NWU engineers obtain an international award for ‘TjopTjop’ screening app

North-West University’s engineers were recently awarded an international award, during the Covid-19 Innovation Challenge at the United Nations (UN) Africa Innovation and Investment Forum 2020.

Jean-Paul Adam, the director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), said Covid-19 threatens to undo hard-earned health, economic and social developments registered since 2020.

“Africa traditionally depends on external supplies of medical equipment, diagnostic reagents and tools, protective gear, and medicines. With a global scramble for limited medical supplies, Africa may have to turn inwards.”

As a result, UNECA and its shareholders invited all researchers, firms, public and private development agencies, government leaders, innovators, youth and development partners to create and showcase their innovations surrounding Covid-19. The innovations were showcased at Africa’s first Innovation and Investment Forum 2020.

The NWU showcased their ‘TjopTjop’ app, which is a digitalized screening solution with data-capturing, which came top of its class.

Professor Leenta Grobler, the project leader and specialist in health-related engineering innovations, was delighted to receive the award for their initiative. “It is a great honour to receive this recognition from such a prestigious organisation. I sincerely hope that TjopTjop will help us all get back to school and back to business and move towards a post-Covid-19 world,” she stated.

By Tsholofelo Motswenyane and originally published in the Potchefstroom Herald