African innovations tackling serious health problems | CNN

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Africa Tech Rising
Africa Tech Rising
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African innovations tackling serious health problems

Updated 8:08 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2018
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Africa is brimming with innovative ideas. These schoolgirls from Nigeria have won the 2018 Technovation Challenge for their app that detects counterfeit medicine.<br /><br /><strong><em>Scroll through to discover the inventions and innovations coming out of Africa.</em></strong>
Africa is brimming with innovative ideas. These schoolgirls from Nigeria have won the 2018 Technovation Challenge for their app that detects counterfeit medicine.

Scroll through to discover the inventions and innovations coming out of Africa.
Courtesy Uchenna Ugwu
Their mobile app, called, FD-Detector, helps users identify fake medicines using a drug's barcode to verify its authenticity and expiration date.
Spotting fake drugs —
Their mobile app, called, FD-Detector, helps users identify fake medicines using a drug's barcode to verify its authenticity and expiration date.
Courtesy Uchenna Ugwu
This biomedical smart jacket created by Ugandan inventor Brian Turyabagye can diagnose pneumonia four times faster than a doctor.  It analyzes the chest and then sends the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone app. <br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2017%2F10%2F24%2Fafrica%2Fbiomedical-jacket-uganda-africa-tech-rising%2Findex.html" target="_blank"> Read more</a> about this biomedical breakthrough.
Jacket diagnosing pneumonia —
This biomedical smart jacket created by Ugandan inventor Brian Turyabagye can diagnose pneumonia four times faster than a doctor. It analyzes the chest and then sends the information via Bluetooth to a smartphone app.

Read more about this biomedical breakthrough.
ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP/Getty Images
A startup in Dakar, Senegal called JokkoSante helps locals exchange unused medication at a licensed pharmacy for points they can then spend on future medications. <br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2017%2F05%2F03%2Fhealth%2Fjokkosante-medicine-app-senegal%2Findex.html">Read more</a> about the startup.
Virtual pharmacy for unused medicine —
A startup in Dakar, Senegal called JokkoSante helps locals exchange unused medication at a licensed pharmacy for points they can then spend on future medications.

Read more about the startup.
SEYLLOU/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Nigerian inventor, Osh Agabi, created a device that fuses live neurons from mice stem cells into a silicon chip. The device can be used to detect explosives and cancer cells.<br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2017%2F08%2F28%2Fafrica%2Fkoniku-kore-tedglobal%2Findex.html">Read more</a> about Agabi's innovation.
Fusing neurons with silicon technology —
Nigerian inventor, Osh Agabi, created a device that fuses live neurons from mice stem cells into a silicon chip. The device can be used to detect explosives and cancer cells.

Read more about Agabi's innovation.
Courtesy Koniku Kore
This touch-screen heart monitoring device invented by Cameroonian entrepreneur, Arthur Zang, records and sends heart activity to a national healthcare center for evaluation. <br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2016%2F06%2F06%2Fafrica%2Farthur-zang---cardio-pad-cameroon%2Findex.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about this device.
Revolutionizing rural healthcare —
This touch-screen heart monitoring device invented by Cameroonian entrepreneur, Arthur Zang, records and sends heart activity to a national healthcare center for evaluation.

Read more about this device.
marc latzel/©Rolex Awards/Marc Latzel
Five Kenya teenage girls created an app called i-Cut, designed to connect girls affected by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to legal and medical assistance.<br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2017%2F07%2F28%2Fafrica%2Fkenyan-girls-fgm-app%2Findex.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about it here.
Helping girls affected by FGM —
Five Kenya teenage girls created an app called i-Cut, designed to connect girls affected by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to legal and medical assistance.

Read more about it here.
Dorcas Adhiambo owino
Smartphone app Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) has been used in Kenya, Botswana and India to test patients who would otherwise find getting proper eye care difficult.<br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2016%2F03%2F31%2Fafrica%2Fpeek-eye-app%2Findex.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about Peek.
Eye exams on a smartphone —
Smartphone app Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) has been used in Kenya, Botswana and India to test patients who would otherwise find getting proper eye care difficult.

Read more about Peek.
Courtesy Peek
<a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bespecular.com%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">BeSpecular</a>, an app from South Africa, allows volunteers to remotely assist blind people. The app uses an algorithm to connect the right people, those similar in age and physical location. <br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2016%2F11%2F24%2Fafrica%2Fbe-specular-app-helps-the-blind%2Findex.html">Read more</a> about this app<a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2016%2F11%2F24%2Fafrica%2Fbe-specular-app-helps-the-blind%2Findex.html">. </a>
Lending eyes to the blind —
BeSpecular, an app from South Africa, allows volunteers to remotely assist blind people. The app uses an algorithm to connect the right people, those similar in age and physical location.

Read more about this app.
BeSpecular
LifeBank is a smart blood system that locates available blood supplies and delivers it to hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria.<br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2Fvideos%2Fworld%2F2016%2F11%2F09%2Fafrican-start-up-life-bank.cnn" target="_blank">Find out</a> more about how LifeBank works.
Mobilizing blood donations —
LifeBank is a smart blood system that locates available blood supplies and delivers it to hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria.

Find out more about how LifeBank works.
Silicon Valley startup Zipline uses drones to deliver vaccines and blood to remote hospitals and clinics in Rwanda.  <br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2016%2F08%2F10%2Fafrica%2Fblood-drones-rwanda-mpa%2Findex.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about this drone delivery service.
Drones delivering medical supplies —
Silicon Valley startup Zipline uses drones to deliver vaccines and blood to remote hospitals and clinics in Rwanda.

Read more about this drone delivery service.
zipline
UNICEF and the Malawian government set up a drone testing corridor in Lilongwe to investigate how drones can be used for humanitarian work, like mapping cholera outbreaks and mosquito breeding sites.<br /><br /><a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2F2017%2F07%2F01%2Fafrica%2Fmalawi-unicef-aid%2Findex.html" target="_blank">Read more</a> about the testing corridor.
Mapping cholera and malaria —
UNICEF and the Malawian government set up a drone testing corridor in Lilongwe to investigate how drones can be used for humanitarian work, like mapping cholera outbreaks and mosquito breeding sites.

Read more about the testing corridor.
AMOS GUMULIRA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

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