NAIROBI — Lavenda Chepkirui, a 25-year-old student from Kenya's University of Kabianga, has taken a step closer to realizing her vision of transforming agriculture in Africa with eco-friendly solutions.

Her invention — a biodegradable soil mulch film made from crop waste — earned her a gold medal at the inaugural Africa Division Contest of the China International College Students' Innovation Competition 2025, which concluded last month in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. "By applying the biodegradable film over the soil surface, farmers can increase their yields through eliminating weeds and conserving moisture," Chepkirui told Xinhua at the award ceremony.

Chepkirui was among 559 students from 115 African universities who submitted 185 innovation projects to the competition, hosted by China's Nanjing Agricultural University. It marked the first time the event held a regional round on the African continent.

The submissions spanned a wide range of fields, from agricultural and food technologies to artificial intelligence and environmental sustainability. After expert evaluations, 30 teams from 21 universities across nine African countries received awards in various categories.

Chepkirui said the platform not only allowed her to showcase her idea but also offered invaluable mentorship.

"I received valuable expertise from my Chinese instructors on how to conceptualize and test my innovation in the farm fields," she said, expressing her hope to commercialize her product and offer farmers a sustainable alternative to plastic mulch, a major pollutant.

Beyond the lab, the journey was also personal. Growing up in a single-parent household in rural Kenya, Chepkirui said the experience helped her overcome early challenges and strengthened her resolve to make a difference.

Roselida Owuor, director-general of Kenya's State Department for Science Research and Innovation, said the competition serves as a launchpad for African youth to develop homegrown solutions to the continent's challenges. "Kenya is keen to nurture youth to commercialize their innovations through the establishment of innovation hubs across the country," said Owuor.

Zhu Yan, vice-president of NAU, said the contest not only serves as a platform for Chinese and African youth to showcase their innovative wisdom but also stands as a vivid example of implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and deepening the construction of the China-Africa community with a shared future.

"We are delighted to see young students from both China and Africa jointly exploring innovative solutions focusing on sustainable development, technology empowerment, and livelihood improvement," Zhu said. "It is part of our university's mission to support global agricultural development and foster international youth exchange."

The stories behind the winning projects also highlight how innovation, cultural exchange, and practical problem-solving are coming together to meet Africa's evolving needs.

Silvia Christopher Mganga, a 27-year-old Tanzanian postgraduate student at Egerton University, was part of a gold medal-winning team that developed a tomato grafting project.

Her inspiration came from watching her parents struggle with crop losses as small-scale tomato farmers. "Our project combines Chinese rootstock with local tomato varieties, creating a product that is both disease resistant and high yielding," Mganga said.

Tefera Efrata Tibebu, a 19-year-old information technology student from Ethiopia, helped create an award-winning robotic sorting arm using code-scanning technology. The silver medal-winning project aims to enhance efficiency in Africa's logistics sector.

"Our goal is to improve Africa's logistics sector by reducing dependence on manual labor, which is costly and prone to error," she said.

From Ghana, 26-year-old Jochbed Ama Adzomani, a student at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, was awarded a silver medal for her team's innovation in calcium feed supplements for poultry.

"We developed an improved feed formulation using locally available materials such as eggshells and animal bones, which helps farmers reduce costs," she explained.

As the curtains closed on the first African edition of the competition, one message rang clear: Africa's youth are bursting with ideas. With the right platforms and partnerships, their innovations hold the promise to solve real world challenges and advance the continent's sustainable development goals.

Xinhua