NAIROBI, Kenya- Elly Savatia has been named the 2025 winner of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation for his artificial intelligence-powered sign-language translation app, Terp 360, a breakthrough designed to bridge communication barriers for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Savatia, the co-founder of Signvrse, received £50,000 (Sh 8.7 million) during an award ceremony held in Dakar, Senegal, marking the first time the Royal Academy of Engineering hosted the Africa Prize finals in Francophone Africa.
His innovation topped submissions from 16 African countries, earning praise for its potential to revolutionize accessibility and inclusion across the continent.
The winning app, Terp 360, uses a combination of artificial intelligence, motion capture, and 3D avatar technology to translate spoken or written words into sign language in real time.
Built initially for Kenyan Sign Language (KSL), it features a database of over 2,300 recorded gestures and can be customized for other regional sign languages.
The app can be integrated into public and private institutions, including schools, hospitals, and customer service platforms. Its versatility has drawn attention from government agencies and organizations working with the deaf community, who see it as a potential tool for breaking institutional and social barriers.
Savatia’s journey began in Kisii County, where he developed a passion for assistive technology while volunteering at a school for the deaf. Observing the daily struggles of students who lacked interpreters, he decided to pursue a career that combined engineering and accessibility.
Together with co-founder Brian Ochieng, he launched Signvrse in 2021, aiming to leverage AI to support inclusive communication. The startup’s name is derived from the word sign and universe — reflecting its goal of building a global ecosystem where sign languages are digitally recognized and supported.
Savatia’s team has since built partnerships with local universities and deaf associations to train datasets, validate translations, and refine avatar movements. Their next step is to expand Terp 360 to other African sign languages, including South African, Ghanaian, and Ugandan variants.
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, launched by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014, is one of the continent’s most prestigious awards for engineering talent. It celebrates African innovators developing scalable solutions to local challenges using science, technology, and engineering.
In addition to the £50,000 grand prize, three other finalists each received £10,000, while the ‘One-to-Watch’ category winner received £5,000. The competition also provides mentorship, business training, and access to a network of global experts to help finalists scale their ideas.
With the Africa Prize funding, Signvrse plans to expand its operations beyond Kenya and develop commercial partnerships with schools, corporate institutions, and government agencies. Savatia says part of the funds will go toward improving avatar animation, adding voice-recognition features, and training machine-learning models for multiple African sign languages.
The startup is also exploring collaborations with telecommunication companies and media houses to incorporate Terp 360 into broadcasting — a move that could make live television and online content accessible to millions of deaf viewers.
