Gibson Kawago is a 23-year-old tech savvy student of the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology who was disappointed by the unavailability of power in his grandmother’s village and designed a solar power equipment to help provide the house with electricity.

His disappointment happened the day he had tried to show his grandmother the footage of his sister’s wedding but could not because he had run out of charge on his battery and there was no electricity in the village. This one incident began to give him ideas on how he could make living in the village better and he designed a solar system charging gadget.

To make the charging system, Gibson said in a statement “I had to find a solar panel and connect it to the diode that links the solar power to the battery charge which henceforth takes electricity to the phones. Diode is like a protector because the phone can hardly catch any glitch even when it gets exposed to negative route”.

Designing this system has provided the village with the power they need for appliances and even after his grandmother had passed on, members of the community still benefit from his device and don’t have to seek power from the neighboring village again.

The Engineer who was raised in the Mafinga District has also designed and created a solar-powered water pump which he had designed to help the farmers in the village deliver water to their household and perform irrigation activities on their farmlands. He is also working on a project which he calls the “Wanted Smart Box” which is a portable bag to be used as a solar powered brightening light in 180 degree.

He sees himself becoming a young multitalented and successful innovator in the next five years with dreams of setting up businesses which will provide employment for people in Tanzania and Africa.

In April 2018, he was awarded for the Nguvu ya Uthubutu Awards in the ICT and Innovations category for his designs after a whole month of voting.

He encourages upcoming innovators to be creative and urges them to not complain about lack of funds but try to use materials which they can source for locally to bring their dreams to life.

Wednesday, 21st December 2022 was a historic day for the Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa (ATUPA), and the TVET fraternity in Africa  in
general. On the occasion of the eleventh Graduation ceremony of the Technical University of Kenya, the ATUPA Secretary General, Madam Jahou Samba Faal was conferred upon the degree of Doctor of Technology (Honoris causa).

This honour is in recognition of Madam Faal’s incredible and impeccable contributions to the development of TVET in Africa. Apart from her stewardship of the continental TVET organisation, Madam Faal was acclaimed for her sterling performance and contributions as Director-General of the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) in her native country, The Gambia, having risen through the ranks from the position of Lecturer.
At the congregation, Madam Faal was credited with record-breaking achievements as holder of positions few women, if any, had held in The Gambia. It was also noted that she used her vast experience in women leadership to reinvigorate the Women in Technical Education (WITED) programme in Africa, as evidenced by her mentorship
of the WITED Kenya Chapter. The degree of Doctor of Technology (Honoris causa) was conferred by the Technical University of Kenya Pro-Chancellor and Acting Chancellor, Dr. Idle O. Farah. On hand to witness this momentous occasion were the Principal Secretary, State Department of TVET at the Ministry of Education; the
Technical University of Kenya Council members; Vice-Chancellor Professor Francis W. O. Aduol; the Vice-Chancellor of the Technical University of Mombasa and Chairperson of the ATUPA Executive Board, Professor Laila Abubakar and Executive Board members Mrs. Glory Mutungi and Mr. C. T. Akumu-Owuor, who is also the
Director of TVET at the Technical University of Kenya, among other distinguished guests.
In her acceptance speech, Dr. Faal did not disappoint: She vowed that this award was but the fuel that would power her resolve to champion TVET advocacy in Africa, and that with the support of the Technical University of Kenya, ATUPA and her partners would realise the full potential of TVET in Africa, and its plethora of
benefits would trickle down to the young and growing African population.
In paying tribute to the men and women who are the epitome of TVET excellence in Africa, Dr. Faal evoked an emotional moment for the CAPA/ATUPA stakeholders, when she paid special homage to the immediate former Secretary General, the late Dr. Olubunmi Owoso (may his gentle soul rest in peace), who set the stage for her
leadership at ATUPA.
The convocation also saw the conferment of the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris causa) upon Professor Washington Yotto Ochieng, the conferment of various degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Masters and undergraduate, and the award of various diplomas and certificates of the Technical University of Kenya.

- Source https://mesr.gouv.sn/

AFRICAN countries, Zimbabwe included, should reconfigure the education system to create a young generation that can help address the continent’s challenges through