Four innovators from Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda – whose innovations address recycling in construction, AI tools for healthcare and farming, and re-engineered waste collection – have been selected from a shortlist of 16 to compete for this year’s £50 000 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

The Royal Academy of Engineering will host the final of the tenth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, the continent’s largest engineering prize, on June 13, in Nairobi, Kenya.

This year’s winner will receive a prize of £50 000, with the other three finalists to receive £15 000 each. The prize money is double that of previous years in recognition of the Africa Prize’s ten-year anniversary.

The other shortlisted innovators will also be given one minute each to present their innovations, and an audience poll will select one of them to receive the ‘one to watch’ prize of £5 000.

The four finalists are Early Crop Pest and Disease Detection Device from Esther Kimani, in Kenya; Eco Tiles from Kevin Maina, in Kenya; La Ruche Health from Rory Assandey, in Côte d'Ivoire; and Yo-Waste from Martin Tumusiime, in Uganda.

This year, the four finalists have developed solutions including an environment-friendly roofing material made from recycled plastic; a smart healthcare platform providing direct access to vital healthcare information through WhatsApp; a location-based mobile app connecting customers to independent agents for on-demand rubbish collection and disposal; and a solar-powered tool using AI and machine learning-enabled cameras to detect and identify agricultural pests and diseases.

The Royal Academy of Engineering says these innovations directly address the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, including zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, sustainable cities and communities, reduced inequalities and climate action.

The awards form part of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s investment of over £1-million in African innovators through grants, prizes and accelerator programme places during the tenth anniversary year of the Africa Prize.

The 2024 Africa Prize finalists were selected from a shortlist of innovators who are applying engineering to solve problems faced by their communities.