Two Tanzanian innovators have been selected among 16 finalists for Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2026, after developing solutions that tackle waste management and water access challenges.
The shortlist, announced on March 25 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, features entrepreneurs from 11 African countries competing for a share of an £85,000 (more than Sh290 million at current exchange rate) prize fund.
Mr Allen Kimambo and Ms Faith Kuya from Tanzania were recognised for innovations that combine engineering with digital technologies to address urban sustainability and basic service delivery gaps.
Mr Kimambo, founder of ZaidiApp, has developed an eco-fintech platform that digitises waste collection while integrating informal waste pickers into formal systems. The platform also enables access to financial services for waste workers and contractors - a group often excluded from traditional banking systems.
On the other hand, Ms Kuya’s WaterBank is a solar-powered, self-running water utility that filters and desalinates water, uses AI to prevent breakdowns, and enables cashless access via prepaid radio frequency ID cards for off-grid communities.
