AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace worldwide, and Africa is no longer just a consumer of technology. Its youth are shaping the future, transforming curiosity into real-world solutions. Among them, 24-year-old Kenyan innovator Elly Savatia is leading the way, stepping in to the continent’s rescue with transformative innovations that are redefining what African creators can achieve.
- Young innovators in Africa are transforming technology and solving real-world problems.
- Elly Savatia, a Kenyan innovator, developed assistive technologies inspired by personal experiences.
- Elly founded Signvrse in 2023, launching Terp 360, an AI-powered application for sign language translation.
- Elly envisions expanding his innovations globally, advocating for inclusive technology for marginalized communities.
Innovation continues to shine from Africa, showcasing the ingenuity and creativity of its people. Beyond the continent’s abundant natural resources, Africans are harnessing knowledge, technology, and creativity to lead in areas once dominated by others. Stories like that of Elly Savatia illustrate how Africa’s youth are poised to set global benchmarks in innovation and social impact.
Early Curiosity Sparks Innovation
Elly Savatia grew up in western Kenya with a natural curiosity for electronics and mechanics. As a child, he would dismantle devices to understand how they worked, driven by the question: “What if I opened this thing?”
By the age of twelve, he had already begun creating inventions, including a windmill that could track the direction of the wind. At thirteen, he designed a robotic staircase that could flatten into a ramp for wheelchair users after witnessing a classmate struggle with mobility.
Elly’s early aptitude for innovation became more formalized when he attended Upper Hill School in Nairobi. There, he developed the Stair Ramp project, which converted staircases into ramps for people with disabilities, foreshadowing his lifelong focus on assistive technology.
While in school, he also co-founded the Climate Action Club, a student-led initiative that encouraged environmental awareness and practical solutions. A low turnout at one of the early meetings inspired Elly to realise that meaningful innovation must be paired with community engagement.
Building Social Awareness Through Youth Initiatives
After high school in 2019, Elly launched Innovate 4 SDGs, a nonprofit mobilizing youth around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
That same year, he encountered the deaf community during a conference in northeastern Kenya, where a single interpreter was assisting over 300 students. Witnessing the challenges of communication sparked the question that would define his career: how to bridge communication barriers for deaf people.
Terp 360: Technology for Inclusion
Elly’s solution came in the form of Terp 360, an AI-powered web application that translates speech and text into Kenyan Sign Language using realistic 3D avatars.
Launched under his startup Signvrse in 2023, the platform allows deaf and hearing individuals to communicate seamlessly without the need for human interpreters.
Developed in collaboration with Kenya’s deaf community, Terp 360 draws from a dataset of more than 2,300 locally recorded signs captured through motion sensors, ensuring both linguistic and cultural accuracy.
Describing it as “Google Translate for sign language,” Elly explains that Terp 360 addresses systemic barriers in education, healthcare, and workplaces. “Companies cannot afford interpreters… We see ourselves as enablers, providing sign language at scale. The deaf community has been left behind, and we’re changing that,” he says.
The platform is set to expand to additional African and global sign languages by 2027, supported by a motion-capture studio in Nairobi capable of recording up to 1,000 words per day.
Recognition and Awards
For his efforts, Elly received the 2025 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, awarded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, along with £50,000 ($67,000).
Presented in Dakar, Senegal, the prize recognized Terp 360’s impact across Kenya and the continent. Rebecca Enonchong, chair of the judging panel, described the project’s social value: “Elly’s solution demonstrates that Africans can leverage cutting-edge technology to solve real-world problems — not just on the continent but globally.”
The young kenyan innovator has also earned numerous other accolades, including recognition as a 2024 Mandela Washington Fellow, Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Innovation Award recipient, UNICEF Generation Unlimited Innovation Challenge winner, Global Teen Leader by the We Are Family Foundation in 2020, and the youngest World Bank African Drone Youth Scholar in 2020. He won the Kenyan Drone Business Competition in 2022 and has been featured among the top AI innovations in Africa.
Education and Leadership Development
Elly is a fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative at the Regional Leadership Centre East Africa, a programme launched by former U.S. President Barack Obama to empower Africa’s next generation.
He has consistently combined leadership with hands-on innovation, establishing a track record that spans education, technology, and youth advocacy.
Professional Trajectory
Elly’s career demonstrates a steady trajectory of leadership and innovation.
In 2023, he founded Signvrse and launched Terp 360. That same year, he worked with Swift Lab Ltd, a medical logistics company leveraging drones to deliver supplies to remote areas.
Between 2021 and 2022, he co-founded Veezaviz, a predecessor assistive technology startup that was eventually shuttered due to internal challenges.
Earlier, he served as a project manager at School for a Village, supporting science and technology education in underserved schools, and in 2019, he captained Kenya’s national team at the First Global Robotics competition in Dubai.
Resilience in Entrepreneurship
Elly’s journey has not been without setbacks.
The closure of Veezaviz in 2022 due to internal disputes and financial struggles could have derailed his efforts.
Instead, he relaunched his vision in 2023 under Signvrse, bolstered by collaborations with UNICEF, USAID, The Commonwealth, and the Kenya National Innovation Agency.
Today, Signvrse holds the largest dataset of Kenyan Sign Language in Africa, creating a leading platform for inclusive technology.
Advocacy and Youth Leadership
Beyond entrepreneurship, Elly is a One Young World ambassador, Ashoka Young Changemaker, and continues to lead Innovate 4 SDGs.
His work reflects a commitment to empowering youth and marginalized communities through innovation and social impact.
He is driven by the belief that technology should serve everyone, regardless of ability, and that solutions must be built collaboratively with the communities they aim to help.
A Vision for the Future
Elly’s ambition extends beyond Kenya. He envisions expanding Signvrse across Africa and globally, creating inclusive digital spaces for education, healthcare, professional engagement, and civic participation. “I’m building for the community,” he says. “Technology should serve everyone. Signvrse is about unlocking accessibility for good.”
Inspiring a New Generation
From a curious child in western Kenya to an award-winning innovator, Elly Savatia’s story exemplifies resilience, ingenuity, and social impact.
Through Terp 360 and Signvrse, he is transforming communication for the deaf and demonstrating that Africa’s youth are not just keeping pace with global innovation; they are poised to lead it.
