Innovator Elly Savatia has won a £50,000 prize for Terp 360, an artificial intelligence-powered solution that promises to transform accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people across the African continent.

The Royal Academy of Engineering crowned a new champion of African innovation yesterday in Dakar. Kenyan entrepreneur Elly Savatia won the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation for her Terp 360 app, which uses 3D avatars to instantly translate speech into sign language. This distinction, worth £50,000, is the largest engineering award on the African continent.

“I am extremely grateful for this award, which is a testament to the innovative work being done in Africa in the field of assistive technologies,” said Elly Savatia at the ceremony. Beyond the financial prize, the Africa Prize offers winners an eight-month training program, personalized mentoring, and access to a global network of engineers and entrepreneurs.

The ceremony, held for the first time in French-speaking Africa, highlighted an innovation developed in close collaboration with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Terp 360 draws on a constantly expanding database of more than 2,300 locally recorded signs, ensuring cultural relevance and natural expression adapted to the African context.

A technological response to a critical shortage of interpreters

Facing a seven-member jury chaired by Rebecca Enonchong, founder and CEO of AppsTech, Savatia was able to convince with the scope of her innovation. "This is exactly the objective of the Africa Prize. It highlights cutting-edge innovations designed by Africans for the whole world," emphasized the jury chair.

The app addresses a critical need: addressing the lack of sign language interpreters that limits access to education, public services, and the job market for millions of deaf or hard-of-hearing people in Africa. Savatia and his team now plan to focus on the B2B market. They will specifically target the education, business, and healthcare sectors.

Alongside the main winner, three other finalists were awarded £10,000 each: Vivian Arinaitwe (Uganda) for Neo Nest, a warming device for newborns; Frank Owusu (Ghana) for Aquamet, a water quality monitoring system for aquaculture; and Carol Ofafa (Kenya) for E-Safiri, solar charging stations for electric vehicles.

The £5,000 One to Watch award, voted for by the public, went to Rui Bauhofer from Mozambique for his Eco-Plates, biodegradable plates made from recycled corn husks and impregnated with seeds.

Since its inception in 2014, the Africa Prize has supported more than 160 innovators from over 20 African countries, helping to transform promising ideas into viable businesses that create jobs and generate lasting social impact. Applications will open in mid-2026.