1. Home
  2. Stories
  3. Industry
  4. Waste Management

Ugandan innovation wins UGX70m engineering prize

Peter 14th Jun, 2024 Industry Business Edge Reporter
Ugandan innovation wins UGX70m engineering prize

Mr. Tumusiime and his friends launched the app in 2019 and has since won several awards and grants.


An innovation by Mr. Martin Tumusiime and his friends has won 15,000 British Pounds (about UGX70 million) from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Prize for Innovation, at a ceremony held in Nairobi yesterday.

Yo-Waste is a location-based mobile application that connects homes and businesses to independent agents for efficient on-demand garbage collection, which currently serves over 1,500 customers including homes, businesses, and waste collection agents, with a goal to reach 20,000 users by 2026.

Founded in 2019 by five Makerere University Computer Science students (Tumusiime, Gideon Mpungu, Lubowa Enock, Namuli Brenda and Rogers Kibuule), Yo-Waste currently helps to collect more than 50 tonnes of garbage daily by more than 40 partner collectors.

  • Yo-Waste narrowly missed out on the top prize of 50,000 British Pounds, which was won by Kenya’s Esther Kimani for her innovation of an early crop pest and disease detection device, which has been credited for reducing crop losses for smallholder farmers by up to 30% while increasing yields by as much as 40%.

Kimani's innovation not only provides real-time alerts within five seconds of an infestation, offering tailored intervention suggestions, but also alerts government agricultural officers to the presence of diseases or pests, contributing to broader agricultural management efforts.

The solar-powered tool uses computer vision algorithms and advanced machine learning to detect and identify crop pests, pathogens or diseases, as well as the nature of the infection or infestation. The device then notifies the farmer via SMS.

  • The annual Africa Prize was founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014 to support innovators developing sustainable and scalable engineering solutions to local challenges in Africa.

The other winners were Kenya’s Eco Tiles, an environmentally friendly roofing material made from recycled plastic, and Ivory Coast’s La Ruche Health, an app that connects communities to vital health information, advice, and services through “Kiko”, an AI chatbot tool available on WhatsApp and mobile apps.

The Royal Academy picks out scalable engineering solutions designed to solve local challenges and tackling the greatest global challenges while improving economic prosperity and sustainable development for Africa through engineering.

Similar Posts You May Like 

  • MTN Youth Skilling Program: Irene Nandyose turns hobby into a thriving business

    MTN Youth Skilling Program: Irene Nandyose turns hobby into a thriving busin..

    Irene Nandyose, a business administration graduate from Makerere University Kampala loved knitting and crocheting during her free time on campus. And it is through this exercise that a business idea was hatched. But the business idea was only implemented in 2020 following training under the MTN ..

  • MTN Uganda unveils the second phase of MTN Ace Tech as 20 enterprises are selected to take part in the program

    MTN Uganda unveils the second phase of MTN Ace Tech as 20 enterprises are se..

    Wednesday 31 st May 2023 Kampala, Uganda- MTN Uganda has unveiled the second phase of MTN ACE-Tech known as the MTN Ace-Tech-Incubation program aimed at equipping enterprises with skills needed to successfully spur growth of their businesses. This follows conclusion of the MTN Ace-Tech's first ph..

  • President commissions fruit processing factory in Nakasongola

    President commissions fruit processing factory in Nakasongola..

    President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni commissioned Kike Tropical Fruits Limited, an extraction and refinery plant. Situated in Kakooge, Nakasongola District, the factory deals in fruit processing. During the commissioning, the President thanked Mr. Francis Mugabe, the proprietor of the factory and his f..

  • Protect Local Industries Museveni

    Protect Local Industries Museveni..

    President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said that the government will continue protecting local manufacturers from unfair competition..

  • Mbale Industrial Park Development Takes Off

    Mbale Industrial Park Development Takes Off..

    The Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has handed over the Mbale Industrial and Business Park site to China Railway Number 3 Group for the design and building of key infrastructure like tarmac roads and water and sewerage systems...

  • Kiira Motors seeks UGX524 billion to fund 5-year plan

    Kiira Motors seeks UGX524 billion to fund 5-year plan..

    Kiira Motors Corporation, a budding indigenous vehicle building enterprise, has presented a UGX524 billion proposed business investment budget to the Presidential Affairs Committee of Parliament. It was contained in the Ministerial Policy Statement, and Budget Estimates for the FY 2024/2025. ..

  • Manufacturers task Gov't, banks on high interest rates

    Manufacturers task Gov't, banks on high interest rates..

    The Government wants commercial banks to lower the interest rates they charge manufacturers so as to stimulate growth in the sector, but banks also insist that the Government has an important role to play. ..

  • Expectations high as UNBS gets hi-tech executive director

    Expectations high as UNBS gets hi-tech executive director..

    Mr. James N. Kasigwa has been named the new executive director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) following an appointment by the Minster of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Francis Mwebesa...

  • Museveni assents to Free Zones Authority, Exports Board merger

    Museveni assents to Free Zones Authority, Exports Board merger..

    The new law that merges the Uganda Free Zones Authority with the Uganda Exports Promotions Board is one of the Acts that have been assented to by the President...

  • Minister cautions entrepreneurs on informality

    Minister cautions entrepreneurs on informality ..

    Entrepreneurs have been urged to formalize their business ventures if they are to benefit from financial services providers and expand their businesses...

  • Turkish, Chinese investors in trouble over wetlands

    Turkish, Chinese investors in trouble over wetlands..

    The Standards Utilities and Wildlife Court has sentenced Kerim Ray, a Turkish investor and Director of Yamani Construction Limited, to pay a fine of UGX200 million, following his conviction for degrading a wetland in Mukono District...

  • Uganda Breweries invests UGX32 Bn on farmers

    Uganda Breweries invests UGX32 Bn on farmers..

    Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has reported a 12% net sales growth in the last financial year, driven by the success of premium beer brands like Guinness and Uganda Waragi. ..

  • Uganda extends oil exploration to Karamoja

    Uganda extends oil exploration to Karamoja..

    Uganda is stepping up exploration in the Moroto-Kadam and Lake Kyoga basins, aiming to boost its reserves to 6.5 billion barrels of oil, a strategic move to solidify its position in the energy industry. ..

  • UMA international trade fair set for October 2

    UMA international trade fair set for October 2..

    The Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has officially launched the 30th Uganda International Trade Fair, set to take place from October 2 -10 at the UMA showgrounds at Lugogo, under the theme; "Celebrating 30 Years of Industrial Excellence." ..

  • Dangote Refinery ousts first petroleum products

    Dangote Refinery ousts first petroleum products..

    Nigeria's Dangote Oil Refinery has begun processing gasoline after delays caused by recent crude shortages, an executive said on Monday...

  • Thousands throng Kapeeka Industrial Park Trade Fair

    Thousands throng Kapeeka Industrial Park Trade Fair..

    President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged communities surrounding Kapeeka Industrial Park to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers in order to market their products and boost their household incomes. ..

  • PMI: Private sector maintains growth trend

    PMI: Private sector maintains growth trend..

    Uganda’s private sector showed resilience in October, with business conditions improving steadily as firms reported robust demand and increased hiring. The latest Stanbic Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) places the index at 52.9 for October, slightly down from 54.2 in September...

  • Zero dividends as Vision Group losses worsen

    Zero dividends as Vision Group losses worsen ..

    Uganda’s largest media house, New Vision Printing and Publishing Corporation, has reported a further decline in its financial performance for the year ending June 2024, extending its loss-making streak for the fourth consecutive year...

Most Recent

Popular Links