AfriGadget: Solving Everyday Problems with African Ingenuity
Where the world sees junk, Africa sees rebirth. AfriGadget was born from the idea that there are many interesting stories happening everyday in Africa, ingenious solutions and innovative entrepreneurs that need to have their story told. Our mission is to tell those stories.
AfriGadget is a team blog, with editors who are based in the U.S., as well as in Germany, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. We have posted articles on all sorts of topics, ranging from car alternators made from plastic, copper wire, and bamboo; a teenager named William from Malawi who built his own windmill from found parts; to a $100 bicycle engine that gets 50 kilometers to a liter of gas.
AfriGadget has gained a good amount of traction in the tech blogging community, but the low-tech solutions and gadgets that the site features are ultimately born of the need to address sustainability and economic survival in local communities. Many of the innovators are small-business owners, who have realized that using recycled, readily available materials will save money, since the gadgets they create need to be adjusted to the African cost of living in order for their microenterprises to survive.
We call this, "Ingenuity born of necessity", and you see it all over Africa. Brilliant solutions that make life work.
Our plans are to have AfriGadget grow into an international tool to help people get involved with the gadget and innovation community in Africa. Stay tuned, as we work through a complete website redesign and start two exciting new initiatives to bring more stories of African ingenuity online! If you'd like to sponsor, donate or help - contact us.
