{"id":3421,"date":"2023-07-08T06:33:43","date_gmt":"2023-07-08T06:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstprime.org\/construction\/2023\/07\/08\/edmund-wessels-anatoli-kirigwajjo-win-2023-africa-prize-for-engineering-innovation\/"},"modified":"2023-07-08T06:33:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T06:33:44","slug":"edmund-wessels-anatoli-kirigwajjo-win-2023-africa-prize-for-engineering-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firstprime.org\/construction\/2023\/07\/08\/edmund-wessels-anatoli-kirigwajjo-win-2023-africa-prize-for-engineering-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmund Wessels, Anatoli Kirigwajjo win 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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South Africa’s Edmund Wessels and Uganda’s Anatoli Kirigwajjo have jointly won the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.<\/p>\n

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SA’s Edmund Wessels and Uganda’s Anatoli Kirigwajjo have jointly won the 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Source: Supplied<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Wessels wins with FlexiGyn, a battery-powered, portable handheld device that enables gynaecologists to diagnose and treat women\u2019s uterine problems without anaesthetic or expensive equipment. It aims to increase women\u2019s access to reproductive healthcare, particularly in remote areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy cofounder Chris Meunier and I aim to bring healthcare to a woman\u2019s doorstep, precisely when and where they need it. FlexiGyn is portable, intuitive and user-friendly, allowing gynaecologists to offer quality screenings and timely interventions regardless of the patient\u2019s location or lack of medical infrastructure. At the same time, it is designed to minimise discomfort,\u201d says Wessels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited beyond belief to win the Africa Prize and know that this will help to get our name out and find the right partners to complete FlexiGyn\u2019s journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yunga, providing security at low cost<\/h2>\n

Kirigwajjo wins with Yunga, a local digital security network that connects neighbours to each other and police within a 20km radius through a physical device, smartphone app or SMS service, providing security at low cost.<\/p>\n

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Nearly 1,000 households in 30 communities across central Uganda are already on the Yunga network, which has successfully prevented around 130 break-ins and related crimes. The team is aiming to connect 32,000 households across Uganda in the next two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI developed Yunga after losing $1,300-worth of assets in a break-in, with little chance of the thieves being caught. We hope that with our household networks, communities will become harder targets for criminals. This will ensure safety, which in turn will create the space for economic activities to thrive,\u201d says Kirigwajjo.<\/p>\n

He and his co-founders, Kawesa Nasser and Kasoma Fredrick, say that winning the Africa Prize will give their business exposure in new markets across Africa.<\/p>\n

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\"Celebrating<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Focus on women-led homes<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt will open the door to additional resources such as investments and stakeholder partnerships. The prize money will allow us to add more than 1,000 households to the Yunga network, with a focus on women-led homes, which are more vulnerable to crime in low-resource settings. This is an invaluable opportunity in our efforts to scale up,\u201d adds Kirigwajjo.<\/p>\n

Wessels and Kirigwajjo have each been awarded first prize for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, taking home \u00a325,000 to further develop their products. Four finalists delivered pitches at the awards ceremony in Accra, Ghana, before a panel of judges chose the winners.<\/p>\n

The two other finalists, who each receive \u00a310,000, are:<\/p>\n