African women innovators are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and smart technologies to address critical challenges in healthcare and agriculture, with new tools helping to accelerate disease diagnosis and improve potato production.
The innovations were showcased by researchers from Uganda and Rwanda during a webinar hosted through the Africa Science Dialogue, highlighting how locally developed technologies are being adapted to tackle health and food-system challenges across the continent.
In Uganda, Dr Rose Nakasi, a researcher at the Makerere AI Health Lab and lecturer at Makerere University, is leading the development of an AI-powered diagnostic system designed to make the detection of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and cervical cancer faster and more accurate.
Nakasi said the technology was developed in response to gaps in access to simple, rapid and reliable diagnostic services, particularly in health facilities with limited laboratory expertise.
“One of the key contributors to some of the increased severity of this burden is that we lack simple, rapid, accessible and accurate diagnostics,” Nakasi said.
The system, known as an ocular system, combines microscopes, smartphones and AI to automate the analysis of patient samples. A 3D-printable adapter connects a smartphone to a microscope, enabling images of samples to be captured and analysed using AI models trained to identify disease-causing pathogens.
“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,” she said.
The researchers reported that the malaria model has achieved 92 per cent specificity, while the cervical cancer model has recorded more than 94 per cent accuracy.
The innovation is also moving beyond research into practical healthcare delivery, with more than 150 laboratory technicians and 10 pathologists trained to use the system across more than 35 health facilities in Uganda.
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In Rwanda, agroforester and innovator Clémence Uwamutarambirwa is applying smart technology to improve potato production through her Smart Potato Greenhouse Technology.
The system combines sensors, cloud-based analytics and a mobile application to enable farmers and greenhouse managers to remotely monitor growing conditions and respond to changes affecting their crops.
Sensors installed in greenhouse beds continuously measure temperature, humidity and soil moisture, with the data transmitted to a cloud platform for analysis. Farmers receive alerts on their mobile phones and can remotely control irrigation.
The technology also incorporates hydroponic production, allowing potatoes to be grown using water-based nutrient solutions rather than conventional soil.
Uwamutarambirwa said the soil-less method increases potato seed output, conserves water and protects crops from soil-borne pathogens.
She added that feedback from greenhouse managers indicated that the technology had improved remote monitoring of production, management of temperature and humidity, and the security of produce.
The two projects demonstrate the potential for African researchers to develop technology tailored to local conditions rather than relying solely on solutions imported from elsewhere.
Dr Margaret Karembu, Director of ISAAA AfriCenter and Chair of Africa Women for Biosciences, said greater participation of women in science and emerging technologies would require support from the wider society.
“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,” Karembu said.
She also called for stronger networks and more opportunities for women seeking to participate in science and innovation, stressing that membership of Africa Women for Biosciences should not be restricted to those with formal bioscience training.
“I want to emphasize something very important: you do not have to be a bio-scientist to belong in AWfB,” she said.
More than 50 participants, including early-career scientists, agricultural researchers, policymakers, farmers, journalists, academics and industry representatives, took part in the webinar.