Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, in collaboration with Enactus, an international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, has unveiled winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, an initiative funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation.
  
The competition, now in its second year, drew strong participation from universities across the Africa region. South Africa’s BioWatt team from WITS University emerged as the national winner, while Kenya was represented by the Afya Cell project from Strathmore University. In Nigeria, the Energiv project from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University claimed the top spot, and Zimbabwe’s winner was the University of Zimbabwe with its LithiumX project.
   
The Innovation Challenge, which was conceived by a South African Schneider Electric engineer, was designed to empower young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges. The initiative also forms part of the Foundation’s New Skills for the Future and Innovation programme.

Speaking on the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, CEO and Country Director of Enactus South Africa, Letitia de Wet, lauded the creativity and determination of young innovators across English-speaking Africa.
 
“This year’s entrants were all winners in their own right, and we wish them every success in advancing their innovations,” de Wet added, highlighting the growing impact of student-led solutions in sustainable energy.
 
The Marketing Communications and Corporate Citizenship Director, English-speaking Africa at Schneider Electric, Elihle Obi, also noted that this year’s Battery Innovation Challenge winners demonstrated technical ingenuity, community relevance, and strong potential for scaling impact and have received Euro cash prizes from the Schneider Electric Foundation.
 
“The Battery Innovation Challenge is proof that with the right support, students in our region can create scalable, sustainable solutions that accelerate today and tomorrow’s energy transition. We are proud to form part of this truly life changing initiative,” she said.
  
A testament to the programme’s growing impact is the success of Airnergy & Tech Solutions, which has now commercialised their project, the ElectroBoost300, a 300W portable power station, providing reliable lithium power for homes, 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 organisers also announced the continued impact of the 2024 winners who have used the prize money from the Schneider Electric Foundation to further develop their concepts into commercially viable and socially impactful solutions.
 
In Nigeria, the project originally launched as Repo has evolved into Ecovolt, a scalable clean energy solution from recycled e-waste. Ecovolt powers household appliances and small businesses, and has created 20 youth jobs, sold 40 units, with 55 more on order.
 
In Zimbabwe, second-place winner Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) transformed their CaLIX project into VoltStep, a micro-battery module that stores low-voltage energy from piezoelectric sensors. Within its first year, VoltStep sold 8,070 pairs of shoes, generating USD 104,910 in revenue, provided lighting for 892 rural students, produced over 900 kWh of renewable kinetic energy, and reduced household lighting costs by up to 65 per cent. The project also earned them second place in the 2025 Enactus World Cup.
 
Kenya’s winning team, Afterlife, focuses on repurposing and recycling worn-out batteries. They also won other awards with their solution like the Power the Community 2025 International Design Competition, and is now a registered company which also joined the Emerging Circular Leaders programme, sparking national conversations on circular economy innovation.
 South Africa’s Airnergy & Tech Solutions, which clinched the third-place, have successfully been commercialised.