S2PAfrica, a non-profit organisation based in Nigeria, is involved in developing and implementing a holistic approach to engineering education in pre-industrial African communities.
Participants for the competition have been drawn from 18 Nigerian and one Ghanaian university, which had earlier submitted entries, for the $10,000 grand prize.
Head of S2PAfrica Internship Programme, Dr. Olayinka Adewunmi, said the initiative would take African countries out of the endless cycle of inadequate engineers, which clogs the wheel of industrial development.
She said: “The project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and supervised by the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), whereby students are taught to build systems that address local problems requiring engineering solutions.”
According to her, S2PAfrica has adopted a Products, Processes, Goods and Services (PPGS) philosophy, in which the creation of locally relevant PPGS becomes the core objective of engineering education in Africa.
“The PPGS approach takes advantage of modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to deliver engineering knowledge and skills to students, by using 3D solid modelling to conceptualise, visualise, model, simulate and prototype PPGS, whereby students are taught to build systems that address local problems requiring engineering solutions. Simulated and tested computer models of physical systems are then 3D-printed as prototypes that can be subjected to empirical tests, and become the basis towards mass production.”
She noted that 50 sets of students from the 18 Nigerian and one Ghanaian universities submitted entries. Out of the 50 entries, 46 were accepted and the top 15 would be pre-judged by in-house experts.
“The final judgment will take place on February 26, 2022 (by Zoom), which will be overseen by a global jury of carefully chosen local and international experts, selected mainly from among African engineers in the diaspora, who are recognised as global leaders in their various engineering fields across reputable international organisations.
“The grand prize of $10,000 offered by IDRC will go to the team or individual that produces the most innovative solution to a pressing local problem, based on the application of relevant and appropriate theory to optimise material use and predict product behaviour under pre-defined use conditions. The top 10 finalists shall receive $500 each.
“Other prizes include $2,000 offered by Autodesk – a global leader in design, software and engineering technology, for the team, or individual that produces a design that makes the best use of Fusion 360, a 3D solid modelling software product of Autodesk. There is also a commitment from Cummins West Africa for support. Apart from these, there are various other category prizes as well as individually sponsored prizes,” she said.
