Anne Rweyora was among innovators from Africa that were honored by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York for showcasing impressive innovations at the Pitch@Palace Africa Competition.
The event was held on March 7, 2019, at St James’s Palace, the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom.
A graduate of Industrial and Product Design from Kyambogo University, Anne Rweyora founded Smart Havens Africa, a social enterprise aiming at ending housing poverty through the development of sustainable, eco-friendly, affordable housing for women earning less than USD$6 per day.
She beat fourteen other competitors to emerge the third in the competition that was founded by The Duke of York in 2014 as a unique initiative to give a platform to entrepreneurs.
Female innovators lead the way at @pitchatpalace Africa 3.0: https://t.co/a7Ql7vNzOZ #EngDiversity #AfricaPrize #IWD2019 pic.twitter.com/2Zsnj2KTG1
— Royal Academy of Engineering (@RAEngNews) March 8, 2019
Now active in over 57 countries, with events being held in countries including Australia, Hungary, Abu Dhabi, Ireland, Singapore and China, Pitch@Palace Africa has already created thousands of jobs.
The overall prize was bagged by Muzalema Mwanza, the founder of Safe Motherhood Alliance, a Zambia-based social enterprise that develops simple, low-cost disposable baby delivery kits.
Apart from Anne Rweyora, Uganda was also represented by Paul Matovu, the founder of The Vertical Farm, a ‘farm-in-a-box’ for urban areas, using urban waste to grow high yielding plants.
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Speaking at the Pitch@Palace Africa award event, HRH The Duke of York said, “We heard from entrepreneurs from across Africa, with 17 brilliant businesses coming from six countries. Listening to these entrepreneurs has been inspiring beyond measure, and I would just like to thank them for all they have done.”
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