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Four Nigerians, Including a Woman, Make Prestigious Africa Prize Shortlist
Four Nigerians have earned spots on the prestigious Africa prize for Engineering Innovation shortlist. The Prize recognizes the most promising entrepreneurial engineers from across sub-Saharan Africa.
Elizabeth Kperrun – the first Nigerian woman to ever make it onto the Africa Prize shortlist – developed Zenafri. This is a series of mobile apps that teach toddlers and young children basic numeracy and literacy in their own language.
Teseem, the first app, teaches toddlers their first words and numeracy in vernacular languages such as Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Swahili. When children get old enough to follow story lines, Afrotalez narrates original stories based on traditional African folklore, with an educational element added in.
Developed while pregnant with her own child, Zenafri had been an idea of Kperrun’s for years. After recruiting a secondary school classmate to develop the app, Kperrun and colleague Eremia married, and three years later, their daughter is an avid tester of their apps.
Today, Zenafri apps have been downloaded more than 100,000 times, with about 1,200 users logging on every day. The team continually improves the apps using feedback from current users, and has also launched a decision-based storytelling app for teenagers.
Professor Dele Sanni developed the 3-D-3-P dryer is a simple system that dries grains and cereals using conduction rather than hot air, conventionally used in industrial dryers.
Sanni’s system, developed over more than six years in conjunction with students of his over the years, is far more affordable than conventional dryers. Based on the same principle as simply heating grain in a pan over fire, a series of three drums are heated to directly dry out the grains travelling through them. Rollers ensure that grains don’t burn, and the gas heating the system is adjustable at each stage.
As an alternative to drying grains in the sun – a method used by the majority of farmers who cannot afford industrial dryers – the 3-D-3-P dryer is faster and safer. Thousands of Nigerians buy spent grains from local breweries to dry out and use as animal feed – but incur losses through sun drying from animals, and due to fermentation from humidity. Two pilot machines have been sold, and are being used to dry out sawdust before the high-energy waste product is turned into briquettes for sale to European countries.
“There’s a common perception that imported technology is better, but the 3-D-3-P dryer is a locally made, appropriate and affordable solution to so many problems faced by hard-working Nigerian farmers,” said Sanni.
Another innovation on the shortlist is WellNewMe. Designed by Dr Obi Igbokwe, the assessment tool uses algorithms to analyse users’ risks of contracting non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension.
Using years of experience from medical professions, research, and algorithms, the system takes data provided by individual users to predict the risks each faces from their lifestyles, genetics and environment. Users provide simple data such as family history and habits, but also supplement it with blood pressure, blood sugar and other readings from clinics or pharmacies.
Igbokwe, a medical doctor who taught himself to code, created the system in order to give people more insight into their own health. WellNewMe is aimed at pharmacies, clinics, and employers, but will be available to every day online users as well. The data, anonymised, will be shared with government healthcare advisors who are planning resources across the country, further removing guess-work from the approach the public sector takes to non-communicable diseases.
The KAOSHI mobile app, developed by Chukwunonso Arinze, connects money senders across the globe. The app facilitates a peer to peer money swap, circumventing the need to literally send money across borders.
The app tackles the high cost of transferring money to and between African countries, and the hassle of long queues at financial institutions, or buying forex on the black market.
Instead, it allows users who want to send money in opposite directions to swap between themselves, which is cheaper and more convenient.
KAOSHI connects users both within and outside of Africa, allowing each to specify the currencies they want to exchange and matching them to users making inverse exchanges.
“We want to do for international money transfer what peer to peer systems like mobile money has done for domestic payments. Imagine a mother in Ghana being able to send money to her son in California from her mobile phone – KAOSHI is the first of its kind!” said Arinze.
The Africa Prize, which is celebrating its fifth year, is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering. It provides a unique package of support, including funding, comprehensive business training, bespoke mentoring and access to the Academy’s network of high profile, experienced engineers and business development experts.
As well as the chance of winning up to £25,000, each of the 16 shortlisted engineers will develop skills that last a lifetime, and become part of a growing community of talented African engineers working to accelerate socio-economic development through business. The shortlist come from six countries, with five female engineers among them.
“The shortlist has come to represent the most talented engineers on the continent,” said Rebecca Enonchong, Africa Prize judge and Cameroonian entrepreneur.
“Through the Africa Prize, we’ve seen cutting edge technologies and world-firsts develop into businesses that manufacture locally, and drive research and development on the continent. We can’t wait to meet the new group of engineering pioneers.”
After seven months’ mentoring and training, four finalists will be selected from the shortlist. In June 2019 the finalists will present their businesses to judges in front of a live audience in Kampala, after which one winner will receive £25,000, and three runners up will be awarded £10,000 each.
Google and UpSkill Universe, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading AI and business skills training partner, have announced a major redesign of the Google Hustle Academy programme.
