Schneider Electric Go Green - Anglophone Africa dominates with its bold ideas in the MEA finals

10 October 2023

Schneider Electric is proud to announce that no less than six out of the nine university groups competing in this year’s regional Middle East and Africa finals of its Go Green competition were from the Anglophone Africa region.

The six finalist groups from the respective Anglophone Africa countries were:

1. Nigeria - Ina Vibe who entered a solar-powered, insulated electric burner with a battery pack for cooking, charging, and lighting.
2. Kenya:
   1. MetaMind whose project explores the role of machine learning (ML) in smart energy control systems.
   2. The Green Mavericks; the group’s AquaSpark-thermal storage battery system not only provides electricity but also heats water for space heating.
   3. Carboclock who designed a smart clock aptly named Carbon Clock that displays real-time energy consumption of household devices, therefore user awareness of carbon footprint and energy usage, encouraging them to make more sustainable choices.
3. South Africa:
   1. Power Pals whose innovative solution aims to tackle the excessive heat within urban heat islands and
   2. LolaGreen whose bold idea demonstrates how industrial and plastic waste can be converted into sustainable, durable construction products.

Ultimately, SKYLARKS from Pakistan bested the stiff competition from Anglophone Africa with their Adaptive Facade Systems “AdaptiFAS,” an innovative solution that optimises insulation, reduces energy waste, and adapts to occupants needs, making it ideal for both new constructions and retrofitting existing buildings.

“We are extremely proud of our teams from Anglophone Africa whose bold ideas truly impressed our panel of judges. We would also like to extend a hearty congratulations to SKYLARK, we wish them all the best for the global finals,” says Modlay Davids, Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Lead: Human Resources at Schneider Electric.

This year’s theme Sustainable and Efficient Buildings encouraged participants to dream big, transform, and unlock the efficiency of today’s buildings to make it smarter and more people centric.

The participating university students’ bold ideas tangibly demonstrated how buildings of the future will meet the needs of its occupants while minimising its base load, operating costs, and environmental impact.

As part of the Go Green entry, the regional finalists also participated in an intensive boot camp at Schneider Electric’s offices where sales and business presentation skills were honed and perfected. They also underwent mentoring in preparation for the regional competition.

SKYLARKS will be competing against finalist from across the globe to win €3000, an international trip, an internship and other employment opportunities at Schneider Electric.

Launched in 2011 by Schneider Electric, the Schneider Go Green competition has grown rapidly over the last 13 years. In 2022, more than 22,200 students from 200 countries registered for the event, and more than 3,700 submitted innovative ideas that fitted into the competition’ categories.