Four entrepreneurs from Kenya, South Africa and Niger have been selected as finalists for the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, bringing solutions aimed at improving healthcare access, conserving water, supporting agriculture and strengthening local medical manufacturing.
The four finalists are behind innovations that include a mobile dialysis clinic, a portable AI-powered cardiac monitoring platform, a urine-to-fertiliser recovery system and a locally manufactured medical monitoring platform. Their technologies are designed to respond to practical challenges in their communities while improving access to essential services and reducing dependence on imported solutions.
The 2026 programme is the 12th edition of the Africa Prize, the continent’s largest award dedicated to supporting engineering innovation and impactful entrepreneurship. Delivered by the Royal Academy of Engineering and part-funded by the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, the eight-month programme supports a cohort of 16 entrepreneurs as they develop and commercialise engineering solutions to local challenges.
The four finalists will pitch their innovations to a panel of judges at the 2026 Africa Prize Final on 28 October in Johannesburg, South Africa. One entrepreneur will receive the £50,000 Africa Prize, while the other three finalists will each receive £10,000.
Rebecca Enonchong FREng, Chair of the Africa Prize judging panel, said the finalists reflect the depth of engineering talent across the continent.
“This year’s shortlist is a strong demonstration of the extraordinary depth of engineering talent across the continent. Every entrepreneur has brought something different to the Africa Prize, with innovations spanning across different sectors, countries and societal challenges,” Enonchong said.
“Our four finalists should be incredibly proud to have reached this stage. Each of their innovations provide solutions to very different challenges, but show what is possible when engineering is shaped by a clear understanding of a given problem in its local context.”
Engineering solutions addressing local challenges
Mamane Kabirou Ousseini is the first engineer from Niger to be selected for the Africa Prize programme. He founded and developed Likita Care, an integrated and locally manufactured medical monitoring platform designed to provide healthcare workers with reliable and maintainable tools for patient, cardiac and prenatal monitoring. The platform combines connected hardware, clinical software and local digital fabrication. It includes a cardiograph, cardiotocograph and temporal thermometer, tracking 12 vital sign parameters across adults, neonates and foetuses. A central software dashboard supports telemedicine, digital clinical protocols and simultaneous monitoring of between 10 and 20 patients, while an embedded AI module interprets vital signs in real time.
The devices are produced in Niger using 3D printing, CNC cutting and electronics assembly. This allows repairs to be carried out more quickly and reduces dependence on imported medical systems. Following local validation and clinical testing involving more than 100 patients and over 4,000 collected data points, the team has produced and deployed more than 70 monitoring units in Niger. Five medical centres are currently using the technology, with hospitals reporting strong feedback, repeat orders and after-sales support that includes on-site repairs within 24 hours when required.
Likita Care is now preparing for its next stage of growth. The company is working on plans for a manufacturing facility in Niger that would support higher-volume production. It is also exploring opportunities to expand beyond its home market, with potential opportunities in neighbouring countries under consideration. The development of local manufacturing capacity could further support access to medical monitoring equipment while making maintenance and repairs easier for healthcare facilities.
Dyllon Randall is a South African chemical engineer and co-founder of Pee-Cycling, a modular urine-to-fertiliser recovery system that addresses both water conservation and fertiliser production. The technology collects urine through purpose-built waterless urinals or no-mix toilets, stabilises it to prevent nitrogen loss and uses pretreatment and reverse osmosis to produce concentrated, nursery-grade liquid fertiliser and clean reusable water. Unlike evaporation-based alternatives, the system removes water without converting it into steam, reducing the energy required by the process. A full-scale unit occupying approximately 12 to 15 square metres can process up to 3,000 litres of urine per day. Every 1,000 litres processed can save around 2,000 litres of potable water. Since joining the 2026 Africa Prize programme, Pee-Cycling has moved from the pilot stage into real-world operation. Its plant at Cape Town Stadium is now fully operational, while the company has signed Bidvest Prestige as its first commercial client to operate and maintain the system.
The project was delivered with Bidvest Prestige and the City of Cape Town. During the South Africa versus New Zealand rugby game, the system collected 3,600 litres of urine and has since been included in the City of Cape Town’s stadium tender for three years. Pee-Cycling also won first place at the FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge 2026, organised by GreenCape. The technology provides a way to recover nutrients that would otherwise be lost while reducing the use of potable water and supporting local fertiliser production.
Naom Monari began her journey as a student nurse in 2017 and has since focused on improving access to chronic care in rural communities and areas affected by health insecurity. Her innovation, Renal Roads, is a fully equipped mobile dialysis clinic designed to bring regular, life-saving treatment closer to patients in rural and hard-to-reach communities. The clinic is built inside a repurposed 40-foot shipping container mounted on a trailer and operates from local government health facilities on a fixed weekly schedule. It contains four secured dialysis machines, reclining chairs, an emergency area, a reverse osmosis water-treatment system, integrated plumbing, controlled drainage, solar power and backup systems. On average, the unit visits three communities each week and can provide up to 400 dialysis sessions per month, with treatment reimbursed through Kenya’s national health insurance system.
Since being shortlisted for the Africa Prize, Renal Roads has partnered with Nipro Medical, a leading Japanese dialysis equipment manufacturer, to improve access to dialysis in Kenya. The initiative has also received funding from the World Diabetes Foundation to expand access to mobile dialysis. By taking dialysis equipment closer to communities that may face significant barriers in reaching established treatment centres, Renal Roads is focused on making regular chronic care more accessible in underserved areas.
Portable technology expands healthcare access
Alice Muhuhu is a Kenyan medical doctor and entrepreneur who developed MoyoECG, a portable cardiac monitoring platform designed to help frontline healthcare workers identify potential heart conditions and make timely referrals, particularly in clinics with limited access to specialist cardiac care. MoyoECG combines a wearable, wireless multi-lead ECG with embedded AI to capture and analyse the heart’s electrical activity. The system can recognise patterns associated with more than 50 cardiac conditions and abnormalities, including atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, bradycardia, ventricular arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities and signs associated with cardiac ischemia. By identifying abnormalities such as atrial fibrillation, the technology can also help identify patients at increased risk of complications including stroke and heart failure. Early pilots have reduced ECG interpretation time from around 30 minutes to under five minutes, including in healthcare settings with unreliable internet connectivity.
MoyoECG has already received international recognition as the Qualcomm Make in Africa winner. The innovation has also received support and recognition from the University of Oxford, Novartis, the Global Fund, Standard Chartered Bank and the Kenya Cardiac Society. Its development reflects the growing use of portable and AI-supported technologies to help frontline healthcare workers assess patients and make faster referrals where specialist cardiac services are not readily available.
Since its launch in 2014, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation has supported more than 180 businesses from 24 countries through training, mentoring and communications support. According to the programme, 85% of its alumni are now generating revenue, while the businesses have collectively secured more than $34 million in third-party grants and equity funding.
The 2026 Africa Prize Final, supported by Anglo American, will take place on 28 October at NH Johannesburg Sandton in Johannesburg. The event will feature an address by Lisa Weedon, Acting High Commissioner for the United Kingdom to South Africa. The four finalists will pitch their innovations to a panel of judges and an audience attending both in person and online.
The remaining shortlisted innovators will also showcase their technologies and compete for the £5,000 One-to-Watch Award, which will be decided by audience vote. The final will be open to both in-person and online audiences, with registration available through the Royal Academy of Engineering.
