Schneider Electric and Enactus Reveal English-Speaking Africa’s Brightest Battery Innovators

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

Schneider Electric, the global leader in energy management and automation, together with Enactus, an international NGO that inspires students through entrepreneurial action, has announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation.
The first-place winners for this year—representing South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe—showcase the ingenuity and growing impact of youth-led innovation across English-speaking Africa. South Africa was represented by BioWatt from WITS University, Kenya by Strathmore University with its Afya Cell project, Nigeria by Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University with Energiv, and Zimbabwe by the University of Zimbabwe’s LithiumX initiative.

Now in its second year, the Battery Innovation Challenge was conceived by a South African Schneider Electric engineer and is funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. The programme empowers young innovators to design battery solutions that address some of the region’s most pressing energy challenges and forms part of the Foundation’s New Skills for the Future and Innovation initiative.
The announcement also highlighted the ongoing achievements of the 2024 winners, who have used their prize funding to further develop their concepts. In Zimbabwe, second-place winners from Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) advanced their project CaLIX into VoltStep, a micro-battery module capable of storing low-voltage current generated by piezoelectric sensors. Within its first year, VoltStep sold 8,070 pairs of its shoes, generating USD 104,910 in revenue, providing reliable lighting access for 892 rural students by extending study hours, producing more than 900 kWh of renewable kinetic energy, and reducing household lighting costs by up to 65%. The project also helped the team secure second place in the 2025 Enactus World Cup.

In Kenya, the 2024 winning team, Afterlife, continued to expand its second-life battery initiative by repurposing and recycling worn-out batteries. The team went on to win additional awards, including the “Power the Community 2025 International Design Competition”, and has since registered as a company. They also joined the Emerging Circular Leaders programme, contributing to national discussions on circular economy innovation.

In Nigeria, the project originally launched as Repo, which won third place in 2024, has evolved into Ecovolt—a scalable clean-energy solution developed from recycled e-waste. Ecovolt now powers household appliances and small businesses, has created 20 youth jobs, and has sold 40 units with 55 more on order.

In South Africa, Airnergy & Tech Solutions, the 2024 third-place winners, have successfully commercialised their innovation, marking another milestone for the programme.
A standout example of this success is Airnergy & Tech Solutions’ ElectroBoost300, a 300W portable power station that is now available on Takealot, South Africa’s largest online retailer. The unit offers reliable lithium-based energy storage for households, students and small businesses. “Schneider Electric believed in us. Their support and funding helped Airnergy & Tech build a viable product, and that gave our team the confidence to keep pushing forward with sustainable energy innovation,” said Neo Moabi of Airnergy & Tech Solutions.

“The Battery Innovation Challenge is proof that with the right support, students in our region can create scalable, sustainable solutions that accelerate today’s energy transition and build tomorrow’s,” added Elihle Obi, Marketing Communications & Corporate Citizenship Director for English-speaking Africa at Schneider Electric. “We are proud to be part of this truly life-changing initiative.”
The 2025 winners demonstrated strong technical capability, community relevance and potential for large-scale impact. They also received cash prizes in Euros from the Schneider Electric Foundation.
In Zimbabwe, first place went to the University of Zimbabwe for its LithiumX project, which focuses on low-cost lithium-ion battery recycling using eco-friendly hydrometallurgy, earning €2,000. Second place was awarded to the National University of Science and Technology for Ukukhanya 2.0, an affordable solid-state sodium–air hybrid battery designed for off-grid communities, with €1,500. Third place went to the Harare Institute of Technology for PowerPulse, an aluminium–air chemistry battery using recycled aluminium and organic waste-based cathodes, with €1,000.

In Kenya, Strathmore University won first place and €2,000 for Afya Cell, an AI-powered battery health analyser designed to extend the lifespan of batteries used in electric vehicles, solar systems and IoT devices. Second place was awarded to Meru University for its project integrating renewable energy into e-waste battery recovery, earning €1,500. Third place went to Machakos University for ChargeAgain, which repurposes discarded vehicle batteries for solar storage in rural communities, with a €1,000 prize.
In South Africa, first place went to BioWatt from the University of the Witwatersrand for its microbial fuel cell-powered system that generates electricity from organic waste while promoting STEM education and reducing e-waste, earning €2,000. Second place went to EcoVolt Innovation, also from WITS, with €1,500 for its sodium-ion and solid-state hybrid battery solution developed using recycled materials and AI-powered monitoring. Third place was jointly awarded to Renewa Fuels from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and BioGlux from Sefako Makgatho University, who shared €1,000 for innovations in biodiesel by-product conversion and biodegradable glucose-powered medical implant batteries, respectively.

In Nigeria, first place went to Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University for Energiv, a project that converts plastic waste into carbon nanotubes to enhance lithium-ion batteries, earning €2,000. Second place was awarded to Ahmadu Bello University for Cell Matrix, a machine learning-based smart battery management system designed to prevent overheating and extend battery life, earning €1,500. Third place went to Kaduna Polytechnic for SmartVolt, an adaptive charging system that extends battery life through intelligent charge control, earning €1,000.

“These innovations demonstrate the ingenuity and determination of English-speaking Africa’s youth to reimagine the energy landscape,” said Letitia de Wet, CEO and Country Director of Enactus South Africa. “This year’s entrants were all winners in their own right, and we wish them every success as they take their innovations forward.”