By Milliam Murigi
A smartphone and a microscope may not look like powerful weapons against malaria or cervical cancer. But in the hands of Dr Rose Nakasi, a Ugandan researcher, the two are being transformed into a diagnostic tool powered by artificial intelligence.
Thousands of kilometres away in Rwanda, another woman innovator is putting smart technology to work in potato greenhouses, helping farmers keep track of temperature, humidity and soil moisture from their mobile phones.
The two women are among a growing number of African innovators using artificial intelligence and digital technologies to develop solutions for challenges that affect people’s health and livelihoods.
Their work was recently showcased during an Africa Science Dialogue webinar, where they demonstrated how technology can be adapted to address local problems rather than simply importing solutions developed elsewhere.
For Nakasi, the challenge is one that can have life-or-death consequences.In Uganda, diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and cervical cancer continue to put pressure on the health system. Yet patients in facilities with limited laboratory expertise can wait hours or longer for an accurate diagnosis.
“One of the key contributors to some of increased severity of this burden is that we lack simple, rapid, accessible and accurate diagnostics,” she said.
Her team at the Makerere AI Health Lab is developing an ocular system that brings diagnosis closer to the patient.
A 3D-printed adapter allows a smartphone to be attached to a microscope. The phone captures images of patient samples, which are then analysed by artificial intelligence models trained to identify disease-causing pathogens.
The technology could help health workers make quicker decisions, particularly where specialised laboratory expertise is limited.
“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,” Nakasi said.
Early results suggest the technology could have a significant role to play. The malaria model has achieved 92 per cent specificity, while the cervical cancer model has surpassed 94 per cent accuracy.
The project is also moving beyond the development stage. More than 150 laboratory technicians and 10 pathologists have been trained to use the system, with the technology being implemented in more than 35 health facilities in Uganda.
In Rwanda, Clemence Uwamutarambirwa is using technology to give farmers greater control over what happens inside their greenhouses. Her Smart Potato Greenhouse Technology combines sensors, cloud-based analytics and a mobile application to monitor growing conditions remotely.
Sensors placed in greenhouse beds continuously measure temperature, humidity and soil moisture. The information is sent to a cloud platform for analysis, while farmers receive alerts on their phones and can remotely manage irrigation. The system also incorporates hydroponic farming, where crops are grown without conventional soil.
” The approach can increase potato seed production, conserve water and shield crops from soil-borne pathogens,” says Uwamutarambirwa.
For greenhouse managers, the ability to monitor conditions remotely is already making a difference, with feedback indicating improved management of temperature and humidity as well as better security of produce.
While the technologies differ, Nakasi and Uwamutarambirwa share a common approach — using science and technology to solve problems that are immediately relevant to African communities.
But experts say innovation alone will not be enough to close the gender gap in science and technology.
Dr Margaret Karembu, Director of ISAAA AfriCenter and Chair of Africa Women for Biosciences, said women need support from men, institutions and policymakers to participate fully in emerging technologies.
“Increasing women’s participation in science and technology cannot be viewed as a responsibility for women alone,” Karembu said.
She called for stronger networks and opportunities for women interested in science and innovation, including those without formal training in biosciences.
