Ghanaian Engineer Johannes Amo-Aye Wins Africa Innovation Prize

Ghanaian Engineer Johannes Amo-Aye Wins Africa Innovation Prize

Ghanaian engineer Johannes Amo-Aye has earned international recognition after winning the £5,000 One-to-Watch Award at the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. His achievement comes from developing a new energy system that combines wind and solar power to provide electricity to communities struggling with regular power outages.

His invention, known as the Fusion Wind Turbine, was developed through his company, MINAGIE Energy. It brings together a wind turbine and solar panels in one system, allowing both sources of energy to work together to produce electricity.

Unlike ordinary solar systems that depend mainly on sunlight, Amo-Aye's invention can also generate electricity from wind. This makes it a useful option for communities where access to reliable electricity remains a major challenge.

The award is an important achievement for the Ghanaian engineer and a reminder that African innovators can develop solutions to problems affecting their own communities. The £5,000 prize was decided through an audience vote at the award ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The invention is already making a difference in Ghana. According to reports from MINAGIE Energy, two units have been installed at rural health centres in the Eastern Region, serving communities with an estimated population of about 850 people. The installations have also helped replace diesel generators, saving approximately $500 monthly in fuel costs.

One of the biggest benefits of the invention is its potential to improve healthcare. Many rural health centres struggle with power outages, making it difficult for medical workers to attend to patients at night, preserve vaccines and operate important medical equipment.

With a more reliable electricity supply, health workers can carry out their duties under better conditions without depending heavily on expensive fuel-powered generators.

Amo-Aye and his team are now looking to expand the project to more communities. Their plans include installing additional turbines and training local technicians to help maintain the systems.

Although the high cost of equipment remains a challenge, the project offers hope for communities that need affordable and dependable electricity.

Amo-Aye's achievement shows how local innovation can make a real difference, especially when it focuses on solving everyday problems and improving people's lives.