African technology founders are stepping decisively onto the global stage as the 2026 cohort of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) programme names 69 entrepreneurs from 12 countries to receive intensive commercialisation support with African innovators strongly represented across climate tech, health, AI and inclusive design.
Now in its twelfth year, the LIF programme is positioning purpose-driven ventures from low- and middle-income countries as investable, scalable businesses capable of addressing systemic global challenges. Since its launch in 2014, LIF has supported more than 1,585 entrepreneurs from 19 countries, who have collectively created over 11,000 skilled jobs, raised more than $603 million in follow-on funding and registered more than 2,320 intellectual property rights.
The 2026 intake reflects Africa’s accelerating innovation economy where technology adoption is outpacing legacy infrastructure, digital public goods are expanding rapidly and climate adaptation is increasingly venture-led.
UK Funding, Global Ambition
Of the 69 selected innovators, 47 will participate in LIF Global 2026, backed by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The programme offers what organisers describe as “world-leading training, mentoring and networking opportunities” designed to move early-stage technologies from laboratory to market.
Chair of the LIF Steering Group Ian Ritchie CBE FREng said, “The Leaders in Innovation Fellowships programme is designed to accelerate the progress of impactful technology through rigorous training, strategic mentorship, and a far-reaching international network.” adding that “By supporting entrepreneurs to refine their ideas, strengthen their ventures, and expand their global reach, LIF is helping to shape solutions that will drive meaningful, long‑term impact for communities worldwide.”
Ana Avaliani, Director of Enterprise, said, “As we welcome the LIF 2026 cohort, I am inspired by the ingenuity and determination of these entrepreneurs, whose innovations are tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The Leaders in Innovation Fellowships programme continues to champion purpose-driven solutions whether in clean energy, assistive technology, or inclusive design, empowering innovators to deliver real, lasting impact in their communities and beyond. We are proud to support this new cohort of changemakers as they accelerate their journey from breakthrough idea to global impact.”
African Innovators Driving Market Solutions
Among the African entrepreneurs selected for LIF Global are founders transforming child safety, waste valorisation, healthcare, digital inclusion and renewable energy.
Keletso Lekwakwe, co-founder and CEO of PasswordKid (Pty) Ltd, represents South Africa with a child-safety platform already recognised at the 2021 Uber Tech for Safety pitch, the 2023 Innovation Hub GIP Awards and the 2022 EY pitch competition. PasswordKid provides a secure digital system enabling schools to “unlock” children only to verified guardians using smart authorisation keys, creating traceable, transparent school collection processes in a country grappling with child safety risks.
In climate and circular economy innovation, Dr Ntandoyenkosi Malusi Mkhize, founder of NdoTec Innovations, is commercialising technologies to valorise industrial residual streams and landfill waste. His system converts renewable and residual resources into chemicals, materials and energy products suitable for households, micro-industries and agro-processing, embedding rural participation into what he describes as a complete economic system.
Waste transformation also defines Bandile Dlabantu’s Khepri Biosciences, whose modular waste bioconversion unit converts organic waste into animal feed and fertiliser, offering a scalable alternative to landfill disposal. Africa generates more than 125 million tonnes of municipal waste annually, yet less than 10 per cent is recycled. Bioconversion models such as Khepri’s address both climate mitigation and food security.
Moletsane Mophethe, founder of Mop Tech Industries, is targeting water treatment economics. His Floc-Opex Recovery (FOR) system recovers up to 90 per cent of metal-based chemicals at 95 per cent purity from potable water treatment plants, reducing sludge volumes by approximately 15 per cent and emitting 140 times fewer greenhouse gases than virgin chemical production. With African utilities facing volatile chemical import costs, recovery technologies provide immediate fiscal relief.
HealthTech and MedTech Advancements
Healthcare innovation features prominently.
Dr Relebohile Matthew Matobole, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cape Town, has developed a novel combination therapy targeting keloid scarring a condition disproportionately affecting pigmented populations. By identifying differential biomarker expression patterns and applying computational modelling to drug databases, his research selects optimal drug combinations to reduce recurrence rates, which are often aggressive under conventional treatments.
