Zim engineers invited to enter Engineering Innovation Africa Prize

Published: 19 July 2017

Engineers from Zimbabwe and others from sub-Saharan Africa have been invited to enter the fourth edition of the prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

Engineers from Zimbabwe have featured on the Africa Prize's shortlist each year since its inception in 2014 and have been the biggest source of female engineering entries in the prize.

In a statement from the organisers recently, the Africa Prize chair of judges, Malcom Brinded Freng, said engineering was crucial to social and economic development.

"The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation aims to recognise the importance of African engineers and to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, while encouraging young people to become engineers by creating successful role models," he said.

The Africa Prize seeks to encourage upcoming engineers, from all disciplines, to develop local solutions to challenges in their communities.

Engineers were invited to submit innovations with a social, economic or environmental benefit by next Monday.

After six months of training, finalists present their innovations to judges and a live audience, before the winner is awarded £25 000 ($32 601), with runners up receiving £10 000 ($13 040).

Entries must be early-stage innovations, which have the potential to be scaled-up and are ready for commercialisation.

"The prize, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK, selects a shortlist of innovators from across the continent," read the statement.

"The candidates receive training and mentoring in which they learn to develop business plans and market their innovations.

"The group receives coaching on structuring their business, communicating effectively, focusing on customers and approaching investors with confidence."

Godwin Benson, a 27-year-old Nigerian systems engineer won the third Africa Prize this year for Tuteria, an online platform that links students to qualified tutors in their area and within their budget.

Previous winners of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation are Tanzanian, Askwar Hilonga, creator of the NanoFilter, and Cardiopad founder, Arthur Zang from Cameroon.
- newsday

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