Origin Challenges are a collaborative problem-solving platform where innovators, creators, and change-makers come together to address Africa’s most pressing needs with African-driven solutions. Anyone can become a Challenger—by submitting a problem, proposing a project, or providing seed funding to spark innovative approaches. These challenges are tackled by a dedicated community of Origin problem-solvers, who work together to design, test, and implement solutions.
Challenges are hosted within Origin’s Domain-Driven Platforms:
Industrial Design and Manufacturing
Energy, Environment, and Climate Change
Digital and Frontier Technologies
Materials and Semiconductor Technologies
From pilot projects to fully implemented solutions, Origin Challenges capture the full lifecycle of innovation—identifying real problems, experimenting with prototypes, and scaling up ideas that work. At the core of Origin’s mission is a belief in African solutions for African challenges. Our growing list of successfully solved and implemented challenges is a testament to the creativity, resilience, and technical expertise of the Origin community.
Prosopis Juliaflora in Garissa and Tana River Counties
Design and development of advanced pulse oximeter sensor for melanated skin
Opuntia – cactus plant products: Standardisation of manufacturing processes and products – startup support
Exodus Mobility: Design of an IoT for vehicle telemetry
Pilot test of a Univus software: student learning platform that is based on disciplines instead of individual university cohorts universities
East Africa Biosciences Studio Call for Innovators
Meta verse for teaching STEM subjects at basic education level
🇿🇼 Detecting and mapping groundwater hydrology for borehole drilling
Design + implement grass and tree seedling projects for zero-grazing/thatching and reforstration and decarbonization
Design + build modernised Indigenous buildings using wooden poles, grass, and selected soils
Design and deploy devices to deter monkeys from invading farms bordering conservancies 🇰🇪
Design + Fabricate Molds for Making Concrete Fencing Posts as an Antidote Against Fencing Induced Deforestation
Establishment of a hatchery for the African lungfish and other indigenous fish to enable its introduction in commercial aquaculture and repopulation
Research, develop, and implement solution to the Golden Apple Snail which decimate rice seedlings, forming farmers to replant 🇰🇪
Establishment of aquaponics (integrated multitrophic aquaculture) as a sustainable food production system in desert/drought-prone environments 🇳🇦 🇿🇼Â
Design a business model for and launch cooking oil venture, targeting locally produced ground nuts and sunflower
Design a business model for and launch a carpentry + welding venture that designs and makes beehives, box-bailers, chick- and fish-cages, and other farm essentials
Make a low-cost fish feed machine
Making + installing an automated fish feeding mechanism to control fish overfeeding and underfeeding
Design + build fish rearing pond with a greenhouse cover
Develop + deploy IoT device to measure and subsequently enable control or intervention of pond water parameters
Design + develop auxiliary systems for large-scale water recirculation and cleaning in fish rearing ponds
Venture to train, supply, + manage staff to run projects and maintain homes of diaspora-based citizens
🇰🇪 Design + build fish rearing pond with a greenhouse cover
Design and make a simple and low-cost furnace for recycled metal casting
Design + develop shoe sole molding machine
Design a business model for and launch a venture that makes food processing and musical equipment from gourds
Design a business model for and launch the animal feeds and organic fertilizer pelletizing venture, targeting local crops and farm waste
Community Information and Action Application
Objective: Develop a and web application that enables community members to easily ask for information, report issues, and request services from local authorities or…
Equitable Water Sharing in a Community
Objective: Develop a solution that ensures fair and sustainable water distribution among all community members, particularly addressing the needs of downstream users affected by…
Hospital at Home for Diabetes and Hypertension Management
Objective: Develop an integrated system that allows for the remote monitoring, treatment scheduling, and management of diabetes and hypertension patients, ensuring they receive timely…
Quelea Quelea Bird Menace
What is the eligibility criteria for submitting a solution? All legal entities individual entrepreneurs and innovators, firms, institutions and public entities in Africa. Which…
Coffee Traceability for Small-Holder Coffee Produce
In Kenya, the coffee industry plays a significant role in the economy, contributing to both rural livelihoods and foreign exchange earnings. However, the industry…
Design a business model for and launch a venture that makes low-cost machine-tools for dredging silt and sand to rehabilitate rivers
 AI-Enhanced Coffee Cherry Sorting for Premium Quality
Objective: Develop an AI-powered application that automatically sorts coffee cherries based on color, size, and density. This would improve the consistency of premium quality and…
Cooperative Irrigation Water Schemes: Smart systems for Enhancing Transparency, Reliability, and Accountability
Water scarcity is a pressing global challenge, exacerbated by factors such as population growth, urbanization, and climate change. At a global level, regions across…
Academic Certificates Verification Systems
In Kenya, as in many other parts of the world, the proliferation of fake academic certificates poses a significant challenge to the integrity of…
Be part of a vibrant community shaping the future of innovation! Collaborate on exciting challenges that push boundaries and unlock your creative potential. Take part in impactful initiatives designed to solve real-world problems and showcase your unique skills. Together, let’s inspire change and create groundbreaking solutions!