ECA organizes innovation prize

The Innovation Prize for Africa is initiated by the UNECA. It aims at encouraging innovative achievements in Africa. Innovations that contribute towards developing new products, increasing efficiency or saving cost are included. Today/yesterday the ECA launched the 2013 Innovation Prize for Africa. The ECA is organizing the event for the second time now. The launching event took place here at the UNCC headquarters in Addis Ababa. The five priority areas set for the competition are ICT, health and wellbeing, environment, energy and water. There are five criteria’s set for the competitors to qualify.  These include marketability, originality, scalability, social impact and utility.

AIDA Opoku Mensah is the Director for ICT, Science and Technology Division of the ECA. She said the 2013 call focuses primarily on Agriculture and Agribusiness.  Eskedar Nega, a Program Officer at the ECA, also said the event promotes creativity. The award will help build the capacity of Ethiopian men and women who are interested to participate in the coming competition.

Up to 40 Ethiopians applied for the 2012 competition. Among those applied, one was finalist from in the area of Green Technology. Innovation Prize for Africa promotes among young African men and women the pursuit of science, technology and engineering careers.  The award has also got a package to support nominees who will be invited to the final face to face interview. (AFRO FM)