Team Brain Squad, a group of five Nigerian girls was named the People’s Choice award recipients for their app, Hands Out, at this year’s global Technovation held in Silicon Valley, California. The girls’ aptly named Hands Out app is a fundraising tool to help finance education for indigent children.
Innovation
Africans rising Osmond Tshuma a graphic designer transforming African design, one pattern at a time
Osmond Tshuma is a Zimbabwean award-winning artist, designer, art director, typographer and curator who specialises in African-inspired themes. Meet the young, and talented artist who developed the visual language for the Obama Foundation Africa Leaders program, and is transforming African design, one pattern at a time.
Africans rising PhD student Takunda Chitaka wins 2019 Excellence in Academia PETCO Award
PhD student Takunda Chitaka has received the 2019 Excellence in Academia PETCO Award for her engineering approach towards tackling plastic marine pollution. This recognition highlights the need for peer-reviewed research that supports strategic interventions in the areas of recycling, waste minimisation and sustainability.
Lifestyle Why aren’t menstrual cups more mainstream?
The menstrual cup is currently the safest, most effective, affordable and eco-friendly method of managing menstruation. Menstrual cups can last up to a decade because they are made of medical-grade silicone or latex, why then isn’t it the go to product for all women and more so those in vulnerable situations?
Lifestyle A four-seater plane, built and piloted by teen students is on a Cape-to-Cairo flight
South African teenagers will attempt to fly across the continent on a four-seater Sling 4 plane that was assembled by a group of 20 students from a kit manufactured in South Africa by the Airplane Factory. The teens have already made a successful flight to their first stop in Namibia.
Africans rising Kofo Akinkugbe, head of sub-Saharan Africa’s first certified smart card manufacturing plant
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 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.