African women innovators are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and smart technologies to improve healthcare delivery and strengthen food systems across the continent by addressing persistent health and agricultural challenges.
Dr Rose Nakasi, a researcher at the Makerere AI Health Lab and lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda, and Ms Clémence Uwamutarambirwa, an agroforester and innovator from Rwanda, showcased their innovations during a webinar organised through the Africa Science Dialogue platform.
The webinar highlighted the growing role of women in developing digital solutions for Africa’s health and agricultural sectors.
In Uganda, where diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and cervical cancer continue to place significant pressure on the healthcare system, Dr Nakasi is leading a team developing AI-powered tools to make disease diagnosis faster, more accurate and consistent.
Speaking during the webinar, she said limitations in diagnostic services contributed significantly to the disease burden, particularly in health facilities with inadequate laboratory expertise.
“One of the key contributors to some of increased severity of this burden is that we lack simple, rapid, accessible and accurate diagnostics.
“If a disease is not accurately diagnosed, you are not going to get the right treatment, you are not going to get the right care,” Dr Nakasi explained.
The team is using an ocular system that combines microscopes, smartphones and AI technology to automate the diagnosis of diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis and cervical cancer.
The system employs a 3D-printable adapter that connects a smartphone to a microscope, enabling images of patient samples to be captured and analysed by AI models trained to detect disease-causing pathogens.
According to the researchers, results from the technology have been encouraging, with the malaria model achieving 92 per cent specificity, while the cervical cancer model has exceeded 94 per cent accuracy.
The technology has already been integrated into Uganda’s health system, with more than 35 health facilities adopting it and about 150 laboratory technicians and 10 pathologists trained in its use.
In Rwanda, Ms Uwamutarambirwa is deploying smart technology to improve potato production and management.
Her Smart Potato Greenhouse Technology combines sensors, cloud-based analytics and a mobile application to enable farmers and greenhouse managers to monitor growing conditions remotely.
Sensors installed in greenhouse beds continuously measure temperature, humidity and soil moisture levels.
“The information is transmitted to a cloud platform for analysis, while farmers receive updates and alerts on their mobile phones and can remotely manage irrigation”, Ms. Uwamutarambirwa indicated.
The technology also supports hydroponic production, a system in which crops are grown in nutrient-rich water solutions instead of conventional soil.
“This soil-less technique increases potato seed production, conserves water resources and protects crops from soil-borne pathogens,” she explained.
The two innovations demonstrate how African researchers are adapting emerging technologies to local challenges rather than relying solely on solutions developed elsewhere.
Addressing participants, Dr Margaret Karembu, Director of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfriCenter, underscored the importance of supporting women’s participation in science and technology.
“This soil-less technique yields higher potato seed output, conserves water resources and insulates crops against soil-borne pathogens”, she explained.
“Increasing women’s participation in science and technology cannot be viewed as a responsibility for women alone.
The support of men as colleagues, supervisors, mentors, partners, institutional leaders and policymakers is critical,” Dr Karembu, also Chair of Africa Women for Biosciences (AWfB), said.
She called for stronger networks and expanded opportunities for women interested in science, technology and innovation, including those without formal training in biosciences.
The webinar attracted more than 50 participants, including early-career scientists, agricultural researchers, policymakers, farmers, journalists, academics and industry representatives.
