Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter
THREE Africa University students — Jeffrey Takunda Murungweni, Genius Tadiwa Mukichi and Simbisai Clotilda Mangwiro — earned a semi-final finish at the recent 2024 Hult Prize Global Accelerator, a competition that promotes university-led sustainable social and business enterprises.
After winning the regional summit in Nairobi, Kenya, the Africa University team, under its trademarked start-up Reagan Technologies, impressed judges with an innovative concept of generating electricity from footsteps.
The team’s climate-smart pavement tiles stood out in a competition featuring over 60 universities.
The start-up was one of only three African contenders who made it to the later stages of the competition, which ran from July to September this year, alongside Kenya and Egypt. The Global Accelerator programme included virtual sessions and a three-week in-person residency in the United Kingdom.
Mr Murungweni, a third-year Computer Science student at AU, said: “The accelerator experience offered us invaluable insights into scaling our start-up and has connected us to a network of global entrepreneurs and leaders in the sustainability space.”
Head of AU’s Innovation Hub (i5hub) Ms Yollanda Washaya said Reagan Technologies exemplifies the power of young innovators tackling critical global challenges like energy shortages through innovative and sustainable solutions.
“Their success in the Hult Prize Global Accelerator Programme has not only brought them international recognition, but also established a strong foundation for their future endeavours,” said Ms Washaya.
“The start-up has thrived in an environment that actively promotes student-led innovation and sustainable development, providing leadership that has been crucial in guiding initiatives that cultivate the innovative spirit and talent within the institution.”
Bongani Ndlovu