Kenyan technologist Elly Savatia has been named the winner of the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation by the Royal Academy of Engineering. His groundbreaking project, Terp 360, took top honors and earned him £50,000 to scale its impact.
Turning Speech into Sign Language With AI
Terp 360 is an AI-driven application that converts spoken language into sign language using realistic 3D avatars. Built with direct input from deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, the app incorporates over 2,300 locally recorded signs to ensure cultural authenticity and fluency. It seeks to bridge interpreter shortages and enhance accessibility in classrooms, healthcare, public services, and workplaces across Africa.
The Prize and Its Significance
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is the continent’s largest award exclusively dedicated to engineering-driven entrepreneurship. Alongside financial support, winners and finalists benefit from training, mentorship, networking opportunities, and visibility to help bring their solutions to scale. This year’s live final was held in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first time the prize has been hosted in a Francophone African country.
Finalists, Awards & Recognition
Four other innovators were also recognized:
- Vivian Arinaitwe (Uganda) Neo Nest, a portable neonatal warming and monitoring device for use in rural-to-referral hospital transfers
- Frank Owusu (Ghana) Aquamet, a smart water-monitoring device to improve sustainable fish farming
- Carol Ofafa (Kenya) E‑Safiri, solar-powered charging and battery-swapping hubs for electric bikes and motorcycles
Each of these finalists received £10,000. In addition, a “One to Watch” audience-choice award of £5,000 was given to Rui Bauhofer (Mozambique) for Eco-Plates biodegradable plates made from recycled maize husks, embedded with seeds to sprout once discarded.
The judges evaluated entries based on engineering robustness, measurable impact, commercial viability, scalability, team quality, and the clarity of each innovator’s vision.
Words from the Winner & the Judges
Following the announcement, Savatia expressed deep gratitude:
“This is a testament to the innovative assistive technology work coming from Africa… I’m excited to see what Signvrse, the other shortlisted innovators, and the continent will achieve next.”
Rebecca Enonchong FREng, Chair of the judging panel, remarked: “This is exactly what the Africa Prize is all about: showcasing cutting‑edge innovations by Africans for the world.”
A Legacy of Innovation
Since its launch in 2014, the Africa Prize has supported over 160 engineers and innovators from more than 20 African countries. The program’s impact goes beyond awards, many alumni have successfully secured funding, launched scalable ventures, and generated jobs.
Applications for the next round are expected to open in mid‑2026. Prospective entrants are encouraged to visit the Africa Prize website’s “How to Apply” page for details.
