As part of measures to promote goods and services originally made in Africa, the Africa Innovation Foundation (AIF) has released the list of top 10 African innovators ahead of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) program. awardees are expected to range from the sciences, architecture, technology and power.
Director of the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl has argued that the award ceremony is proof that Africa has the potential of solving her own problems.
“In the past five years, I’ve seen innovation grow from a mere buzzword to a sturdy path for African growth in multi-disciplinary industries across the continent. As Africans, we have the talent, potential and clout to solve our own problems with ingenuity too, and IPA is testimony of this,” she stated.
The ten nominees include Dr. Eddy Agbo of Nigeria with his innovation on Urine Test for Malaria (UMT) under the category, tackling malaria and other public health burdens; Valentin Agon of Benin with the antimalarial drug “Api-Palu” innovated out of natural plant extract making it the cheapest malaria treatment drug in Africa; and Dr. Imogen Wright of South Africa with Exatype, a breathtaking software aimed at tracking the responsiveness of HIV-positive patients to ARV drug treatment. Seven others will be honored with this year’s IPA.
So far, the initiative has attracted over 6,000 innovators across 50 African countries. The contest received thousand innovative submissions in 2016 alone. Even the president of Botswana, H.E. Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama has so far registered his endorsement of the program.
