Sixty youth-led innovations to boost Rwanda’s agric, health and tech through RISA funding

More than 140 young innovators and researchers in Rwanda have developed 60 projects aimed at addressing challenges in sectors such as agriculture, health, nutrition and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The achievements were presented on March 4, during a closing event in Kigali marking the completion of four flagship initiatives funded under the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) programme. It brought together government officials, development partners, researchers, innovators and private-sector representatives to reflect on the programme’s impact and showcase solutions developed by young Rwandans. The initiatives were implemented with support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and aimed to strengthen Rwanda’s innovation ecosystem by promoting research commercialisation, skills development and collaboration between academia and industry. Young innovators driving practical solutions Among the innovators is Happy Axcel Muyombano, a master’s student in Embedded Computing Systems at the University of Rwanda, who developed an irrigation drone designed to help farmers improve efficiency and productivity — in line with efforts to mechanise and professionalise agriculture. ALSO READ: New bill sets stage for modern, market-led farming He said the drone initially carried only one litre of pesticide liquid but has since been upgraded to hold 10 litres and could eventually be expanded to between 20 and 40 litres as development continues. “My goal is to reduce cost and time management for farmers,” Muyombano explained. “This drone can irrigate six hectares in about 30 minutes, which is its battery life. With its 10-litre capacity, it can spray up to 12 hectares in an hour.” He added that the technology could help improve agricultural yields while reducing labour costs and enabling more precise pesticide application. “We team plans to collaborate with farmers and institutions such as the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB) to scale up the innovation,” he added. ALSO READ: Govt eyes major irrigation push to boost food security In the health sector, Prisca Nikuze, a prosthetics student at the University of Rwanda, developed a “Smart In-Sole” designed to detect early signs of diabetic foot complications, a condition that can lead to amputation if not addressed in time. ALSO READ: Diabetes and the risks of high blood glucose Nikuze explained that many diabetic patients lose sensation in their feet due to reduced blood circulation, making it difficult to detect injuries that can later develop into severe wounds. “Smart insoles contain sensors that monitor the condition of the foot and send information to both the patient and healthcare providers,” she said. “This allows early intervention and reduces the risk of diabetic foot complications progressing to amputation.” Another innovation showcased at the event was developed by Elsa Rebayezu, founder of M-Tech, who created a Proactive Maintenance System for Industrial Electric Motors. The system, currently about 80 per cent complete, uses sensors and cloud-based analytics to monitor the performance of industrial electric motors in real time, helping prevent unexpected equipment failures that can disrupt production in factories and other industrial operations. “The system collects motor data in real time and sends alerts to technicians when anomalies are detected,” Rebayezu explained. “This helps avoid costly downtime and improves productivity.” The platform is expected to offer features such as real-time monitoring, predictive analysis and instant alert notifications through SMS and web platforms. By enabling early detection of potential failures, the system could reduce maintenance costs, extend equipment lifespan and support data-driven decision-making in industrial operations. Strengthening research commercialisation According to Damien Hanyurwimfura, Director of the African Center of Excellence in the Internet of Things (ACEIoT) at the University of Rwanda and the project lead, the programme sought to bridge the gap between research and practical application. Since 2023, the university has received funding from the FCDO through the RISA programme to implement a project titled “AI and IoT Applied Research Commercialization through an Incubation Hub.” The initiative established an innovation hub that supports researchers and students in transforming prototypes developed in university laboratories into market-ready products through collaboration with industry partners. “The IoT and AI incubation hub has supported 60 innovative projects and enabled the development of 40 prototypes,” he said. More than 150 young innovators have received training in IoT prototyping, entrepreneurship and commercialisation to help them bring their ideas to market. The programme also provided seed funding of $5,000 to 14 promising projects and connected them with industry mentors to accelerate commercialisation. At least four of the innovations are already making significant progress toward scaling up, according to Hanyurwimfura. Building a national innovation ecosystem Beyond supporting individual innovators, the programme also aimed to strengthen Rwanda’s broader research and innovation ecosystem. In 2024, the University of Rwanda and the National Council for Science and Technology implemented another RISA-supported project focused on developing a national technology transfer and commercialisation strategy to guide how research outputs can be transformed into marketable products. The project also supported the scaling up of four research initiatives with $20,000 seed funding each, covering innovations in nutrition, agriculture and digital systems. These included projects on producing instant flour from orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and soybeans, scaling up production of stinging nettle for poultry feed, assessing food insecurity in western Rwanda, and developing a smart attendance monitoring system. Eugene Mutimura, Executive Secretary of the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST), said Rwanda has received more than Rwf700 million over time through the RISA programme, benefiting institutions including the University of Rwanda and NCST. “The principal goal of these projects is to support research and innovation to flourish in the country, both by funding us to ensure that we develop required strategies but also ensure that we continue our journey and our goals to ensure that researchers and innovators are linked with private sector and industry to do research that results into entrepreneurial results and that's very critical and important for us,” he said. Preparing innovators for real-world impact Ignace Gatare, Principal of the College of Science and Technology at the University of Rwanda, said the programme aligns with the university’s mission to encourage young researchers to develop solutions that address real societal challenges. “Our goal is to encourage young innovators and researchers to develop solutions for agriculture, health, nutrition and emerging technologies like AI and IoT,” he said. He added that the programme also emphasised commercialisation and knowledge transfer to ensure that ideas developed in research laboratories can be applied in real-world situations. “We have put in place frameworks that allow technology and knowledge transfer to happen more easily so that the needs of the market can meet the solutions developed by researchers,” he said. Sustainability beyond the programme Grace Anyibu, Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor at the British High Commission, said the RISA-funded programme was designed to move research beyond academic settings and into practical use. “The aim is to bring research from universities into tangible actions that work for society,” she said. She noted that initiatives such as the Farm to Fork programme, which was developed at INES Ruhengeri, have supported agricultural innovations to improve crop yields and strengthen value chains. The programme also developed tools such as the Angel Investment Playbook, which was implemented at Catapult, designed to guide investors on how to support startups and help innovations scale to the market. Anyibu said sustainability was a key focus as the programme concludes. “We’ve tried as much as possible to ensure the project is sustainable,” she said. “Even after RISA ends, the innovation hubs, labs and training programmes will continue operating.” She added that these structures will enable future innovators to keep developing solutions that contribute to Rwanda’s economic growth and technological advancement.

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Sixty youth-led innovations to boost Rwanda’s agric, health and tech through RISA funding