Africa University Today - Fall 2024

Africa University Wins Top Honours and Accolades at Global Competition

At the 2024 Hult Prize Summit, Africa University proved again that it is a center of excellence and an innovation hub for the African continent.

Following a win at the Nairobi Summit in June, the AU team entered the Hult Prize Global Accelerator Program and the Global Finals, which combined virtual training with an in-person phase in London, England in August and September.

AU’s team—known as Reagan Technologies—included Jeffrey Takunda Murungweni, Genius Tadiwa Mukichi, and Simbisai Clotilda Mangwiro, each exceptional in computer and medical laboratory sciences. Taking on innovators from more than 60 universities, the AU team showcased a cutting-edge pavement tile technology that will revolutionize normal walking areas by harnessing kinetic energy to generate electricity. 

The Hult Prize is an annual competition for startups and ideas solving pressing social issues. Named for Bertil Hult, the prize is awarded to college students and has been called the “Nobel Prize for students.” The global competition happens in four steps: Qualifiers, Summit, Global Accelerator, Global Finals.

In London, Reagan Technologies competed in the Global Accelerator presenting their innovation and advanced to the finals. They competed against 15 teams from diverse regions including India, the USA, Mexico, Canada, Kenya, Egypt, Germany, Turkey, China, and Slovakia. The team’s performance earned them runner-up status in the final round.

This year’s Global Finals grand prize of US$1 million went to Anna Li, a grad student at Carnegie Mellon University-University of Pittsburgh, featuring an at-home heart and lung screening company.

The judges praised the AU team’s cohesive approach and the significant social impact potential of their kinetic tiles. With academic excellence, transformative research, creativity and innovation, AU students demonstrate their focus on improving the quality of life in Africa and beyond.

Adapted from an article by Jeanette Dadzie, staff writer, Africa University News & Events

The AU Team: Jeffrey Takunda Murungweni, Genius Tadiwa Mukichi, and Simbisai Clotilda Mangwiro, collectively Regan Technologies, after emerging victorious at the Hult Prize Summit in Nairobi Kenya, advanced to the finals in September, receiving runner-up status, with accolades from judges.