Nigeria’s edtech startup, Tuteria wins Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

The Royal Academy Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation has just concluded and Nigeria's edtech startup, Tuteria came out on top, picking up the cash price of  US$28,000 (£25,000).


The African Prize, which was launched in 2014 aims to celebrate and reward engineers who have developed innovations to help Africans.

Sixteen innovators from eight countries in sub Saharan Africa participated and were provided with training and mentoring for a period of six months during which they learned to develop business plans and ways to market their innovations to investors.

The program came to a conclusion on 23 May 2017 in an awards ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya where the four finalists pitched in front of judges, with a live audience voting Nigeria’s Tuteria as the most promising engineering innovation.

Tuteria, which was founded by 27-year-old systems engineer Godwin Benson, is a mobile app that helps link students to qualified tutors in their area and within their budget via its online platform.

Users find the skill they want to learn on an app on their phone, set their budget, and wait to be connected to the nearest tutor.

Users can learn how to play the piano, sew clothes, learn a new language and much more on the platform. Tutors also cover a range of academic subjects for all ages.

The platform has a ratings system, and students book lessons using an upfront online payment system. Tutors are paid once the lessons have been confirmed, and Tuteria makes money by taking 15 to 30% commission for each paid lesson.

“Godwin Benson’s Tuteria invention changes the way Nigerians – and Africans – share knowledge and skills with one another. We’re proud to have him as our third Africa Prize winner, and we trust Tuteria will go on to change the lives of millions of people who are eager to learn and develop new skills,” said Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng, head judge of the contest.

He added, “His engineering innovation is not only new technology, but also a new way of thinking about education. Benson has successfully incorporated the training of the past six months into his project, and we are eager to watch Tuteria grow on the continent.”

Three runners up – South Africa’s GreenTower Microgrid, Uganda’s Yaaka Digital Learning Network, and Kenya’s Mobi-Water – each received US$13,000 (£10,000).

Via