Kenyan tech entrepreneur Elly Savatia has captured global attention after winning the prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering for his groundbreaking creation — Terp 360, an AI-powered app that translates speech and text into sign language using lifelike 3D avatars.
Savatia’s invention, which he proudly describes as Google Translate for sign language, earned him a £50,000 ($67,000) award during a ceremony held in Dakar, Senegal. The app allows real-time communication between hearing and deaf individuals without relying on costly or unavailable human interpreters.
Developed in collaboration with Kenya’s deaf community, Terp 360 features over 2,300 recorded signs, captured through motion sensors and AI training. It currently supports translations from English and Swahili to Kenyan Sign Language, with expansion plans to include Rwandan, Ugandan, South African, British, and American sign languages by 2027
Savatia’s mission is clear — to make education, healthcare, and employment more accessible for millions of deaf Africans. Judges praised the innovation for its “cutting-edge technology and powerful social impact.”