For the first time, the free training initiative is open to everyone, not just business owners. The new curriculum is focused on equipping individuals and entrepreneurs with practical AI skills.
Small businesses are the engine of Africa’s economy, creating over 80% of jobs on the continent. To help them grow, the Hustle Academy was launched in 2022, providing bootcamp-style training on business strategy, digital skills, AI, and leadership. The program has since trained over 18,000 SMEs, with many reporting increased revenue and job creation.
Now, as AI reshapes the job market, the program is evolving. The 2026 edition is built for anyone in Sub-Saharan Africa, including employees, students, and jobseekers, who wants to use AI to advance their career.
To meet the needs of a diverse audience, the new format includes short, 60-minute webinars and more immersive, high-impact bootcamps. These sessions are laser-focused on putting AI to work immediately in areas like digital commerce, marketing, and growth strategy.
Speaking about the academy, Gori Yahaya, Founder & CEO UpSkill Universe said “The 2026 Hustle Academy is designed to close the AI Skills gap with hands-on training that is short, focused, and immediately useful. AI is reshaping how businesses win and how careers are built, right across this continent.
“We’re excited to renew our partnership, now in its fifth year with Google, combining their global AI leadership with our deep regional AI expertise. The next wave of AI leaders will come from this continent. We are making sure they are ready.”
The Hustle Academy initiative has strengthened digital competitiveness across emerging African economies by enabling SMEs to move beyond AI awareness to practical implementation, positioning them for sustained growth in an increasingly AI-driven business environment.
“We believe that the future of Africa’s digital economy lies in the hands of individuals and entrepreneurs alike. Our new strategy focuses on scaling reach by training individuals in the latest AI-centered tools and techniques,” said a Google representative.
Lagos State has dragged 45 individuals and firms, including Bi-Courtney Aviation, DAAR Communications and Leaders & Company, to revenue court for tax debts running into billions of naira.
Lagos Govt
Bi-Courtney, operators of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two, faces N38.7 million claim; DAAR, behind Africa Independent Television, owes N22.4 million; ThisDay publishers Leaders & Company allegedly skip N67.1 million.
GMT Energy Resources tops corporates at N145.8 million, followed by Sheriff Deputies at N132.1 million; others like Heyden Petroleum, AA Rescue, BRT operator Primero also listed.
Individuals owe N13.5 million to N35 million each.
Attorney-General Lawal Pedro said suits followed ignored notices, aiming to enforce laws and fund infrastructure.
More defendants: IENG Nigeria, James Fisher, V Care Diagnostics, Venture Garden, Saro Africa, Barry Callebaut, Native Media, First Consulting, Eyowo Payments.
Compliant taxpayers post-notice escaped prosecution; defaulters risk penalties, interest, jail.
Pedro urged prompt filings and payments.
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians on counterfeit and unregistered Cerelac Mixed Fruits and Wheat products being sold in Lagos.
NAFDAC said Nestle Nigeria, the genuine Marketing Authorisation Holder of the product, received a complaint of suspected counterfeit purportedly manufactured by Nestlé Spain, bearing Batch Code 308002910.
It said that Nestle Nigeria reported that the complainant described that the counterfeit product emitted an odour suggestive of possible contact with fuel.
NAFDAC said that preliminary review of the product by Nestle Nigeria indicated that it had expired, in spite of the container displaying an expiry date of 10-2026, which suggested that the date coding had been tampered with (revalidated).
Nestle Cerelac Mixed Fruits and Wheat is a nutritious infant cereal, designed to be a delicious first food for infants.
NAFDAC said that its post-marketing surveillance’s directorate officers in Lagos conducted a surveillance visit to Maxland Shopping Centre, 193 Ago Palace, Okota, where the product was purchased by the complainant.
It added that the suspected counterfeit and unregistered Cerelac were found on sale at the premises and subsequently mopped up, while Nestle assisted in identifying the distinguishing features between registered and unregistered product.
According to the regulatory agency, Nestle revealed that the unregistered product used a hyphen (-) to separate the day from the year, while the registered product used a slash (/) to separate the day from the year.
“It is important to note that Nestle Nigeria is not aware of the channels through which the products are supplied into the country.
“Healthcare professionals and consumers are advised to report any suspicion of the sale of substandard and falsified regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office, call 0800-162-3322, or send an email to [email protected],” NAFDAC said.
The agency warned that counterfeit formula often lacked essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, leading to stunted growth or developmental issues.
It said that such formula might also contain contaminants that might lead to severe health consequences to infants or even death.
NAFDAC reiterated its commitment to safeguarding public health adding that it would continue surveillance activities to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of all NAFDAC-regulated products circulating in Nigeria.
It said that all zonal directors of the agency and state coordinators had been directed to carry out surveillance and mop up the revalidated product, if found within the zones and states.
The agency urged distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain, to avoid the distribution, sale, and use of fake products.
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