Makerere beats USA’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology at TechCon 2016

Innovative students from Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences School of Public Health-ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) have scooped top two cash prizes in Boston, USA.

This was at the interactive Innovation Marketplace at the USAID’s Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) technical convening TechCon 2016 in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) between November 10-12, 2016, Makerere scoped the highest awards out of 24 competitors in the category of Products and Services.

Elijah Djan, an Innovator from RAN’s Southern Africa Resilience Innovation Lab working on the Nubrix project-‘re-cycling paper to produce bricks, walked away with the 1^st prize worth USD 2,500  while Grace Nakibaala, an architect from Makerere University working on the Pedal Tap Innovation ‘non-touch water dispensing system’ won in the 2^nd place USD 1,500.

Additionally, Bonita Nanziri, an innovator working on a sickle cell anaemia diagnosis kit-MDEX, won the 1^st place private sector prize out of 32 competitors. The prize was on Engineering and Design Review from ASME Engineering 4 Change out of 32 competitors. This team will also benefit from a full technical analysis of their innovations’ business model working towards further developing the same.

“This is additional proof that the creativeness and knowledge within Makerere University is indeed rich and can be further explored to aid launching of the next game changer not only in Uganda and Africa, but also in the world” noted one of the TechCon 2016 participants as she interacted with the winners.

Prof. William Bazeyo, Dean Makerere University School of Public Health and RAN Chief of Party/Lab Director who also led this team while congratulating the students added that’ “It is good to work hard and work hard and win”. Prof. Bazeyo was flanked by Prof. David Serwadda, a Professor of Disease control and Environmental Health at Makerere School of Public Health and the RAN Technical Adviser.

This team will also benefit from a full technical analysis of their innovations’ business model working towards further developing the same.

Makerere’s Resilient Africa Network is the only Africa’s University based lab under the USAD’s Higher Education Solutions Network with the rest of 7 labs based in USA.

The Technical Convening abbreviated as TechCon is an annual event organized by USAID that brings together innovators from the 8 HESN labs and other innovators across the world to share best practice in regard to scaling innovations.

Additional reporting by ResilientAfrica Network.