Cameroon music app makes engineering innovation shortlist

Founded by the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering, the prize “encourages talented sub-Saharan African engineers, from all disciplines, to develop local solutions to challenges in their communities. The Prize selects innovators from across the continent and provides training and mentoring to help turn engineers with incredible ideas into successful entrepreneurs.”

Now in its fourth year, the prize was given to Nigeria’s Godwin Benson in 2017. Benson founded Tuteria, an online platform that connects students to tutors according to geographical location and budget.

“We’re proud to have him as our third Africa Prize winner, and we trust Tuteria will go on to change the lives of millions of people who are eager to learn and develop new skills,” said a 2017 judge. “His engineering innovation is not only new technology, but also a new way of thinking about education.”

This year the prize could go to an engineer from Uganda or South Africa or Kenya or Nigeria or Ghana, all countries on a shortlist that includes, among other inventions, a dehydrator, a crop improving platform, a solar-powered cold room, an online training programme and an app to connect commuters to safe motorcycle drivers. The music app Muzikol, created by Njungle, a Cameroonian engineering student, also made the shortlist of 16. Muzikol helps musicians from Cameroon and elsewhere meet their marketing needs.

A self-confessed African music lover, Njungle says he founded the app to assist with some of the issues confronting the distribution of African music. “I discovered that there was need to bring to existence a place on the Internet where we can share, maintain, support and grow Africa music,” he wrote in a statement.

“This can be done by solving the two major problems faced by all artists in Africa: the problems of music distribution and the problem of making money from their craft…Muzikol is an online music market and social network built to meet the needs of the Africa music lovers and artists. [It] connects musicians with music lovers to deepen their relationship and grow the market for the African music industry.”

For artists, the platform helps to sell music and merchandise. The platform also makes it easier for fans to connect with artists as it provides a means for selling event tickets and also assists with the direct booking of artists.

The winner of the 2018 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation will be announced on 13 June in Nairobi, Kenya. For more on the shortlist, see here.