Kampala, Uganda – Two Ugandan innovators, Vivian Arinaitwe and Nura Izath, have been shortlisted for the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, a prestigious award that recognizes and supports engineering innovators across sub-Saharan Africa.
Arinaitwe’s innovation, Neo Nest, is a neonatal warming and monitoring device that relays key health indicators of a newborn in real-time to medical professionals to prevent neonatal deaths. Izath’s innovation, Autothermo, is a wearable device that monitors and transmits real-time data on a newborn’s temperature, fever, and respiratory issues to caregivers.
The two Ugandans are among 16 innovators from seven African countries who made it to the shortlist. The other countries represented are Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, and Togo.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is an initiative of the Royal Academy of Engineering, which aims to stimulate, celebrate, and reward innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa. Since its inception in 2014, the Prize has supported 149 businesses from 22 African countries, employing over 28,000 people and benefiting more than 10 million people through innovative products and services.
The shortlisted innovators will benefit from an eight-month training program that covers key business skills, including financial management and market analysis. They will also have access to expert business, technical, and sector-specific engineering mentoring and connection to the Academy’s extensive network of engineers and business leaders across the UK and Africa.
The winner of the Africa Prize will receive £25,000, with three runners-up awarded £10,000 each. The audience at the award ceremony will also vote on the winner of the ‘One-to-Watch’ award for the most impactful pitch, who will receive £5,000.
Applications for Cycle 12 of the Africa Prize will open in early July, closing in mid-September.
