Two Kenyans Among Finalists for Prestigious Africa Prize
Two Kenyan entrepreneurs are among four finalists selected for the 2025 Africa Prize, a UK-based award recognizing African innovators, with the winner receiving £50,000 (Sh7.6 million).
Elly Savatia, founder of Terp 360, and Carol Ofafa, who established E-Safiri, were chosen from a competitive field of sixteen applicants. Savatia’s Terp 360 utilizes artificial intelligence and 3D avatars to translate speech into sign language, aiming to bridge communication gaps for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Ofafa’s E-Safiri tackles the challenge of electric vehicle adoption in Kenya by providing a convenient battery-swapping service, particularly in areas lacking home charging infrastructure, currently operating across four locations in Kisumu. This prize recognizes solutions addressing critical needs in sub-Saharan Africa.
Terp 360’s development included extensive collaboration with deaf and hard-of-hearing Kenyans, resulting in a library of over 2,300 signs recorded using motion capture technology. The team has already secured a Google.org grant to expand its sign language dataset and is planning pilot programs in Rwanda and within Kenyan classrooms. E-Safiri’s charging hubs are powered by solar energy and utilize IoT-enabled batteries for real-time monitoring and maintenance, as detailed on their Africa Prize profile.
The remaining two finalists represent Ghana and Uganda, with the other finalists receiving £10,000 each, and an additional ‘One to Watch’ prize of £5,000. The winner of the 2025 Africa Prize will be announced in the coming months, following a final judging round.
