The first UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering ‘Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation‘ was awarded to Tanzanian chemical engineer Askwar Hilonga for his water filter. His filter uses nanotechnology and sand to clean water; it adsorbs anything from copper and fluoride to bacteria, viruses and pesticides.

Hilonga’s invention should help the 70% of households in Tanzania that do not have clean drinking water. This is a very important invention in a world where clean water is becoming rare, whether in developed countries where their water is spoiled by major pollution from oil or heavy elements such as uranium or radium, or in developing countries where water may have been soiled by big oil, or simply not clean. Moreover, his invention will provide a low-cost alternative to water filtering.

The prize is worth  £25,000 ($38,348). Congratulations to Dr. Askwar Hilonga, and don’t forget to read the article on BBC.