Yesterday in Dakar, Senegal, the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) hosted the grand finale of the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, where Kenyan innovator Elly Savatia was crowned the overall winner. The event, part-funded by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, marked a historic milestone as the first Africa Prize final ever held in Senegal.
Savatia was competing against three brilliant innovators, Vivian Arinaitwe (Uganda), Frank Owusu (Ghana), and Carol Ofafa (Kenya) —each of whom showcased remarkable innovations.
- Vivian Arinaitwe developed Neo Nest, a portable, low-cost neonatal warming and monitoring device that prevents hypothermia during ambulance transfers from rural health facilities to referral hospitals.
- Frank Owusu developed Aquamet, a smart water-quality monitoring device that helps smallholder fish farmers to farm more sustainably and profitably by tracking key parameters and providing real-time alerts and recommendations.
- Carol Ofafa founded E-Safiri, a solar-powered charging and battery-swapping hub for electric bicycles and motorbikes that also supplies surplus power to nearby households.
After pitching to a live & online audience, including a panel of judges and the media, Savatia, for his innovation, Terp 360, an AI-powered application that translates speech into sign language using lifelike 3D avatars, was crowned as the overall winner, receiving a cash prize of £50,000 (approx. KSH8.7 million, UGX232 million) to scale his impact including and expanding into the B2B market, focusing on education, corporate and healthcare sectors.
“I’m totally grateful for this, and it is a testament to the innovative assistive technology work that is coming from Africa,” said. “I’m really looking forward to the excellence that will come out of Signvrse, the rest of the shortlistees, and the African continent.”
Developed with people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, Terp 360 draws on a growing dataset of more than 2,300 locally recorded signs, including commonly used phrases and words to ensure cultural relevance and natural expression. By addressing the interpreter shortage and improving accessibility, Terp 360 has the potential to transform learning environments and create more inclusive spaces for the deaf and hearing-impaired community.
Though still in its testing phase, Terp 360 has already interacted with 2,000+ members of the deaf community. Elly envisions it growing to include broader vocabulary, dialects, and colloquialisms, with plans to expand the app’s reach to Uganda and Rwanda.
The three other finalists, Vivian Arinaitwe (Uganda), Frank Owusu (Ghana), and Carol Ofafa (Kenya), each received £10,000 (approx. UGX46.4M, GHS143,575, KSH1.7M). A further £5,000 (approx. MZN430,000) One to Watch prize chosen by the live audience was awarded to Rui Bauhofer from Mozambique, for his innovation Eco-Plates, disposable plates made from recycled maize husks that are fully biodegradable and infused with seeds that will germinate and grow once discarded.
The rewards go beyond financial gains. Being shortlisted brings credibility, visibility, training, and access to networks that can accelerate growth. Alumni of the Prize consistently secure funding, and many now lead thriving ventures that create jobs and deliver impact.
The four finalists were assessed on the strength of their engineering solution, evidence of impact, commercial viability, potential for scaling, and the quality of their team. Judges also considered how well each innovator applied learning from the eight-month programme and their clarity of vision for the future.
“This is exactly what the Africa Prize is all about,” said Rebecca Enonchong FREng, Chair of the Africa Prize. “It’s showcasing cutting-edge innovations by Africans for the World.”
This year’s Africa Prize attracted significant interest from entrepreneurs across the continent. Sixteen entrepreneurs were shortlisted, each receiving a comprehensive support package to help commercialize their innovations. The eight-month training programme covered core business skills such as financial modeling and market analysis, combined with mentoring and access to the Academy’s global network of engineers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.
The Africa Prize programme will open in mid-2026, calling upon prospective applicants to apply for the opportunity.
