Two South African innovators have been shortlisted for the UK Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2026. This is the continent’s richest award aimed at promoting engineering innovation and entrepreneurship that makes an impact, across sub-Saharan Africa. The first prize is £50 000, while the three finalists will get £10 000 each, and £5 000 will go to the winner of the “One to Watch” award. The total value of the prize money is £85 000. The funding of the prizes comes partly from the UK Department of Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. The finals will take place in Johannesburg in October.
The two South Africans are chemical engineer and Water Quality Engineering Professor Dyllon Randall, and biomedical researcher Sincengile Ntshingila. There are 16 shortlisted candidates in total, from 11 countries.
All shortlisted candidates will benefit from a thorough eight-month training programme, centred on essential business skills such as market analysis and financial management. The aim is to enable the innovating entrepreneurs turn their ideas into solutions that are scalable and market-ready. Additionally, the candidates can access experts for mentoring in business, communications, engineering and technology. This is possible through the Royal Academy of Engineering’s large network of engineers and industry leaders, across both Africa and the UK. Further, alumni of the prize have been able to collectively secure more than $34-million in grants and equity funding, from third parties, through this network.
