fermentation and pressing technology which is extremely slow and wasteful and offers limited output and profitability. The extractor reduces a process that normally takes 3 - 4 days into a 5 minute process offering higher quality product outputs.
- Viness Pillay (South Africa): WaferMatTM
WaferMatTM is a tasty paediatric formulation of ARV therapy in the form of a wafer that dissolves within 3 seconds of being placed in the mouth. The wafer makes the process of administering the drug to children easier and also makes absorption more efficient.
The winner will receive US $100 000 for the best innovation based on marketability, originality, scalability, social impact and clear business potential. A runner up will receive $25 000 for the best commercial potential and another winner will receive $ 25 000 as a special prize for innovation with the highest social impact. Prior to the awards ceremony, a roundtable featuring innovation experts will take place, to address the theme “A Path to Building Industrial Nation Skillsets in Africa”.
Says Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, founder of the African Innovation Foundation: “As global leaders gather for the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa to discuss approaches to inclusive growth and job creation, the IPA 2014 innovators demonstrate that the best way to achieve equitable economic growth for all Africans is to invest in local innovation and entrepreneurship.”