Kofo Akinkugbe is the founder and CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd, a market leader in smart card technology and digital security. The company is a world-class manufacturing facility with the only smart card production plant in West Africa and is one of only six on the continent.
Africans rising
Africans rising Smart Havens Africa is using eco-friendly technologies to provide affordable housing
The Ugandan social enterprise Smart Havens Africa is helping vulnerable communities acquire homes affordably and sustainably. In this way, founder Anne Rweyora, one of the engineers short-listed for the fifth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, hopes to bring down housing poverty.
Africans rising Online platform Kaoshi, shortlisted for the 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
Money transfer platform Kaoshi was one of the technologies shortlisted for the fifth Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is tackling the broken system of international money transfer. The shortlist, which covered six countries, included this easy and secure online platform that exchanges currencies peer to peer, instead of through banks. This cuts costs and waiting times.
Africans rising First South African innovation wins the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
A 31-year-old South African electrical engineer has won the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2019 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Neo Hutiri is the first South African to win the prestigious Africa Prize.
Africans rising Tech startups selected for third Google Launchpad Africa accelerator
Twelve tech startups have been selected for the third Google Launchpad Africa accelerator. The three-month programme connects startups from around the world with Google staff, networks, methodologies and technologies, and has worked with market leaders in over 40 countries.
Africans rising Somalia’s first female mayor appointed in the city of Beledweyne
Somalia’s first female mayor has been appointed in the city of Beledweyne in central Somalia. Safiya Hassan Sheikh Ali Jimale’s historic appointment was facilitated by Mohamed Abdi Waare, the leader of the Hirshabelle region, of which Beledweyne is the capital.
Africans rising Nuclear physicist Cebo Ngwetsheni published in the Physics Letters journal
University of the Western Cape’s nuclear physicist Cebo Ngwetsheni’s ground-breaking paper on nuclear polarisation has been published in Physics Letters, the journal in which the Nobel-deciding discovery of the Higgs Boson, also known as the God Particle, was published.
Africans rising Josephine Uwase Ndeze of DRC crowned Miss Geek Africa 2019
Congolese innovator Josephine Uwase Ndeze is the winner of Miss Geek Africa 2019 for her mobile platform that enables expectant mothers to monitor their progress, check any symptoms they might be experiencing and connect them to their healthcare providers in case of an emergency.
Africans rising Zimbabwean academic Dr Tererai Trent to be honoured with Statue of Equality
Dr Tererai Trent a Zimbabwean academic will be honoured with a life-size statue in New York alongside Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, and Cate Blanchett, and others for their work fighting for gender equality. She is among 10 women named as the most inspiring women in the world.