A tutoring app developed by a 27-year-old Nigerian has won an engineering award given by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering.
Godwin Benson designed Tuteria, a platform that links qualified tutors to students in their area and within their budget. He developed the platform based on the experiences he had as a tutor.
The engineering innovation award was launched in 2014 and rewards innovators in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr Benson beat 16 participants to clinch the £25,000 ($32,000) prize money.
Other entries in the competition included a system that reduces the amount of energy used to heat water, an app that controls water consumption and a smart jacket to identity pneumonia.
The group received coaching on preparing business plans and communication ahead of their final presentation on Tuesday in front of a live audience in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
The head judge of the competition Malcolm Brinded said that Tuteria could change the lives of people eager to learn:
“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.”
Mr Benson told the BBC Focus on Africa radio programme that he always knew he had a great project
“It is something that solves the problem of access to quality, personalised learning and helps people earn income from sharing their knowledge,” he said.
The app has a ratings system, and allows students to book lessons using an upfront online payment system. Tutors are then paid once the lessons have been confirmed, and Tuteria takes 15 to 30% commission for each paid lesson.
Tutors cover a range of academic subjects. Mr Benson plans to use the prize money to widen Tuteria’s offering “even beyond Nigeria.” And to include online classes and video courses as well.
