Vivian Arinaitwe is among the four entrepreneurs selected as finalists for the 2025 Africa Prize, the continent’s largest prize dedicated to fostering engineering innovation, with a mission to stimulate, celebrate, and reward innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.
The finalists were chosen from a shortlist of 16, each of whom received a comprehensive support package designed to help commercialize their innovations. This included an intensive eight-month training program covering core business skills, such as financial modeling and market analysis, tailored for entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into scalable, market-ready solutions. In addition, they benefited from collaborating with business experts and product development mentors, as well as the Academy’s extensive global network of engineers, innovators, and industry leaders.
“Our four finalists this year illustrate the power of engineering and technology to improve lives through innovation in so many crucial sectors, including neonatal healthcare, enhanced sign language translation, sustainable agriculture, energy, and transport for rural communities,” Rebecca Enonchong FREng, Chair of the Africa Prize judging panel, said in a press statement. “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to follow each of their journeys through the Africa Prize program, and we look forward to selecting the winner from this inspiring group of entrepreneurs.”
The grand ceremony will take place tomorrow, October 16th, at the Noom Hotel Dakar Sea Plaza in Dakar, Senegal. Supported by the British Embassy in Dakar, the event will be hosted by TV presenter Merry Beye and will feature a keynote address by Claudia Senghor, founder of Agrobabe.
Arinaitwe and the three other finalists from Kenya (2) and Ghana will pitch their innovations to a live & online audience, including a panel of judges, and the media.
Vivian Arinaitwe (Uganda) has developed Neo Nest, a portable, low-cost, neonatal warming and monitoring device designed to prevent neonatal hypothermia during ambulance transfers from rural health facilities to referral hospitals. Acting as a compact, makeshift incubator, Neo Nest generates and regulates heat through an electric circuit while continuously monitoring vital indicators. LEDs on the device display green for normal operation, orange for a warning, and red for danger, with alarms alerting caregivers to malfunctions or failures.
Built for both warmth and security, Neo Nest features an adjustable ring and Velcro straps to keep the baby securely in place. A smart temperature control system, integrated through a microcontroller, maintains optimum temperatures through a feedback loop that adjusts to environmental changes. Heat-conducting fluid evenly distributes warmth, ensuring that even the most vulnerable infants remain stable and comfortable during transfer
The three other finalists;
- Elly Savatia (Kenya) has built Terp 360, an app designed to support the deaf or hard-of-hearing. Using AI and 3D avatars, it translates speech into sign language with lifelike fluidity, setting it apart from other tools on the market.
- Frank Owusu (Ghana) has developed Aquamet, a smart water quality monitoring device that is helping smallholder farmers to reduce fish mortality and boost yields, enabling them to farm both sustainably and profitably.
- Carol Ofafa (Kenya) has founded E-Safiri, a battery-swapping service that provides a convenient and accessible solution for EV users. Operating across four locations in Kisumu, the service addresses a major barrier to EV adoption: the lack of home charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas where many households lack electricity.
The overall winner will receive £50,000 (approx. UGX229.8 million). The three finalists will receive £10,000 (approx. UGX45.9 million) each. The audience at the award ceremony will also vote on the winner of the ‘One-to-Watch’ award for the most impactful pitch, who will receive £5,000 (approx. UGX22.9 million).
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) and part-funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Launched in 2014, the Africa Prize has supported 165 businesses from 22 countries with invaluable training, mentoring, and communication resources. It has a thriving alumni network, with more than 70% of alumni generating revenue for their businesses. Collectively, these alumni have secured £25 million (approx. UGX114.9 billion) in grants and equity funding.
See also: Who will win at the 2025 Digital Impact Awards Africa?
