Mamane Kabirou Ousseini Wins Africa Engineering Prize
The Likita Care co-founder earned the 2026 award for his medical monitoring technology.
Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Africa
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Mamane Kabirou Ousseini has won the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation for his medical monitoring system, Likita Care. The award ceremony took place at the NH Johannesburg Sandton.
Why it matters
The invention addresses local maintenance challenges in Niger, where imported medical monitoring devices frequently fail due to a lack of available spare parts.
The Likita Care system has been tested with more than 100 patients and deployed across five medical centres in Niger. The company has produced over 70 monitoring units to date, successfully collecting more than 4,000 data points.
The players
Mamane Kabirou Ousseini
He is a co-founder of Likita Care and the winner of the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
Johannes Amo-Aye
He is the recipient of the 2026 One-to-Watch Award which carries a £5,000 prize.
The details
Likita Care integrates connected hardware with clinical software and local digital manufacturing to improve health monitoring. During the competition, finalists presented their projects to a panel of judges and a live audience.
Timeline
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation was founded in 2014.
Mamane Kabirou Ousseini won the award in 2026.
Applications for the next Africa Prize open in mid-2027.
Travel Outlook
This award aligns with the mission of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation to catalyze regional development through localized technical solutions. It marks a continuation of the program's long-term efforts to incentivize indigenous African innovation since its inception in 2014.
Travelers and professionals looking to engage with the continent's innovation sector should watch for the mid-2027 application window. Johannesburg remains a central hub for professional gatherings and industry award ceremonies on the continent.
The takeaway
The success of Likita Care demonstrates the growing potential for localized medical technology to solve infrastructure gaps. Entrepreneurs in the region may find success by prioritizing repairability and digital manufacturing in their business models.
What happens next
Applications for the next Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation are scheduled to open in mid-2027.
Further reading
Learn more about regional developments in the Africa section.
Live Poll
Do you believe locally produced technology is the best way to address resource shortages in healthcare?
