The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) Thursday, announced the top 10 nominees who will be contending for the 2017 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), to be awarded in Accra, Ghana on July 18, 2017. Innovators from nine African countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe were shortlisted for the prestigious Prize.
Nigeria is the only country to have two nominees, with Omolabake Adenle shortlisted for her 'Voice Recognition and Speech Synthesis Software for African Languages' in the ‘innovations in communications and smart solutions’ category, while Olanisun Olufemi Adewole was shortlisted for his 'Sweat TB Test: A non-invasive rapid skin test to detect Tuberculosis' in the ‘discoveries in healthcare solutions’ category.
In a press statement released in Accra, Ghana, the organisers said that the nominees “demonstrated incredible proficiency through innovative solutions addressing challenges in agriculture value chain, health care, energy, communications, service industries as well as surveillance using drone technology.
“This year’s cream of the crop underwent a rigorous selection process by a renowned panel of judges including corporates, academia, technology and scientific experts representing top African innovation influencers,” the statement said.
The 1st prize winner will receive $100,000 while the second placed innovator will get $25,000. There is also a ‘Social Impact’ prize worth $25,000 to be won by the nominees.
