This year's finalist innovations have been revealed one month before the Live Final is held in Dakar, Senegal, and include a life-saving neonatal device helping at-risk babies to reach health facilities safely from remote areas and a ground-breaking AI tool to support greater inclusivity for the deaf and hard-of-hearing people. In addition, a smart device that is transforming fish farming by monitoring water quality in local fisheries in real-time to help smallholder farmers produce sustainably and profitably, and solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery-swapping stations that enhance rural mobility and provide electricity to local communities, will also compete to win this year's Africa Prize. The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and part funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The finalists were chosen from a shortlist of 16 who each received a comprehensive support package designed to help commercialise their innovations. This included an intensive eight-month training programme covering core business skills, such as financial -modelling and market analysis, tailored for entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into scalable, market-ready solutions. In addition, they benefitted from collaborating with business experts and product development mentors, as well as the Academy's extensive global network of engineers, innovators and industry leaders.
Meet the 2025 finalists:
Vivian Arinaitwe, a Ugandan biomedical engineer, developed Neo Nest, a portable, low-cost, neonatal warming and monitoring device designed to prevent neonatal hypothermia during ambulance transfers from rural health facilities to referral hospitals. Acting as a compact, makeshift incubator, Neo Nest generates and regulates heat through an electric circuit while continuously monitoring vital indicators. LEDs on the device display green for normal operation, orange for a warning, and red for danger, with alarms alerting caregivers to malfunctions or failures.
Built for both warmth and security, the device features an adjustable ring and Velcro straps to keep the baby securely in place. A smart temperature control system, integrated through a microcontroller, maintains optimum temperatures through a feedback loop that adjusts to environmental changes. Heat-conducting fluid evenly distributes warmth, ensuring that even the most vulnerable infants remain stable and comfortable during transfer
Since beginning the Africa Prize programme, Vivian has also been recognised at the African Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum Awards 2025 in the Tech Entrepreneur Award category and secured agreements with health facilities in Uganda to deploy the Neo Nest device.
Elly Savatia, a Kenyan entrepreneur, created Terp 360, a groundbreaking app designed to support people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Using AI and 3D avatars, it translates speech into sign language with lifelike fluidity, setting it apart from other tools on the market.
To enhance the experience, Elly's team at Signvrse incorporated motion capture technologies and collaborated with deaf and hard-of-hearing Kenyans to record over 2,300 signs, including common phrases and words. This ensures the app's avatar feels human-like, relatable and culturally relevant. By addressing the interpreter shortage and improving accessibility, Terp 360 has the potential to transform learning environments and create more inclusive spaces.
Since beginning the Africa Prize programme, Elly and his team have secured a Google.org grant to support sign language dataset expansion and scaling. Additionally, they have set up a presence in Rwanda at Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering and further plan to pilot classroom and public-service deployments.
Frank Owusu, a Ghanaian 'aquapreneur', developed Aquamet, a smart water quality monitoring device that is helping smallholder farmers to reduce fish mortality and boost yields, enabling them to farm both sustainably and profitably. Farmers using the device report yield increases of 10-15%, a significant improvement when they would usually expect to lose up to 45% of their fish.
The device features three critical sensors that track pH, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature, all of which are key factors for fish health. When water quality deteriorates, it sends real-time notifications and actionable recommendations directly to the farmer's mobile phone. The platform also offers record-keeping tools, access to extension services, and a marketplace linking farmers with buyers.
Since being shortlisted for the 2025 Africa Prize, Frank has achieved two major business-to-business distribution partnerships across West Africa. In addition, the visibility and support provided by the Africa Prize have helped Frank secure partnerships with the British High Commission and the Centre for Environmental Fisheries, Aquaculture Science, to support an Animal Health System Strengthening Project as the implementing partner, and with the Fish for Development Project in Ghana, an initiative to build fish farmers' capacity.
Carol Ofafa, a Kenyan engineer, founded E-Safiri, a battery-swapping service, providing a convenient and accessible solution for EV users. Operating across four locations in Kisumu, Kenya, the service addresses a major barrier to EV adoption: the lack of home charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas where many households lack electricity. By providing charging and swapping cabinets for electric bicycle and motorbike batteries, E-Safiri eliminates the need for personal charging setups.
Each hub runs on solar energy and uses IoT-enabled batteries that deliver real-time updates, allowing for proactive maintenance. A central dashboard tracks energy use across sites, optimising efficiency and cutting costs. Beyond mobility, E-Safiri ensures surplus energy supports local communities: charging hubs double as power centres for households without electricity.
Since being shortlisted for the 2025 Africa Prize, Carol has been named one of Business Daily's Top 40 under 40 Women and been recognised by Sustainable Energy as one of Africa's Energy Heroes 2025. She has also secured funding through the Carbon Trust and signed E-Safiri's first contract with Renewable World.
The Africa Prize Live Final event, supported by the British Embassy in Dakar, will be hosted by TV presenter Merry Beye on 16 October at Noom Hotel Dakar Sea Plaza, Dakar, Senegal, and feature a keynote by Claudia Senghor, founder of Agrobabe. The 2025 finalists will pitch their innovations to a live, in-person and online audience and a panel of judges.
Rebecca Enonchong FREng, Chair of the Africa Prize judging panel, said:
"We're incredibly excited to be hosting the Africa Prize in Senegal this year, marking the first time that the Final has been hosted in a Francophone country. This is a great moment to celebrate the unique strengths in innovation and opportunities that exist for entrepreneurs across Francophone Africa, including for many of our Africa Prize alumni growing businesses that address local and global challenges.
"Our four finalists this year illustrate the power of engineering and technology to improve lives through innovation in so many crucial sectors, including neonatal healthcare, enhanced sign language translation, sustainable agriculture, energy and transport for rural communities. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to follow each of their journeys through the Africa Prize programme and we look forward to selecting the winner from this inspiring group of entrepreneurs."
Launched in 2014 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Africa Prize has supported 165 businesses from 22 countries with invaluable training, mentoring, and communication resources. It has a thriving alumni network, with more than 70% of alumni generating revenue for their businesses. Collectively, these alumni have secured £25 million in grants and equity funding.
Applications for the 2026 Africa Prize opened in July and will close on 23 September 2025. For the first time, the Prize is introducing a two-stage application process to streamline submissions for both applicants and reviewers. Interested candidates must apply within this window to be considered for the 2026 shortlist.