Youth Innovation for Wealth Creation




By Nsama Mataka and Lenganji Sikapizye



Musenge Silwawa(Centre) holds the applicator during on the field trials –  Photo credit: Sarah Fretwell Photographs




To build tomorrow’s prosperous future anchored on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), youths will undoubtedly play a key role.


In today’s society, many youths are positioning themselves and actively participating in economic activities that are shaping society positively. One such sector that has provided immense opportunities for the youths to flourish is the science, technology and innovation(STI) sector. The most successful tech – companies including those in the Silicon Valley are now owned by young people. African youths have also realised the need to take up opportunities in this sector.

At many continental Fora, Governments have been urged to prioritize youth’s participation in STI. In Zambia, the Government through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) have put up interventions to encourage innovative young people to realise their dreams of actualizing their science, technology and inniovation projects.

To achieve this, NSTC on behalf of Government administers a Fund called the Science and Technology Innovation Youth Fund(STYI) aimed at assisting the youth develop their scientific and technological innovations with specific focus on innovations that are relevant to the creation of employment and wealth.

The Fund is focused on enabling the youth innovators play a more significant role in the development of key sectors of the economy. The Fund further encourages youths to develop innovations that should utilise  local raw materials. It is against this backdrop, that the fund has seen some youth projects successfully making a mark. One of the projects that was funded by NSTC and greatly helping society is the Spot Fertiliser Applicator which was developed by Musenga Silwawa of Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI).

The Spot Fertilizer Applicator is a 15 Kilogram back pack with a transfer tube to the disperser which is held in the hand, the fertiliser flows from the backpack through the transfer tube to the dispenser which digs a hole and buries the fertiliser in the soil.

Silwawa drew his inspiration from challenges faced by small-scale farmers. Applying fertiliser to crops by hand results in inconsistent application. It’s also time consuming, often requiring a big labour force, and has health implications for workers. 


The  Spot Fertilizer Applicator went on to emerge as a runner up at the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, which is an initiative of the Royal Academy of Engineering walking with  £10 000. The inventor also received mentorship and support in order to facilitate the technology to commercial viability. The applicator was further piloted in countries such as Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbawe.
In an interview, Silwawa said the applicator has the potential to create employment for the youths.
“We intend to set up workshops in villages where the applicator can be manufactured for easy access to the farmers,” he said.









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