Mxolisi Booi, founder of Agile Africa, has built Bophelo App, a medication adherence platform supporting chronic patients with reminders and educational tools. Chronic disease management remains a growing burden across Africa, where the WHO projects non-communicable diseases will account for over 40 per cent of deaths by 2030.
Meanwhile, Professor Mthokozisi Simelane is developing a complementary anti-diabetic capsule derived from indigenous South African medicinal plants, aiming to improve treatment compliance in a region facing rapidly rising diabetes prevalence.
AI and Inclusive Digital Infrastructure
African AI applications in accessibility and logistics are equally prominent.
Storm Rhoda, founder of African Intelligent Machines (AIM), has developed embedded hardware and software that enables micro buy-back recycling centres to quantify materials precisely, integrate real-time pricing from off-takers and create transparent audit trails improving earnings for informal waste pickers and unlocking financing opportunities.
Connectivity entrepreneur Thabile Makhoba, CEO of Makhoba Professional Services, is deploying microwave radio frequency communication systems to deliver high-speed connectivity across underserved South African communities, bypassing fibre limitations.
Navigation barriers in informal settlements where street naming systems are often absent are being addressed by Sivuyile Ngcanga’s Zula app, developed under Sheer Versatility Group. By enabling accurate routing for ambulances, couriers and emergency services, Zula directly improves service delivery in townships and rural areas.
Bonginkosi Mabaso’s Ann-Connect Offline Examination System (OES) tackles digital fragility in education by enabling online exams to function without internet connectivity a critical innovation in regions with unstable bandwidth.
Zimbabwe is represented by Nkosana Butholenkosi Masuku, founder of Sciency Africa, whose locally manufactured STEM kits combine plug-and-play robotics hardware with AI-supported digital lessons. Through partnerships with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Sciency is expanding practical engineering education in low-resource schools.
Advance Programme: Accessibility at Scale
An additional 22 entrepreneurs have been selected for the LIF Advance programme, which focuses on scaling validated products internationally under the 2026 theme: Accessibility, Assistive and Inclusive Technologies. Advance 2026 is delivered in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Global Disability Innovation Hub under the UK-funded AT2030 programme.
Among African awardees:
- Dr Atish Shah (Tanzania), founder of Roverlabs Tanzania, uses smartphones as 3D scanners to capture limb scans remotely, applying AI-enabled generative design and 3D printing to produce customised orthotic devices within three days. Tanzania has only three well-equipped orthotic workshops, while 7–11 per cent of its population lives with disabilities. Roverlabs has served more than 2,000 patients to date.
- Derrick Lubanga (Kenya) of Tunga Innovation has developed AbleSpeak, a browser-based voice navigation tool for students with motor disabilities. Designed with Kenyan accent recognition and local language adaptation, the software reduces reliance on imported assistive hardware.
- Elly Savatia (Kenya), founder of Signvrse, has built Terp 360, an AI-driven sign-language translation platform using motion-captured 3D avatars. The company serves more than 3,500 active users across Kenya and Rwanda and has generated over $10,000 in revenue, addressing interpreter shortages affecting millions of Deaf Africans.
- Sylvia Wanjuki Nyaga (Kenya), founder of Syna, has deployed Utulav Classic, a modular, indoor, water-efficient sanitation system across 50 households, three schools and one elderly care home, reaching more than 3,000 beneficiaries.
From Prototype to Global Market
Kelvin Mulama, LIF Innovator of the Year 2025, described the programme as “a game changer,” adding: “LIF Global was my first experience as an entrepreneur, and the programme guided me through designing our prototype and building the minimum viable product that later generated our first revenues.”
As Africa’s startup ecosystem matures, venture funding rebounded above $3 billion in 2025 after a global downturn. Programmes such as LIF are increasingly positioning African-led solutions within global supply chains rather than local aid frameworks.
Upon completion, the 2026 cohort will join the LIF Community, an international alumni network connecting entrepreneurs with investors, government officials and corporate partners.
For a continent facing climate vulnerability, infrastructure gaps and youth unemployment pressures, the message is increasingly clear. African founders are not merely participating in global innovation, they are engineering it.
