A Tanzanian chemical engineer has won the first Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation for his specialised water filtration system – a sand-based water filter that cleans contaminated drinking water using bespoke nanotechnology.

The Africa Prize is an initiative of the UK-based Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) and encourages talented sub-Saharan African engineers from all disciplines to develop solutions to local challenges and to develop them into businesses.

Launched in 2014, the prize aims to stimulate, celebrate and reward engineers advancing innovations that will benefit Africans.

Dr Askwar Hilonga’s Nano-filter innovation entails nano- filters, each engineered for a specific body of water, absorbing the contaminants present – from heavy metals or minerals such as copper and fluoride to biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses, and pollutants, such as pesticides.

After 37 academic publications, Hilonga’s trademarked Nanofilter is set for commercialisation within a year and could in future save many African lives.
The United Nations (UN) reports that up to 115 people in Africa die every hour from diseases linked to contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation. In a 2014 report, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan said HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases would not be defeated until the battle is won for safe drinking water, sanitation and basic healthcare.

Hilonga was chosen by the jud-ges, following multiple challenging stages of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, during which he competed with entrants from 15 African countries.

Twelve shortlisted Africa Prize entrants from seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa received six months of business training and mentoring, where they learned to develop business plans and market their innovations. The group learned to communicate effectively, focus on customers and approach investors.

At the awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, in June, the four finalists gave their final presentations, after which the Africa Prize judges and a live audience voted for the most promising engineering innovation from sub-Saharan Africa.

“We are proud to have Tanzania’s Dr Askwar Hilonga as our first Africa Prize winner,” said head judge Malcolm Brinded at the ceremony. “His innovation could change the lives of many Africans, and people all over the world. He has successfully incorporated the training and mentoring of the last six months into his business plan, and shows great promise.”

Hilonga is a chemical engineer and lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, in Arusha, Tanzania. Described by the institution as a “very prolific young Tanzanian chemical engineer”, his aim is to inspire Africans to empower their own communities.

Thanking the RAE and its partners for the opportunity and for the award, Hilonga noted that the industry could now scale up and reach many more people across Africa.