A coalition of African scholars under the African Pro-Humanity Technology Hub (APHTH) has announced the invention of the Afri-Inverter, a smart energy system designed to enhance research commercialisation and strengthen Africa’s technological independence.
The innovation, developed over three years by a multidisciplinary team of engineers and researchers from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, is being hailed as a significant step toward closing Africa’s innovation-to-market gap. Led by Dr. Kelechi Onu, an electrical engineer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, the project began in 2022 under the Hub’s Humanity Driven Innovation Initiative, a program focused on transforming academic research into products that directly serve social and industrial needs.
“The Afri-Inverter is not just a power device; it’s a symbol of African capability and collaboration,” said Dr. Onu during the product’s unveiling in Abuja. “For decades, African universities have produced groundbreaking research that rarely reaches the market. This invention is proof that we can change that narrative.”
Africa currently loses an estimated $28 billion annually due to unreliable electricity, according to a 2024 report by the African Development Bank (AfDB). In Nigeria alone, researchers face an average of 4,000 hours of power outages per year, disrupting experiments, halting innovation, and inflating operational costs. The Afri-Inverter was developed to mitigate such losses by providing a cost-effective, high-efficiency power system that stabilises voltage and ensures uninterrupted electricity supply, especially for laboratories, startups, and research facilities.
The device integrates artificial intelligence to automatically regulate power output and adjust to energy demand in real time. It also supports renewable energy inputs, making it compatible with solar and hybrid systems commonly used in off-grid and semi-urban regions. Preliminary field tests at the University of Nairobi Energy Research Centre and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) showed a 38% reduction in energy loss and a 24% improvement in equipment performance stability.
The African Pro-Humanity Technology Hub, headquartered in Abuja, was founded in 2021 as a collaborative platform for African innovators seeking to merge research with practical technology solutions. The Hub currently hosts over 40 scholars and 12 active research projects spanning artificial intelligence, clean energy, and human-centred design. It partners with institutions like the African Union’s Department of Science and Innovation, UNESCO’s Africa Research Council, and private investors under the Africa Innovation Fund (AIF).
Dr. Zainab Osei, a Ghanaian physicist and co-developer of the Afri-Inverter, described the invention as a “milestone in local content technology.” She noted that 72% of the materials used in the prototype were sourced locally, including circuit components fabricated in Lagos and printed boards developed in Accra. “We deliberately used local expertise to show that African technology can compete globally,” she said.
The Afri-Inverter project also speaks to a larger problem: the under-commercialisation of African research. A 2023 study by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) revealed that less than 2.5% of patents filed globally originate from sub-Saharan Africa, despite the region producing over 10% of the world’s scientific publications. The Hub’s mission is to reverse that imbalance by ensuring African research leads to products, patents, and enterprises.
Plans are already underway to pilot the Afri-Inverter across six universities in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, with commercial rollout expected by mid 2026. Discussions are ongoing with investors from the African Development Bank’s Energy Inclusion Facility and local energy companies interested in licensing the technology for broader manufacturing and distribution.
In addition to developing the Afri-Inverter, the Hub is training over 150 young innovators through its Pro-Humanity Fellowship Programme, equipping them with practical skills in product design, intellectual property management, and entrepreneurship. “We want to create innovators who don’t just publish research papers but build companies,” said Professor Lindiwe Moyo, one of the Hub’s co-founders from the University of Pretoria.
Industry observers say the Afri-Inverter could serve as a model for how Africa can integrate research, innovation, and industrial development into one ecosystem. If widely adopted, experts estimate it could save research institutions across Africa up to $5 million annually in energy costs and prevent the loss of thousands of research hours each year.
For the African Pro-Humanity Technology Hub, this is only the beginning. The team plans to expand its work into smart grid systems and affordable battery storage tailored to African environments. “The Afri-Inverter is a proof of concept,” Dr. Onu concluded. “It shows that Africa’s future inventions can be built, tested, and commercialised right here on African soil.”
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