Nigerian innovators to benefit from $7m grants

The African Academy of Sciences and the NEPAD Agency’s Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are set to commit $7m seed grants to African innovations.

Kariuki noted that the Grand Challenges Africa programme, which will be administered over the next five years,  was aimed at accelerating scientific breakthroughs that would improve Africa’s health and developmental outcomes.

He noted that the academy’s partnership with the Gates Foundation was focused on finding local solutions to Africa’s pressing challenges and helping the continent to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kariuki said, “Solutions for Africa’s challenges do exist within the continent. As an African grant making body, we are focused on tapping the best minds on the continent to develop innovative local solutions to our health and development challenges.”

According to the scientist, the GC Africa Grants will support ideas that can be developed into groundbreaking research and innovations by providing up to US$100,000 in seed grants for 40 projects that will be funded over the five-years that the scheme will run.

“The GC Africa Grants will fund innovators resident in Africa with any level of experience, working in any discipline in colleges, universities, government laboratories, and research institutions, non-governmental and non-profit organisations.

“Innovations which receive the $100,000 seed grants and show promise for scaling up will be eligible to apply for additional funding of up to $1m.” he stated.

PUNCH.