Kenyan engineer Elly Savatia has been awarded the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, the continent’s largest dedicated engineering award, for his AI-powered application Terp 360.
Terp 360 is an advanced application that translates spoken language into sign language using 3D avatars. Developed in collaboration with deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, the tool draws on a dataset of over 2,300 locally recorded signs to ensure natural, culturally relevant communication.
The technology addresses interpreter shortages and improves accessibility in education, healthcare, and public services.
“I'm totally grateful for this and it is a testament to the innovative assistive technology work that is coming from Africa,” said Elly Savatia.
Savatia and his team plan to use the £50,000 award to further develop Terp 360, with a focus on expanding into education, corporate, and healthcare sectors.
Since its launch in 2014, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation has supported over 160 innovators from more than 20 countries.