A total of ten young African innovators, have been shortlisted by the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) to be awarded at a ceremony next month in Accra.

The nominees from nine African countries, announced on Wednesday, will be competing for the ultimate 2017 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA)on July 18, 2017.

However, while innovators from Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Zimbabwe made it to the list for the first time, Ghana, the host country, is absent.

The event, endorsed by President Nana Akufo-Addo, will see him delivering the keynote address. It will focus on how innovation enablers and businesses can leverage funding streams, investments and resources that are critical to unlock potential of African innovators.

Those shortlisted for the prestigious prize are from, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe

A press statement sent to The Herald by the organisers said that this year’s innovators have demonstrated incredible proficiency through innovative solutions addressing challenges in agriculture value chain, health care, energy, communications, service industries as well as surveillance using drone technology.

This year’s cream of the crop underwent a rigorous selection process by a renowned panel of judges including corporates, academia, technology and scientific experts representing top African innovation influencers.

“We are pleased to share with you the names of our IPA2017 nominees as we continue on our mission to catalyse the innovation spirit and unlock untapped potential in Africa.

For the first time, this year’s nominees include innovators from Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Zimbabwe. Moreover, given the instrumental role African women play in transforming Africa, it is thrilling to see more women among the 10 nominees with game changing innovations.

By providing platforms to recognize innovation excellence in Africa and mobilizing for African innovators, we continue to live up to our credo of engaging, inspiring and transforming.

The inspiring stories of these nominees remind us that innovation and African-led solutions are indeed the answer to Africa’s growth and prosperity.” said Walter Fust, AIF Chairman of the Board.

Participants at the IPA Awards will get an opportunity to attend the official opening of IPA 2017, experience the innovation marketplace, join high-level roundtable discussions, Zua Hub meet-ups, and networking activities, ending with a celebration of African ingenuity when the IPA 2017 winners will be announced.

This premier innovation event will be hosted in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), and Ghana 60 Years On Planning Committee.

The ten nominees are Peris Bosire, Kenya: FarmDrive, Nokwethu Khojane, South Africa: Lakheni, Turning Social Capital into Buying, Omolabake Adenle, Nigeria: Voice Recognition and Speech Synthesis Software for African Languages, Nzola Swasisa, Democratic Republic of Congo: Lokole, Badr Idriss, Morocco: Atlan Space,

The rest are Aly El-Shafei, Egypt: Smart Electro-Mechanical Actuator Journal Integrated Bearing “SEMAJIB”, Dougbeh-Chris Nyan, Liberia: New Technology for Rapid Detection of Many Infections Using Only One Test, Olanisun Olufemi Adewole, Nigeria: Sweat TB Test, A non-invasive rapid skin test to detect Tuberculosis, Gift Gana, Zimbabwe: Dr. CADx, Philippa Ngaju Makobore, Uganda: Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion Set (ECGF).