Nairobi: Innovators, social entrepreneurs and development agencies from
around the world are arriving in Nairobi to hear who has won a global
innovation competition – winner to be announced at the Nairobi Hilton on
Wednesday 30 October.
Among them are the 23 finalists of the Siemens Stiftung’s (foundation)
Empowering People Award.
There are five African finalists – from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan and
South Africa. The rest are from the USA, Europe, Australia and South
America.
The competition sought simple and intelligent technology to address
challenges in developing countries.
Among the innovations are:
· Biodegradable sanitary pads made from sunshine and papyrus
(Ugandan entry)
· An all-terrain wheelchair made from bicycle parts (USA)
· A fish farm in a shipping container (South Africa)
· Solar powered portable cell phone charger (Rwanda)
· Domestic biogas digester (Tanzania)
· Reading glasses made for less than a dollar from wire and plastic
(Germany)
· Energy efficient cooking and water disinfecting boiler (UK)
The winners will be announced at the Hilton Nairobi on Wednesday from 17h15
by the MD of the Siemens Stiftung, Nathalie von Siemens.
The awards ceremony follows the G20 Inclusive Business Workshop on
Wednesday. The workshop features Kenyan Central Bank Governor, Prof Njuguna
Ndung’u, and senior representatives of the African Development Bank, UN
Development Programme and Siemens Stiftung.