African Innovators Shine as Finalists in the 2026 Zayed Sustainability Prize

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 3 October 2025 — African innovators are at the forefront of this year’s Zayed Sustainability Prize, with groundbreaking solutions from Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Rwanda, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Uganda among the 33 global finalists.

The Prize, the UAE’s pioneering award for sustainable development, received a record 7,761 submissions from 173 countries. Winners will be announced on 13 January 2026 during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

African Finalists Driving Change

Health

• Drop Access (Kenya): Provides solar-powered medical refrigeration (Vaccibox) for safe transport and storage of vaccines, medicines, and blood, benefiting over 1 million people.
• Healthy Learners (Zambia): Transforms schools into frontline health hubs by training teachers as health workers, enabling real-time disease detection and treatment for over 1 million children.

Food

• INMED South Africa: Implements aquaponics systems that integrate fish farming with hydroponic vegetable production for schools and households, benefiting more than 158,000 people.

Water

• IRIBA Water Group (Rwanda): Operates solar-powered smart water ATMs with purification, mobile payments, and digital monitoring, providing safe drinking water to over 517,000 people.

Global High Schools (Sub-Saharan Africa)

• Likuni Boys Secondary School (Malawi)
• Kallamino Special High School (Ethiopia)
• Kyanja High School, Mpigi (Uganda)

These student-led projects showcase Africa’s next generation of sustainability leaders, tackling local challenges with creativity and resilience.

Voices from the Jury

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Director General of the Prize, praised the African finalists:

“From solar-powered vaccine refrigeration in Kenya to aquaponics in South Africa and smart water ATMs in Rwanda, these solutions prove that African innovation is shaping a sustainable future not just for the continent, but for the world.”

H.E. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Chair of the Jury, added:

“The African finalists reflect the urgency and ingenuity of communities confronting climate, health, and food challenges head-on. Their work demonstrates that sustainability is a lived reality, not a distant ambition.”

Impact and Legacy

Since its launch, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has impacted over 400 million lives worldwide. In Africa, past winners have delivered clean energy, safe water, nutritious food, and healthcare to millions. The 2026 African finalists continue this legacy, proving that local solutions can have global resonance.

Each winner in the Health, Food, Energy, Water, and Climate Action categories will receive US $1 million, while each winning Global High School will receive up to US $150,000.